FTTx Case Study: Omni Hotels®

Omni Hotels, privately-owned and headquarters in Irving, Texas, was the first luxury hotel brand in the United States to offer Wi-Fi system-wide with access in guest rooms and public spaces in 2003. Because Omni Hotels owns and manages the majority of their properties, technology support is centralized and standardized across the brand enabling rapid deployment and installation of new technology applications across the company. With a primary customer focus on upscale business and leisure travelers, Omni Hotels has experienced increased Internet use both in terms of the number of users as well as their bandwidth demands. The importance of Wi-Fi to hotel guests is driving the hospitality industry’s evolution to higher performance 802.11n based networks. So, when Omni sought a high-performance network partner with expertise in installation, they contacted AFL Network Services, an industry leader in hospitality technology integration and wireless engineering.  

Commencing in January 2009, AFL Network Services began the wireless integration of the Omni Hotels starting with the Omni Fort Worth, the city’s newest and largest hotel, which celebrated its grand opening January 12, 2009. Thereafter, AFL installed wireless at the Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale. BelAir Networks, a market leader in service provider WLAN and system integrator of AFL, was selected for Wi-Fi deployments.

AFL Network Services installed the powerful, feature-rich BelAirOS operating system software, managed by BelView. BelAir Networks offers the industry’s most comprehensive product portfolio of indoor access points (AP) and outdoor wireless nodes supporting both Wi-Fi and WiMAX as well as public safety, defense and intelligent transportation system (ITS) frequency bands. At the Omni Fort Worth, AFL Network Services deployed 77 BelAir20 APs. These best-in-class, ultra-compact and easily powered dual-radio, dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi indoor APs employ hosted software-based control enabling centralized management and lowering network CapEx by about 30%. Configurable as a wired AP, a mesh point or a bridge from outside, the BelAir20 AP supports both wireless and wired backhaul. 

AFL Network Services’ mission is to provide advanced hospitality technology and network management services using high-performance and very reliable Wi-Fi equipment. Partnering with BelAir, AFL is able to provide outstanding quality to drive guest satisfaction and quality.

“Omni Hotels has been a real innovator in providing Wi-Fi services so we’re very proud to support the evolution of their Wi-Fi networks,” said Bernard Herscovich, President and CEO, BelAir Networks. “Our experience with hospitality, telecom and cable operators has enabled us to craft a product portfolio that delivers high-performance, cost-effective Wi-Fi coverage that’s easy to manage.”

Links
Omni Hotels www.omnihotels.com