21st July 2009 –  Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park has revolutionised its internal communications with a fully integrated wireless communications system from NEC Philips Unified Solutions. The system is based on IP DECT technology with an intelligent messenger application, enabling the integration of other business-critical management systems used by the hotel including fire detection, building maintenance and the Hotel Service Optimisation System (HotSOS). The new wireless infrastructure from NEC Philips is designed to improve the speed and reliability of communication between staff, increasing the efficiency of hotel management and customer service delivery.

Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park is one of London's most distinguished hotels, offering an award winning and luxurious stay to every guest and visitor. In order to maintain its reputation for elegance and an esteemed quality of service, the company regularly reviews its activities including the technology that underpins the Mandarin experience. The hotel identified an opportunity to realise a major improvement in communications by using the IP DECT and messenger solution offered by NEC Philips. By enhancing communication between staff, the NEC system has had a positive impact on the overall management of the hotel and has ultimately improved the customer experience. The NEC system has also been integrated with the various business applications within the hotel to streamline and speed up various customer-facing processes, delivering an improved customer experience and improving the efficiency and productivity of staff and resources.

Michael Gentles, UK IT Manager at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, says, "We work hard to ensure that every aspect of the hotel matches the luxury and style for which the group is renowned. Behind the exquisite materials and handcrafted finishes in each of the hotel's rooms and suites lies the latest technology and a level of refined luxury that only something of uncompromising quality can achieve. We consistently look for ways to improve areas that have an impact on the overall guest experience, from the ambience of the room to the technology that we use. We wanted to improve our communications system with a wireless messenger application, and NEC Philips offered a solution that would not only deliver quality and robustness, but also integrate fully with our existing business systems."

Gentles continues, "The new solution from NEC Philips allows staff to stay in contact with each other from any part of the hotel, and expedites the completion of essential tasks through the intelligent messenger application to create a safe, comfortable and pleasing environment in which to stay. And with a reporting facility, NEC Philips allows us to monitor our service delivery to verify the decision to invest in this new technology and continue to make the most of the new capacity to work more efficiently."

The communications solution from NEC Philips is fully integrated with the HotSOS application used by the concierge to monitor and report on customer service delivery. When a guest makes a request to the concierge for room service, an instant message is sent via the messenger application to the most appropriate person. When they have completed their task, they acknowledge this via the IP DECT handset which returns the message to the HotSOS and closes the loop of activity. This provides the hotel with a full reporting solution on staff performance, service delivery, hotel management and supplier product performance, which can be used for training staff and to identify opportunities to increase efficiencies and optimise investments in supplier products.

In a similar way, the solution is integrated with the fire detection system. In the event of a fire alarm, an instant message is sent via the messenger application to the most appropriate person, replacing a lengthier process that would typically have taken several minutes and may have led to the unnecessary evacuation of the hotel. With the new system in place, the recipient can quickly confirm an emergency or reset the alarm, enabling the hotel to act appropriately with greater speed and efficiency.

The solution is also fully integrated with the building maintenance system, enabling maintenance issues to be resolved quickly to ensure that the hotel is a safe, clean and aesthetically pleasing environment in which to stay.

Commenting on the working relationship with NEC Philips, Gentles concludes, "NEC has met all of our IT requirements by delivering a wireless communications solution on time and within budget, dramatically improving our communications infrastructure for the benefit of the entire hotel. We would happily recommend NEC to other businesses looking to implement a wireless communications solution."