Innovating for competitive advantage
Morrison Hotel in Dublin, part of the global Hilton franchise, is using its technology partnership with
AirSpeed Telecom to deliver innovative communications services that put it on par with the best
equipped hotels in the world.
Hotels have always operated in one of the most competitive market sectors. Whether providing
accommodation, conferencing services or both. Hotels in capital cities like Dublin must offer
something more, especially as conferencing events incorporate a greater degree of technology and
innovation.
As General Manager Patrick Joyce explains, The Morrison is a design-led boutique hotel that
reopened in 2013 following a complete refurbishment. The hotel, which is a franchise partner with
DoubleTree by Hilton, has worked to raise the bar particularly for business travellers, offering
everything from the highest specification bedding, in-room technology and interior design, right
down to the warm chocolate chip cookie every guest is offered on arrival.
“The hotel and conferencing business in Dublin is having a very good year, and the Morrison is
competing well, but customers continue to be mindful of price and of what hotels are offering,”
Patrick says. “We absolutely have to stay ahead.”
Formerly the general manager of a hotel in Kilkenny, Patrick had worked with AirSpeed Telecom
there to deliver high-speed internet for the hotel. He said the company was the first he called when
setting up communications in Dublin for the Morrison, and he appreciated their ability to bring a
number of new ideas to the table. Airspeed are currently supporting Guest Wi-Fi, 3rd Party VoIP and
Hotel Admin connectivity, which was upgraded to 900Mb per second last year.
Competing with innovation in the hotel and conferencing market
At the heart of the solution, that AirSpeed proposed, was a very high-capacity licensed wireless data
link, providing all internet communications into the hotel. The Morrison took the forward-looking
decision to use the 900 Mb connection to offer a standout service to clients: free Wi-Fi for everyone,
and a complementary VPN-secured communications network unique to each guest bedroom.
This means that corporate customers, who make up between 60% and 70% of the Morrison’s guest
volume, can plug in and get to work without violating their company’s IT security policies, which
often prohibits the use of any open Wi-Fi network for staff.
“Our guests love the fast Wi-Fi – they say it’s lightning-fast, and they appreciate the security,
because large multinationals typically don’t let their employees use free Wi-Fi services,” Patrick says.
“Our guests have the option of using the free wireless connection which is unique to them and their
room. This is a stable connection over VPN at 100 Mb per second, which makes our guest offering an
industry leader – that’s hugely important to us as a Hilton franchise.”
Pushing the envelope with live conference streaming
Another innovation recently adopted by the Morrison is a live video streaming service made
available to conferencing clients. This facility, building on the AirSpeed AirStream service, means that
corporate events can be broadcast live to be viewed on the web, at true broadcast quality. This
optional premium service is supported by the flexible AirSpeed data link.
Patrick says the hotel is continuing to look for ways to use technology for competitive advantage.
“Guests don’t just need a place to stay, they need a whole communications infrastructure. Our
communications are now a reason people are using us – it is a real value add,” he says. “We want
guests to feel that when they’re here, they’re taken care of.”
To find out more about our wireless and fibre connectivity solutions, email sales@airspeed.ie
