A hotel operator was preparing to open a new-build airport hotel and required an experienced IT partner to advise on, manage and deliver the technology elements needed for the property. TMB was introduced as the IT partner due to our experience in supporting hotel openings.
The project covered both the management of the wider IT requirements and the direct supply and installation of selected systems. TMB provided project management and advice across the hotel’s franchise and brand IT requirements, networks, telephone system, background music, access control, property management system, point-of-sale solution, email and domain, guest Wi-Fi, television solution and operator-specific systems.
TMB was also responsible for supplying and installing the franchise IT and network infrastructure, telephone system, background music and access control systems.
Project Planning and Discovery
The project was planned and managed using customer-facing Gantt charts alongside TMB’s internal Autotask solution. This provided a structured framework for managing the different stages of the hotel opening and coordinating the systems included within the project scope.
The work was divided into five high-level phases:
- Project initiation and discovery
- Solution design and budgeting
- Ordering
- Installation and commissioning
- Opening, handover and completion
During the initial stages, TMB reviewed the technology requirements for the property and considered both the hotel brand standards and the operator’s specific operational needs.
Solution Design and Requirements
The solution design needed to meet the hotel brand’s IT standards while also supporting the operator’s own systems and reporting requirements. These included financial reporting and time and attendance systems.
WAN services were another important consideration, including the leased line routing and capacity required for the property. The project timescale also needed to be considered when deciding when equipment should be ordered.
As the hotel needed to open with the latest available IT hardware, including its Wi-Fi technology, the project team considered the possibility of hardware upgrades or changes taking place during the development period. This helped ensure that ordering decisions reflected both the project schedule and the technology required when the hotel opened.
Delivery
TMB provided project management and advice across the IT elements required for the new hotel, including:
- Franchise IT and network infrastructure
- Telephone system
- Background music
- Access control
- Brand IT and network requirements
- Brand-specific property management system
- Point-of-sale solution
- Email and domain
- Guest Wi-Fi solution
- Television solution
- Operator-specific HR, time and attendance, and financial accounting systems
TMB directly supplied and installed the franchise IT and network infrastructure, telephone system, background music and access control systems.
Installation and Opening
Delivery was coordinated around the construction schedule, practical completion milestones and the planned hotel opening date. TMB worked alongside the hotel operator, contractors and third-party technology providers to ensure that all systems were installed, configured, tested and ready for operation ahead of opening.
Following practical completion, end-user devices and guest-facing technologies were commissioned, with final testing and system integration completed prior to go-live.
At opening, TMB and the relevant third-party partners provided live cover and hypercare to support the hotel as it began trading.
Managing Project Changes
During the project, changes to the building management system requirements created a need for additional switch ports and a redesign of part of the network.
TMB redesigned the network to accommodate a dedicated building management system VLAN and added the required switching capacity. This allowed the revised requirements to be incorporated into the wider hotel network design.
The leased line also presented routing and service availability challenges. Capacity and service availability issues affected the timescales for delivering the leased line connection. Connectivity challenges were managed through contingency planning until the primary service became available, ensuring the project remained on track for the planned hotel opening.
Outcomes and Impact
The hotel opened on time and within budget, with the operator’s requirements and the hotel brand’s IT requirements met. The property began trading with minimal or no issues at go-live.
Key outcomes included:
- Successful delivery of the IT requirements for a new-build airport hotel
- Hotel opening completed on time and within budget
- Operator and hotel brand IT requirements met
- Franchise IT and network infrastructure supplied and installed
- Telephone, background music and access control systems delivered
- Network redesigned to accommodate revised building management system requirements
- Connectivity challenges successfully managed during the project
- Live opening support and hypercare provided by TMB and relevant third-party partners
- Minimal or no issues experienced when the hotel began trading
