Jewish World Review July 19, 2002 / 18 Menachem-Av, 5762
By Mark Kellner
http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com |
Armed with a laptop, handheld, cell phone and accessories, today's tech
traveler dominates the world of hotels and airports. One example is the
strip between San Jose and San Francisco, where across the pond from Larry
Ellison's towers, the Oracle gather around the clock to enjoy French
cuisine, the gym, the pool, the bar and the meting rooms of the Sofitel
(stet) Hotel in Redwood City.
"At any hour there seems to be a one on one, small conference, formal
meeting or a gathering of Oracle personnel with their partners, customers
and friends in the hotel," according to Stephanie Ryan, the five-year
veteran general manager of the French-owned flagship property.
"Our guests come primarily from the U.S.," Ms. Ryan said of those who visit
Oracle and nearby Electronic Arts, a computer game maker also nearby. "Some
of the larger companies do host international visitors. I would say, what I
know most about them, they really look for the comfortable environment."
At the same time, the race is on from New York to London and Hong Kong over
who can provide the most support for the demands of the digital set.
Thatcher Brown, director of business development for Fairmont Hotels and
Resorts, a Toronto-based firm, is involved with the technology needs of
guests at major hotels including the Plaza in New York, the Fairmont Dubai
on the Persian Gulf, and the famous original Fairmont on Nob (stet) Hill in
San Francisco. In an interview, Mr. Brown said guests were demanding more in
the way of technological accommodation.
"Basically, our guests are looking for the same business-class network
access that they enjoy in their offices," he said. "Whether they're
connecting through their guest room via wired or wireless networks, they're
expecting that and expecting hotel companies to provide that in a secure
environment."
To that end, Fairmont Hotels and Resorts has launched one of the most
ambitious campaigns I've seen to integrate high tech with the "high touch"
world of upmarket lodgings. The firm has launched the "Fairmont Virtual
Assistant" program, providing a 24-hour, seven days-per-week, technical
support hotline manned by the company's own IT department. Fairmont has
extended its e-business and branding initiatives to encompass nearly every
aspect of the guests' networking experience, including technical support.
With toll-free access from the US and Canada, Mexico and Bermuda, guests are
connected to a helpdesk staffed internally by Fairmont analysts. Fairmont
focuses on hiring analysts that have a raised knowledge of the IT industry
at large, so they are able to handle a breadth of issues and activities.
Two years ago, the Fairmont organization began to develop an end-to-end
network based on technology from Cisco Systems that connects all 38
properties, and allows Fairmont to offer high-speed Internet Access and
wireless service across its portfolio of facilities. Currently it is offered
in all of the chain's hotel meeting rooms, lobbies and open space areas
while most guestrooms will have wired or wireless high speed Internet access
by the end of this year, Mr. Brown said.
"Most of our guests use the network for real business purposes, and they
tend to be online for hours, not just minutes. They're running VPN clients,
and are working as effectively in our hotel rooms as they would be in their
own offices," added Tim Aubrey, vice president of technology for the
Fairmont chain.
Mr. Brown said the service is made available to most guests at a fee of
$9.95 for a 24-hour period. Those Fairmont customers who are "golden
platinum" members of the chain's frequent guest program receive the access
for free. He added that guests appreciate the technical savvy of the
Fairmont chain and the services available.
"One of the delicate balances is using technology to provide better services
and experiences to our guests," he said. "Our commitment is to providing
benefit to our guests and we look to differentiate ourselves that way,
through our e-business initiative."
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JWR contributor Mark Kellner has reported on technology for industry newspapers and magazines since 1983, and has been the computer columnist for The Washington Times since 1991.Comment by clicking here.
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