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A Shot In The Hospitality Arm

Promising to 'quietly deliver the goods', Siemens has extensive plans to strengthen its hospitality arm. Reema Sisodia elaborates.

Siemens Communications Enterprise Networks, that boasts an extensive portfolio of solutions in the hospitality market, plans to increase its bouquet of hospitality services, products and solutions. Peter Gartenberg, executive vice president of Siemens Communications Enterprise Networks, said, "Size and scale are no objects. While everyone talks about one-stop shopping these days, Siemens quietly delivers the goods. In fact, it is probably safe to say that we have been there and done that. The entire wealth of Siemens' global resources is at the industry's disposal locally - in over 190 countries. That is why small, family-run hotels and top-end international establishments alike turn to us for complete solutions."

Highlighting the company's USP, Gartenberg added, "We give our clients one professional partner for all their IT, communications, technology, power, lighting and security needs. In fact, just about every kind of technology a hotel will ever need." According to him, Siemens tailors solution packages and services according to specific requirements of a hotel. Drawing on its experience of systems integration, it fits together existing third-party products with its own components to provide solutions.

Strategy And Vision

The company's vision is to be the single source and strategic partner that meets all the technology needs of its partners in the hospitality industry. Its aim is to meet the goals of its hospitality clients and reinforce its brand loyalty by providing comfort and safety; and to streamline back-office operations.

Gartenberg breaks down the company's strategy into four key aspects:

• Strategic Partnerships, that aims to cultivate existing partnerships and develop new ones
• Turn-Key Solutions, that takes care of all the technology and renders its customers free to focus on running the hotel business
• Systems Integration, that puts systems together even if other vendors made the bits and pieces
• Innovation, that channels all resources of a global technology powerhouse into finding innovative, practical solutions to challenges faced by a hotel.

The company currently provides the hospitality industry with the following services:

• Security, that covers everything from fire safety to network security, from access control to CCTV surveillance
• Entertainment and Internet, that offers wireless and wired connectivity anywhere in the hotel as well as advanced in-room entertainment
• Building Management, which - through intelligent applications and building automation systems - protects the value of one's investment and lowers operating costs
• IT and Communications, systems integration transforms all back-office and communications infrastructure into a single whole
• Power Distribution
• Services
• Appliances, from coffee machines to wine coolers
• Mobility and CRM

* HiPath Hospitality Service Center

This is a powerful Web-based client/server application and communications hub designed for small, medium as well as large hotels. It helps hotels do three vital things at once; it tracks and improves guest services, it optimises use of resources, and it analyses CRM data to improve performance across the board.

Another benefit of this centre is its shared services and application service provider (ASP) models. One HiPath Hospitality Service Center installation can cover the needs of any number of related (or even unrelated) hotels in the same country or region. Service quality can thus be standardised across locations to improve guest satisfaction and boost brand loyalty. A single service center can cover multiple locations, reducing both capital and operating expenditure. An alternative arrangement is to have the entire set-up owned and operated by an external service provider - what is known as the ASP model. Different hotels and guesthouses can then access the same centrally hosted systems.

* Hotel Room Management Systems

Siemens hotel room management system brings together information to run an efficient, profitable operation while still delivering impeccable service. This allows the management to keep track of guests, integrate access control and the booking system, regulate lighting and room temperature automatically, deploy staff efficiently, automate billing, and share and coordinate data.

Gartenberg explains, "Hotel solutions from Siemens can mobilise management resources. By engineering a truly seamless flow of data, we empower hotels to harness every piece of information and use it to better serve their guests."

According to Anil Jain, general manager (marketing) of Siemens Communications Enterprise Networks, the company is going to launch its wireless LAN portfolio (WLAN) for the hospitality industry. It will add additional revenue streams to the hotels and provide mobility to guests. This product is scheduled to be launched in India later this year.