Hotels Around the World Rush to Smarter Wi-Fi for Converged Services

SUNNYVALE, Calif., April 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Ruckus Wireless™, the smart mobile networking company, today announced that its "Smart Wi-Fi" systems and technology are being rapidly adopted by leading hotels and resorts around the world to support converged multimedia services.  Mandarin Oriental, for instance, has standardized on Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi system for a variety of high-end properties throughout Asia Pacific and Europe (see related release).

In Q1, 2010, Ruckus saw explosive growth in the hospitality sector, signing 65 new hospitality customers. This increased demand reflects to growing importance among hotels for a more reliable and unified Wi-Fi infrastructure that enables enhanced multimedia services, improved operational efficiency, new guest services and a superior guest experience. Overall for Q1, 2010, Ruckus added over 850 new enterprise customers.

From high-end luxury resorts to smaller, budget-friendly accommodations, hotel properties around the globe are migrating to higher-speed 802.11n Wi-Fi and dynamic beamforming technology found in Ruckus ZoneFlex systems to offer a wider range of services over a more stable wireless infrastructure.  

The services being migrated to wireless include: in-room device controls (eg. minibars, HVAC systems), voice-over-Wi-Fi for inter-departmental communications, IP-based HD video on demand, digital advertising, service optimization and wireless point-of-sale (POS) devices.  

With a robust, Ruckus-powered wireless networking infrastructure, hotels and their guests can reap the many benefits from more efficient guest food and beverage ordering services, automated guest registration kiosks, IP-based video on demand and high-speed Internet access, among other services.

"Hotels view IP-based services, not just wireless Internet access, as strategic to their future," said Ted Watson, global director of hospitality solutions for Ruckus. "Almost anything you can imagine in a hotel room can be controlled over an IP network. This creates enormous benefits for hotels and their guests.  But for this vision to become a reality, the wireless network must operate as reliably as any utility. We've taking wireless there."

Watson noted that while traditional Wi-Fi is riddled with performance and stability issues making it undependable for latency-sensitive applications, recent technology advances are solving this problem. By combining new 802.11n Wi-Fi with state-of-the-art dynamic beamforming technology that extends the range and reliability of Wi-Fi connections, hotels can now create a single network onto which multiple services can be converged.  This results in increased revenues, decreased costs, enhanced customer service and a higher guest retention rate.

Smart Wi-Fi: a Five-Star Technology for Converged Services

With its unique ability to constantly monitor the air and steer Wi-Fi signals around interference in real time, the Ruckus ZoneFlex WLAN system delivers unmatched performance, scalability and reliability at a fraction of the cost of competing systems, and is suitable for wireless-enabled voice handsets, high-definition video, digital signage and other next-generation technologies. The performance and cost benefits of the Ruckus solution make it ideal for hospitality and other businesses focused on building strong brand loyalty and increasing the bottom line through greater organizational efficiencies.

For example, the Ramada Beach Resort in Hollywood, Florida, recently replaced its Cisco wireless networking infrastructure with Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi. The resort, comprising 300 hotel units and more than 100 condominium residences, is now delivering flawless wireless broadband access – throughout the massive hotel and across all outdoor areas, including the pool, outdoor restaurant and private beach – with the Ruckus ZoneFlex system.

Over the last 60 days, Ruckus Wireless has seen the greatest growth in the hospitality sector having signed over 60 new hotel properties around the world, including:

1. Andara Resort and Villas (Phuket, Thailand)
2. Argosy Casino (Riverside, MO)
3. Baltimore Marriott
4. Belamar Hotel (Manhattan Beach, CA)
5. Bogata Plaza Summit Hotel (Bogata, Columbia)
6. Buccament Bay Beach Resort (St. Vincent)
7. Cajun Lodging (Baton Rouge, LA)
8. Candlewood Suites (Huntsville, AL)
9. Cassa NYC (NY)
10. Chase Suite Hotel (Baton Rouge, LA)
11. Comfort Suites (Sandusky, OH)
12. Comfort Suites Paradise Island (Bahamas)
13. Coushatta Casino and Resort (Kinder, LA)
14. Crowne Plaza Phoenix
15. Delamar Southport (Southport, CN)
16. Emerald Bay by Sandals (Bahamas)
17. Eventi- A Kimpton Hotel (NY, NY)
18. Grand Hotel (Delhi, India)
19. Helmsley Sand Castle Resort (Sarasota, FL)
20. Hilton Garden Inn (Fayetteville, NC)
21. Hilton Inn Bakersfield (Bakersfield, CA)
22. Holiday Inn (Ft. Myers, FL)
23. Holiday Inn (Palmdale, CA)
24. Holiday Inn Select Panama City
25. Hotel Allegro Chicago
26. Hotel Oceana (Santa Monica, CA)
27. Hotel Palomar Chicago
28. Hyatt Place Roseville (CA)
29. Hyatt Place Malta (NY)
30. Intercontinental Hotel Atlanta
31. Kowloon Hotel (Hong Kong)
32. L-Hotel (Hong Kong)
33. Larkspur Hotels (Mill Valley, CA)
34. Larkspur Landing (Sunnyvale, CA)
35. Larkspur Landing Casa Munras (Monterey, CA)
36. Larkspur Landing St. Claire (San Jose, CA)
37. Le Meridian Piccadilly (London, UK)
38. MacArthur Place (Sonoma, CA)
39. Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park (London, UK)
40. Mandarin Oriental Jakarta (Indonesia)
41. Mandarin Oriental Sanya (China)
42. Mandarin Oriental Manila (Philippines)
43. Mandarin Oriental Marrakech
44. Marriott Hotel (Ogden, UT)
45. Marriott Town Place Hotel (San Diego, CA)
46. Marriott Town Place Suites (Albany)
47. Mayan Palace Nuevo Vallarta (Nayarit, Mexico)
48. Palace Hotel (San Francisco, CA)
49. Park Central New York
50. Radisson Hotel Boston
51. Radisson Hotel Manchester (Manchester, UK)
52. Radisson Racine (Narbourwalk,WI)
53. Ramada Hollywood Beach Resort (FLA)
54. Ramada Inn (San Diego, CA
55. Ramada Plaza Hotel (San Diego, CA)
56. Royal Park Hotel (Hong Kong)
57. San Vicente Inn and Golf Course (San Vicente, CA)
58. Schloss Arenenberg (Germany)
59. Sheraton Denver
60. Vacation Villages Colonies (Williamsburg, VA)
61. Vacation Villages Grandview (Las Vegas, NV)
62. Vacation Villages Parkway (Kissimee, FL)
63. Vacation Villages Parkway (Orlando, FL)
64. Welk Resort (Cabo San Lucas, Mexico)
65. Wingate Lynchburg Hotel (Lynchburg, VA)

About Ruckus Wireless, Inc.

Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Ruckus Wireless is supplier of advanced wireless systems for the mobile Internetworking market. The company markets and manufactures a wide range of indoor and outdoor "Smart Wi-Fi" products for mobile operators, broadband service providers and corporate enterprises around the world. Ranked as the top telecom company in the 2009 Inc. Magazine 500 list and named a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer, Ruckus Wireless has realized dramatic growth. Since 2006, revenue and shipments have grown by over 1000 percent. Ruckus invented, and has patented, innovative state-of-the-art wireless technology that steers signals around obstacles and interference. This unique capability extends signal range and ensures consistent reliable distribution of delay-sensitive multimedia content and services over standard 802.11 Wi-Fi. The company has shipped over 2 million Smart Wi-Fi systems around the world and has raised $51 million in funding from premier investors such as Sequoia Capital, Focus Ventures, Sutter Hill, Motorola, T-Ventures, Telus Ventures and Firelake Capital. The company is led by Ms. Selina Lo, president and chief executive officer. For more information, visit Ruckus Wireless at http://www.ruckuswireless.com.

SOURCE Ruckus Wireless