Technology Firms Ready To Lead Hoteliers In The Correctly Converged Direction

NATIONAL REPORT— Now that the evolution toward complete hotel technology convergence is clearly under way, the technology companies that have been administering convergence in other industries have turned their eyes on the lodging sector’s needs. At the same time, the traditional technology vendors that have toiled within the hotel space for many years are being forced to adapt to the convergence evolution or run the risk of being left behind with out-of-date hotels as their only companions. Included among those firms willing and able to help hotel companies converge their various technological services and applications over one Internet Protocol-based network is San Diego-based Valcros, Inc., which has been a convergence integrator in multiple industries since 1998. Most recently, the company helped design and integrate a voice, data, and video network into a fully converged infrastructure at Seattle’s Hotel 1000, which is set to open June 26. “Right now, we’re primarily seeing convergence at the higher end of the hotel industry, so our customer base is upper upscale and luxury properties,” said Mark Munger, Valcros’ president. “That part of the industry gets the concept for the most part, but several brands are still lagging. But boutique hotels are part of our primary customer base and they appear to be the ones looking to take advantage of technology. They are the ones willing to take the risk and the reward if it works, and with convergence, it always does.” Munger further pointed out that taking the risk and spending money on a converged system will produce a return on investment for a hotel in many ways. “Take voice over IP for example,” he said. “When you look at everything involved with it, it’s very expensive. But when you use the same backbone system for VOIP as well as other systems, you start to save money. Also, you don’t have to use coaxial cable, which costs money to install and maintain. And there are no diagnostics for it. You can’t tell if something is failing. With IP you can monitor the situation. Your devices can report back to you. You don’t have to wait for the guest to tell you something doesn’t work.” Another company working in the realm of convergence is Amherst, NY-based Lorica Solutions, which is the hospitality-focused division of Synergy Global Solutions. According to the company’s president, Clark Crook, convergence is especially useful in hotels. “There are a lot of unique requirements in hospitality, including the density of the technology, the serious security components with all the networking, the daily turnover of all the users of the network, wireless security and issues with the visibility of one network for all in-room technology,” said Crook, whose firm has developed the Lorica Room Center board in order to fulfill such requirements. He added that the board acts as an Ethernet onramp that provides a way for all in-room technology to be a part of one IP network through one high-speed uplink. Meanwhile, some veteran hotel technology companies are attempting to get ahead of the future convergence rush by readjusting their business models. For example, Guest-Tek recently introduced OneView, which it claims is the industry’s first converged data network solution with high-speed Internet access, voice and video all rolled into one single platform. “The recent major thrust of our entire strategy is now on convergence,” said Mike Tourigny, the vp of marketing for Calgary, Alberta-based Guest-Tek. “For new-build hotels this is the way things are going. It makes sense because of the cost savings of having everything managed on one network and having the flexibility to add new applications while personalizing the guest experience. We think that technology is the next Heavenly Bed because it’s experiential. There’s just not much more you can do for guests with sheets, linens and soaps. How else do you get the guest to have an emotional bond with your hotel?” Outside of guestroom-related