How Technology Is Shaping the Future of Hospitality for IHG

We are always connected. By 2020, the number of devices connected to networks will outnumber the world population by three times (Cisco VNI). Mobile and other wireless devices will make up nearly 70% of Internet traffic.

Today’s increasingly digital landscape has drastically changed many businesses, fueled by technological innovation and the exponential growth of the Internet. One of the most significantly impacted is the hospitality industry. In fact, hospitality and travel ranked seventh on the Global Center for Digital Business Transformation’s list of industries that will experience the most digital disruption by 2020. In this rapidly changing environment, hotels need to continuously adopt new technologies to meet and exceed guest expectations.

One of these forward-looking companies is IHG, a world-class hospitality provider.

The IHG and Cisco solution

Shawn Olmstead, Hotel Manager at Intercontinental Hotels Group’s (IHG) Intercontinental Barclay in New York City, considers technology to be one of the biggest challenges facing the hospitality industry today. “Secure, reliable internet access is no longer a guest expectation, but a demand,” he says.

Partnering with Cisco Connected Hotel and Hospitality solutions, IHG has reinvented itself to provide a series of sophisticated and secure mobile guest services. This allows them to create a personalized experience for each guest that differentiates them from competitors. Based on Cisco Meraki and the Enterprise Mobility Services Platform (EMSP), IHG has built a new guest Wi-Fi platform called IHG Connect.

This portal has improved their ability to monitor and control their networks to support a consistent guest experience across more than 5,000 properties worldwide.  In addition, new data collection and analysis abilities allow IHG to offer a connected experience uniquely tailored for their guests.

Outstanding business outcomes

Since implementing their new solution, IHG’s guest satisfaction scores have skyrocketed. Once its top dis-satisfier, Wi-Fi connectivity now gets rave reviews from guests. IHG also streamlined the login process while increasing the number of Wi-Fi users, which offers new opportunities for advertising services and products available on the property. The new platform overall increased guest loyalty program membership and reduced IHG’s operating costs by millions.

Cisco’s hospitality solutions are providing companies like IHG with an easy way to digitally transform their businesses. With a superior guest experience that builds loyalty and lays the groundwork for future technological initiatives, IHG is leading the hospitality industry towards a more connected future.

To learn more about Cisco Hospitality solutions, visit us at www.cisco.com/go/hospitality

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