Intelligent SME.tech Issue 60 | Page 25

// FEATURE //

S tratton House Hotel is an independent family-owned spa hotel in the heart of England’ s internationally renowned Cotswolds region.

Located on the edge of the market town of Cirencester, surrounded by rolling countryside and steeped in Georgian character, the hotel is a popular destination for weekend breaks, spa days, weddings and business gatherings.
With 43 individually styled bedrooms, a garden restaurant, a traditional oak bar and an award-winning spa, Stratton House pitches period charm with modern hospitality. Its emphasis on personal service and guest experience has helped it to build a loyal following over the years. Yet behind the grand history of the building, the hotel faced a very modern problem: how to refresh its outdated telecommunications system without causing costly disruption

// to staff or guests.

The problem: Outdated analogue systems
The hotel’ s existing telephone cabling had long been a headache for management. Much of the infrastructure was located externally, running along the outside of the building. This not only detracted from the hotel’ s aesthetics but also created ongoing maintenance issues. Exposure to the elements had caused cables to perish and replacing them was not straightforward. Any re-cabling project would be expensive, time-consuming and disruptive to daily operations.
Indoors, Stratton House relied on a private branch exchange( PBX) system with analogue extensions in each guest bedroom. While functional, these lines lacked the features expected in modern hospitality environments. Guests often reported poor call quality with interference, static noise and dropped calls undermining the reliability of the service.
On the operational side, the system was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain.
HOTEL OPERATORS SEE TELEPHONY AS AN IMPORTANT AMENITY WHICH CONTRIBUTES TO HOW THEY ARE RATED – BUT INSTALLATION COSTS CAN OFTEN BE A BARRIER.
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