Installation Spotlight

Sheraton Pasadena, California

Introduction

Conveniently situated adjacent to the Pasadena Convention Center, the Sheraton

Pasadena receives its fair share of guests who come to experience one of many

unique events hosted by the center throughout the year. Unfortunately not so unique

is the all too common issue with Wi-Fi connectivity and speed that guests previously

encountered when attempting to use the hotel’s Internet service. Like many other

properties around the country, Sheraton Pasadena staff could not be blamed for losing track of the sheer number

of Wi-Fi troubleshooting complaints received on a daily basis.

ChallengeLocating the source of Sheraton Pasadena’s Wi-Fi networking problems, and implementing a solution that

guarantees all guests receive a reliable and fast connection.

Prior to implementing HIS Wi-Fi and similar to the experience of many other hotels, Sheraton Pasadena was

informed by their service provider that their dilemma stemmed from the need to purchase additional bandwidth.

As management soon discovered however, solely adding more and more bandwidth did little to offset customer

complaints and alleviate their troubleshooting issues.

www.hotelwifi.com • 855-999-8110

East Coast: 600 Cleveland Street Suite 830, Clearwater, FL 33755 • West Coast: 4590 Ish Drive Suite #120, Simi Valley, CA 93063 www.hotelwifi.com • 855-999-8110

East Coast: 600 Cleveland Street Suite 830, Clearwater, FL 33755 • West Coast: 4590 Ish Drive Suite #120, Simi Valley, CA 93063 www.hotelwifi.com • 855-999-8110

To permanently solve their Wi-Fi problems, Sheraton

Pasadena’s leadership realized that they had to take quick

and drastic action before the rising number of complaints

significantly affected their reputation and impacted guest

booking rates. They further understood that today’s guests

overwhelmingly consider reliable Internet connectivity to

be as essential a service as running water, and may very

likely base ultimate booking decisions on what they have

heard about a hotel’s Wi-Fi connection quality.

In turning to HIS Wi-Fi, Sheraton Pasadena finally found a solution that not only revolutionized its Internet speed

capacity, but also ensured total accessibility throughout the entire property, with users able to connect in all

guestrooms, meeting rooms and public areas.

“After experiencing troubleshooting issues on a near constant basis, finding and implementing HIS Wi-Fi was a

tremendous source of relief for both ourselves and our guests” said Craig Carlson, Director of Operations at the

Sheraton Pasadena. “With HIS, we were able to develop a network that would free us from having to spend hours

each day troubleshooting to determine why guests were not receiving Wi-Fi, something that was in fact caused by

either underpowered or overpowered APs providing an inconsistent and unworkable signal. Unlike past providers who

simply considered the problem to be an issue in need of more bandwidth, HIS actually came

out, thoroughly analyzed the situation and recommended a solution that fully addressed

our specific needs.”

In further focusing on the need to offset the main guest complaint of connectivity,

HIS also installed additional APs in meeting spaces, so that the property could

accommodate higher levels of traffic in those areas. As a result, guests of the

Sheraton Pasadena are now immune to common connectivity issues such as

WI-Fi signals not reaching devices or dropped connections, regardless of

where they are located on the property.

With HIS’ proprietary FUSION Gateway working together with Zone Director

by Ruckus, a solution that provides simplified configuration, ongoing control

and automatic coordination of access points, the Sheraton Pasadena is also

G a t e w a y

East Coast: 600 Cleveland Street Suite 830, Clearwater, FL 33755 • West Coast: 4590 Ish Drive Suite #120, Simi Valley, CA 93063 www.hotelwifi.com • 855-999-8110

East Coast: 600 Cleveland Street Suite 830, Clearwater, FL 33755 • West Coast: 4590 Ish Drive Suite #120, Simi Valley, CA 93063 www.hotelwifi.com • 855-999-8110

Project Requirements • Analyze and locate the root cause behind Sheraton

Pasadena’s Wi-Fi connectivity issues

• Implement a solution to remedy the property’s ongoing obstacle with underpowered or overpowered APs.

• Ensure that fast and reliable Wi-Fi is available throughout the property, including all 311 guestrooms and 14 meeting areas

• Drastically reduce the volume of guest troubleshooting complaints

• Provide responsive and efficient technical support

Solution• Implementing a new network using HIS Wi-Fi

• Strategically placing additional APs in areas that experienced higher levels of traffic

• Integrating HIS FUSION Gateway with Zone Director

Benefits• Fast and reliable Wi-Fi coverage available throughout entire property

• Drastic reduction in volume of guest complaints and dramatic rise in number of compliments

• New revenue driving abilities with addition of conference tool

• Reliable technical support ensures property and guests always receive uninterrupted, high performance Internet quality