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ICT Today October/November/December 2021

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October/November/December 2021 I 31 Now that restrictions are being alleviated in many states, vaccines becoming more widely available, hybrid conferences more prevalent, and more businesses are opening their doors, many employers are starting to make transition plans to bring workers back into the office and even allow some to travel again. Additionally, more families are booking vacations and travel plans. Due to the hospitality industry's advancements in tech- nology made during the pandemic, many hotels and resorts have optimized conditions for the health and well-being of guests and occupants in preparation for the transition. NEW APPLICATIONS FOR SAFETY "Last year, with travel significantly curtailed and conferences mostly virtual, people in the hospitality space focused on staying in business. However, new construction continued to move forward, and plans for connectivity remained integral to those projects," explains Fernando Perez, VP business development, hospitality, gaming, sports and entertainment at a major company specializing in software-driven, carrier-grade solutions designed specifically for in-building and outdoor use. "Mobile apps like contactless journey solutions, as well as panic alert systems for housekeeping, depend on strong ubiquitous networks," adds Sukhvinder Singh, SVP of information technology at a hotels and resorts S&P 500 company, which is also the largest lodging real estate investment trust (REIT) and one of the largest owners of luxury and upper-upscale hotels. According to Singh, it invests in technology-led solutions when the company believes those solutions will increase profitability. "Pre-pandemic, hoteliers were beginning to invest in private LTE networks using CBRS spectrum," Larsen comments. But once the pandemic hit, hoteliers rushed to deploy COVID-19-related applications. Contactless entry and pay-at-table applications gained traction. Hanging on to a credit card, there is limited interaction with a server. This becomes a better way to pay for a drink at the pool. "Guaranteed mobile connectivity has become even more important today than ever before," Larsen notes. "Those kinds of applications are well suited to a private LTE network using CBRS spectrum because those networks are more secure and available than Wi-Fi networks and don't require a subscription to a mobile operator." See Figure 1. FIGURE 1: Some hotels are considering private LTE networks using CBRS spectrum to take advantage of the security and speed that comes with LTE but without having to use a mobile operator network. At the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, hoteliers used technology like thermal scanners, facial recognition, and touchless entry to help keep employees safe and healthy or to identify those who may be sick and need to go home. "Complimenting the back-office applications for guests, similar forward-facing applications were also adopted," says Tormod Larsen, CTO of a leading national provider of converged communications infrastructure and services addressing outdoor, real estate, communities, and enterprise advanced connectivity needs. "Touchless entry is one of the features we are trying to push the most," asserts Fernando Martinez, director of managed IT, North America for a large hotels and resorts company that houses 20 brands under its banner, including several in the select-service category.

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