Customer experience (CX) is today’s competitive battleground for all businesses, regardless of shape, size, or industry. The stakes are highest for companies in the business of delivering “experiences,” including hotels, casinos, sports arenas, concert halls, convention facilities, and others in the hospitality industry. The experiences they offer are either phenomenal, flops, or forgotten, with repeat business hanging in the balance. The Cox Business Hospitality Network helps these companies to deliver time and again.
What is the Cox Business Hospitality Network?
Cox Business created the Hospitality Network (HN) more than 40 years ago to meet the complex customer experience demands of Las Vegas businesses – from casinos to convention centers. Led by engineers, technologists, and former hospitality executives, HN delivers technology and technology integration solutions to organizations operating in Nevada’s entertainment mecca.
Today, HN partners with other tech leaders like Aruba, Cisco, LG, Ruckus, and Samsung to deliver connectivity, content, and technology integration to hotels and hospitality sites, convention centers and arenas, airports, and special events throughout the United States. Core solutions include:
- Hotel and entertainment property connectivity provisioning and management
- Mobility and WiFi management and integration
- Digital signage
- Wayfinding
- “Smart hotel” and “smart room” solutions
Delivering CX at Scale
The scope and scale of hospitality experiences can range from in-room connectivity, WiFi, and entertainment to global technology events. Boyd Gaming Corporation and the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) are prime examples of ventures that must scale to deliver exceptional experiences. Here’s how HN is helping them win customers over:
- Boyd Gaming Corporation — HN powers an in-room entertainment (IRE) solution in more than 6,000 Boyd hotel rooms nationwide, providing guests with convenient access to their favorite programming like the Netflix streaming app, video-on-demand (VOD), and free-to-guest (FTG) HD channels.
- CES — HN delivers integrated technology at a massive scale to the world’s leading technology conference, the Las Vegas Convention Center, hundreds of leading technology vendors, and more than 100,000 attendees. Solutions include:
o 2,800 WiFi Access Points enabling a fast, dense, and high-performing WiFi network
o 802.11ac Technology ensuring higher speeds over longer distances and access points that support a higher number of devices
o Distributed Antenna System (DAS) for complete indoor wireless coverage
o 5GHz Wireless providing faster data rates with less interference
o High Capacity Broadband straight to the convention floor, enough to transmit more than 1.2Gbps
o Redundant, Dedicated Fiber bringing dual 10-gigabit connections to the convention center to help ensure secure, reliable communications
Continuing Innovation
HN continues to develop solutions for leading hospitality and entertainment franchises nationwide. Earlier this summer, Cox hosted Smarter Arizona in Mesa, Arizona, an event devoted to Arizona’s leadership position in smart city evolution. The day’s lineup of local technology speakers included Mark Feller, Vice President of Technology for the Arizona Cardinals. Feller revealed that the Cardinals are leveraging smart technologies to enhance the fan experience and player training, including tracking player performance and ensuring security. For more details, check out our interview with Feller in this issue.
