Cisco SMB Partner ABS Deploys IP Communications; Finer Things Just a Call Away for Resort Guests

February 28, 2006

To planners and developers of Bay Creek Resort, providing superb customer service for the resort's high-end clientele is critical. The resort, located in Cape Charles on the southernmost tip of Virginia's eastern shore, includes both Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus Signature golf courses and was selected one of the "Top Ten to Play" by Golf Magazine. In addition, the resort features a world-class marina, beach club, yacht club, a 50,000-square-foot clubhouse, an inn, and spa.

The resort already had a Cisco Systems® network infrastructure in place at Bay Creek business headquarters. Mike Aquino, IT director for Bay Creek Resorts, needed a communications solution that would integrate smoothly with the resort's existing technology, and wanted the solution deployed as each phase of the resort construction-from lodging to outdoor venues-was completed.

"Management left the technology decisions to me, and I would be responsible if things didn't work," says Aquino, who turned to ABS Technology Architects, located in Virginia Beach. ABS is a Cisco Premier Certified Partner and a Cisco SMB Select Partner, and holds Cisco specializations in both IP Communications and Wireless LAN.

"Bay Creek planners wanted to deliver the highest-quality end-user experience from all points of business within the resort," Chris Zettervall, vice president of operations for ABS Technology Architects, says. "This is much more than just deploying phones in a resort-it's about designing a solution and adding applications that will deliver the high-end customer experiences to help set Bay Creek Resorts apart from its competitors."

Zetervall notes the difference between traditional enterprise and a small to medium-sized business (SMB) such as Bay Creek Resorts, explaining for example that an enterprise business will have an advanced IT department that usually knows what it wants, and it wants a partner to help refine that knowledge. Most SMB IT purchases, on the other hand, revolve around a driving need that is unique to their businesses, searching for the technology that will have the greatest impact for them.

Aquino sat down with Zettervall to develop a plan to optimize the business with a phased-in approach. While Aquino had a clear vision of what he wanted the communication solution to provide, he needed ABS' assistance in defining more clearly how to get there.

"Bay Creek will eventually have up to 6000 handsets deployed in hundreds of buildings," Zettervall says. "Our biggest challenge is to help the resort now by recommending things that make financial sense long-term, but that do not require significant initial expenditure."

"In the end, we wanted a phone system that could be easily moved around and expanded to remote offices," says Aquino. "We wanted integrated e-mail, and we knew whatever system we chose needed the capability to expand as the hotel expanded. Like any business concerned with expenses, we wanted the biggest return on investment possible on the phone system." Zettervall showed how one unified system would ultimately save money over deploying different private branch exchange (PBX) telephone systems in each building and venue.

Zettervall and the ABS Technology Architects team designed an Extensible Markup Language (XML) application that sits on top of the existing network infrastructure. They put together a demonstration using Cisco IP Phone 7970 handsets with color screens. A custom XML application from Percipia turned the phone system into the full communications platform that Bay Creek was looking for. With the Percipia application, guests could order food, make restaurant reservations, reserve a tee time, set spa appointments, and even check out of their rooms using the Cisco IP phones.

"The application was a big turning point," Aquino says. "The owners are not experts in technology, but they're very visual and knew the kind of high-end communications they wanted to provide for guests. Cisco integration was absolutely critical for me, and the color phones, on-screen logos, and complete integration convinced management."

With the marina completed, Aquino says next steps are to bring the system out to the boat slips, then continue deployment to include to the beach club, pools, and other outdoor areas. The teams are also developing plans to provide network connectivity for the homes being developed in the community, so homeowners can enjoy the same feature-rich communications that are available to resort guests.

As new phases of the Bay Creek community come online, Aquino feels the resort is saving money every time a new building opens up.

"We might have paid a little more upfront," he says. "But now when we're ready to open a new phase of the resort, we just add a switch that handles voice, video, and data instead of paying for a whole new phone system in every building. It is a much simpler approach to facilitate constant growth."

With the solution designed by ABS firmly in place, and resort development underway, Bay Creek Resorts has invested its valuable working capital in a way that has the greatest impact on business: providing guests with an excellent, highly reliable communications solution so all the finer things in life are just a little bit closer.

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