Manor Collection Hotel Group

IT SUPPORT FOR HOTEL GROUP

Akita was originally engaged with Manor Hotels Group to assist with server issues.

As the server was used to manage the bookings system it was critical that a quick solution was found.

Our engineers promptly visited the Surrey hotel. We provided them with a temporary loan server to ensure that the business could function while a new solution was arranged.

It was clear that the hotel was in need of improved IT services. The customer email service was unreliable, extremely limited and inefficient. There was also no business backup strategy, with data was only stored on the physical server.

IMPROVED IT SERVICES

Akita proposed a selection of alternative IT service solutions. Along with the new server, the management team decided to adopt a hosted exchange solution, offsite backup, and ongoing IT support for hotel staff.

The server and email migration were carried out with minimal disruption to the hotel, allowing them to continue to operate. As well as these IT services, we also provides 24/7 IT support to ensure the hotel operations are not impacted for any out-of-hours incidents.

Over the subsequent years, our relationship with Manor Collections hotels has expanded to take on other the support of locations in the hotel group, namely Reigate Manor and Hartsfield Manor.

To simplify the management of the IT at all locations, a centralised remote access solution has been put in place for all the hotels. Three separate remote desktop environments have been consolidated into a single active directory and file server. New servers for each hotel were also provisioned to take account of the different application requirements.

Additionally, Akita has also designed and installed guest WiFi that is totally reliable and free of blackspots. The WiFi network runs over its own dedicated FTTC connection. This results in a secure network that keeps guest WiFi away from the internal IT networks.

Manor Collections Hotels now have a completely professional IT setup, with access to IT support night and day.

Streamlined Hotel Operations With Cloud And Microsoft Migration

Two independent hotels were struggling with the limitations of their IT infrastructure, behind the scenes, it was a bit of a maze. Each hotel had its own Remote Desktop Server (RDS), and they shared a Domain Controller for data. This setup wasn’t exactly ideal for the staff, they had to jump through hoops to access the right information, logging into specific servers depending on which hotel’s data they needed. On top of that, their email system was on its last legs.

Challenges

This fragmented IT setup wasn’t just inconvenient, it was holding the hotels back. Staff were frustrated trying to remember which server to access, and IT maintenance was a time-consuming headache. Plus, the system couldn’t easily grow with the hotels’ ambitions.

So, we worked on a plan to centralise everything and move them to the cloud. A new, load-balanced RDS cluster was set up, meaning any staff member could log in to any server and get the info they needed. Email got a major upgrade with Office 365 Business Premium, and they even increased security with revamped two-factor authentication.

Benefits

The results?  Staff could finally access what they needed, when they needed it, without the server-hopping headache. IT breathed a sigh of relief with a streamlined system that was easier (and cheaper) to maintain. And with the cloud, the hotels were ready for whatever growth came their way. It was a win-win-win.

This project wasn’t without its hurdles,  coordinating with a third-party vendor and making the switch without disrupting the 24/7 hotel operations was no small feat. But in the end, these hotels transformed their IT, creating a more efficient, secure, and future-proof foundation for their business. And that means they can focus on what they do best, providing first class hospitality to their guests.

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