Eldorado Resorts Inc., understood the need to eliminate wireless complaints and utilize technology to fully meet the goa
Case Study: Eldorado Resort Casino and Eldorado Resorts Inc.
At A Glance Stats • Properties: Eldorado Resort and Casino • 814 guest rooms at El Dorado • 1,711 at Silver Legacy. Circus Circus will be 1,573 rooms
• 500-2000 users concurrently connected • 486 APs in hotel rooms • 90 Additional APs around property, including valet and sidewalks
Challenges • Slow wireless connections and limited bandwidth • Ensuring guest and employee information was secured on the network • Satisfying guests wireless needs • Ability to leverage location-based insights over Wi-Fi to understand how guests are engaging with the property, take the contextual analytics and then better service the guest with this data • Multiple guest authentications required when moving about the property
Products Utilized • ExtremeWirelessTM WiNG • TS-524 (T-5 System) • TW-522 Wall Plate APs
• SONIFI Interactive TV Featuring: • Customized Branded Interactive Experience • Custom Hotel Messaging • Hotel Directory • In Room Dining • Mobile TV controls with Interactive Branded Experience • Account Review and Check out • On-Demand & Streaming Content
Results • 25% decrease of guest Wi-Fi complaints post deployment • Increased overall network capacity and over 90% coverage across property • Increased number of average devices connected to the Wi-Fi network • Ability to send guests unique offerings based on their location and their interests • Secure network connections for guests and employees • Beaconing technology enables Eldorado to monitor foot traffic around the property • Ability for guests to authenticate once and remain connected for 48 hours • Future-proofed network to support critical digital initiatives of the business
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Eldorado Resort Casino Differentiates Itself with Personalized Guest Wireless Introduction The Eldorado Resort Casino in Reno, Nevada is recognizable for its modern neon lights on the strip and well-known for its phenomenal service, friendly staff, and festivals. However, Eldorado struggled to overcome constant guest wireless complaints. The property was not able to meet their guests’ wireless expectations. They needed a personalized wireless experience that also took full advantage of today’s technology for branding, communication, guest insights, and contextual analytics. The resort casino’s parent company, Eldorado Resorts Inc., understood the need to eliminate wireless complaints and utilize technology to fully meet the goals of their business. They determined a new wireless network was necessary not only at the Eldorado Resort Casino, but also at their other two Reno properties: Circus Circus Hotel and Casino and Silver Legacy Resort Casino.
Eliminate Wireless Complaints and Gain Insights Eldorado Resort Casino needed a wireless network that better supported the mobile habits of their guests and kept the future goals of the property and brand in mind. Eldorado guests anticipate a high-quality Wi-Fi experience. They expect excellent access whether they are inside the hotel, exploring the resort, or entering the casino. As a popular
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entertainment destination, Eldorado sees a large volume of guests per day and about half a billion guests annually. This population of visitors presents a huge opportunity for the brand to strengthen their guest relationships by using the wireless network as a unique touch point and another channel of communication. Creating long-lasting memories and value-added experiences resonates with guests when they are considering where to stay on their next visit to Reno or recommending to others. Eldorado Resort Casino wanted the ability to engage and interact with their guest population over Wi-Fi once they connect to the onsite network. Utilizing the technology as a strategic asset, the property could leverage location-based insights over the Wi-Fi network. They could observe guest engagement with the property and examine the contextual analytics and ultimately better service the guest.
“By completing effective site surveys, we were able to ensure the network was fully covered from a design perspective. When it was time to test it live, the property was wellprepared.” Kara Heermans Vice President of User Experience and Product Solutions, SONIFI Solutions
Eldorado Resorts Inc. set the goal of maximizing the system’s functionality. They sought to create a positive, welcoming, value-added experience for the entirety of a guest’s stay at any of their Reno properties. They decided to deploy a new wireless solution from Extreme Networks at each location. This investment would allow the Eldorado Resort Casino, Circus Circus Hotel and Casino, and Silver Legacy Resort Casino to satisfy the connectivity needs of guests. Additionally, it provides a platform for Eldorado to pursue future digital goals and build a strategy to increase their investment returns. Another important requirement for these three properties was a central authentication of the network across each location. With this feature, a guest could sign onto the wireless network at one hotel and travel to all three properties without losing authentication. The Eldorado Resort Casino determined the average stay of their guests to be 2 nights. The authentication window needed to be programmed for 48 hours so guests would not need to reauthenticate multiple times.
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Providing Personalized Seamless Guest Wi-Fi Access Eldorado Resort Casino partnered with Extreme Networks and SONIFI to deliver its wireless goals. Extreme’s purpose-built technologies delivered quality and pervasive network solutions, while SONIFI offered industry-leading expertise in network design, network installation and specialized interactive content including OTT options backed with quality service and support. Together, Extreme and SONIFI designed and deployed a wireless network to exceed guest expectations. The network design enables guests to seamlessly and easily connect to the network. It also provides adequate bandwidth to support their mobile usage behaviors including the option to connect multiple devices per guest. The additional goal of simple, extended connectivity across multiple properties factored in to the network design and deployment as well. The right solution for Eldorado Resort Casino was Extreme Wireless and Extreme Management Center. SONIFI installed 486 access points (APs) across their 814-guest room resort and an additional 90 access points in locations throughout the property. The AP installation and the resulting Wi-Fi coverage ensured guests have a seamless Wi-Fi experience that simply always works. “We don’t limit the number of devices a guest can have. There is no rule or fee for guests to authenticate multiple devices like other resorts may charge. We are providing a truly personalized ‘at-home’ wireless experience for our guests,” emphasizes Audio Visual Director Phillip Karam. As part of the process, SONIFI and Extreme worked with the Eldorado IT team to develop a heat map to inform the network architecture and initial network design. By forming Wi-Fi zones, the network delivers outstanding coverage and meets bandwidth requirements across the property; Estimates show over 90% Wi-Fi coverage with the new implementation Using the Extreme T5 wireless system leveraged the property’s existing telephone wires (or VDSL/Cat 3). Because no cable needed to be pulled, the APs were installed in rooms in a matter of minutes. The overall deployment was virtually seamless and completed within a couple months. The entire process limited disruption to guests and provided significant cost savings for the resort casino as well.
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Results Before working with Extreme and SONIFI, Eldorado received guest Wi-Fi complaints multiple times a day leaving the IT staff overloaded. Since deploying the new Wi-Fi network, the Eldorado Resort Casino observed a significant drop in guest complaints. What had been dozens of calls per day troubleshooting usage is now zero! There’s been a 53% decrease in negative guest complaints year over year. The Wi-Fi usage also increased from an average of 200-300 connected users to an average of 700-2,000 connected users, and it’s expected that 3,8006,000 users will be connected once the Wi-Fi network is live across all three properties.
“We don’t limit the number of devices a guest can have. There is no rule or fee for guests to authenticate multiple devices like other resorts may charge. We are providing a truly personalized ‘at-home’ wireless experience for our guests,” Phillip Karam Audio Visual Director SONIFI Solutions
This reliability and increased usage presents Eldorado Resort Casino a great opportunity to send guests unique offerings based on their location and their interests. SONIFI integrated new beaconing technology to work in tandem with Extreme Wireless. This allows Eldorado Resort Casino to monitor customer foot traffic and instantly communicate with guests in certain areas.
Establishing safe and secure connections ensures network protection against being hacked or disrupted. Plus, the personal information of guests is not compromised. The new network provided by Extreme and SONIFI gives Eldorado Resort and Casino capabilities for meeting future customer expectations and network usage goals.
Future Future plans for Eldorado Resorts Inc. are to maximize its improved network. With Silver Legacy Resort Casino recently completed, Circus Circus Hotel network upgrade and refresh will begin in 2018. Once completed, over 4,000 total rooms across the three properties will be part of the centralized network. Guests will be able to authenticate when they arrive at any of the Eldorado properties and will not need to re-authenticate when they travel to one of the other Eldorado properties. This will greatly reduce the level of effort needed from the Eldorado Properties IT staff to manage wireless demands. Eldorado Resorts Inc. also looks to expand guest OTT options, such as guest device streaming, with its improved network. SONIFI’s STAYCAST streaming solution is currently implemented in limited rooms with great success. Combined with connectivity speeds of up to 100Mbps, guests have no problems streaming 1000+ apps, including their favorite content from apps like Netflix and Hulu on the in-room TV. A powerful and reliable Wi-Fi network makes a wide scope of future options possible for Eldorado and sets them as an industry-leader in new technology use. “Experiences like this are something we strive to provide to all guests across twenty US properties.” Shawn Rorick, VP of Digital Marketing and Ecommerce, Eldorado Resorts Inc.
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