Press Releases

Lodgian Sets New Standard for Wi-Fi in the Hospitality Industry with Ruckus Wireless Smart Wi-Fi

Lodgian Undertakes Massive Wi-Fi Project and Standardizes 40 U.S. Properties on Ruckus ZoneFlex Smart Wireless LAN Systems; First 34 Hotels to be Completed in 90 Days

Lodgian

SUNNYVALE, CA, February 20, 2008 – Ruckus Wireless announced today that Lodgian, Inc., one of the largest independent owners and operators of full-service hotels in the United States, has standardized on and is deploying Ruckus Wireless' ZoneFlex Smart Wireless LAN (WLAN) systems at 40 hotel and resort properties nationwide. Lodgian properties include nationally-recognized brands like Marriott, Four Points by Sheraton, Crowne Plaza, Courtyard by Marriott, Residence Inn by Marriott, Radisson, Springhill Suites by Marriott, and Holiday Inn.

Setting a new standard for Wi-Fi deployment and guest services within the hospitality industry, Lodgian is radically improving the user experience by blanketing every square inch of its hotel properties with Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi access. Ruckus' patented Smart Wi-Fi uses advanced techniques to provide longer range and more reliable connectivity and support the most bandwidth-intensive and stringent delay-sensitive applications.

Ruckus ZoneFlex systems are being used to provide ubiquitous Wi-Fi access across nearly 7,400 guest rooms, 279 conference rooms, and outdoor areas such as beaches, pools and restaurants. The Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi system uniquely enables Lodgian to offer guests advanced multimedia services, such as support for voice, video and gaming services, while providing the fastest and most reliable Wi-Fi connections possible from anywhere on hotel premises.

Recognized as the leader in leveraging sophisticated technology to enhance the guest experience at its hotels, Lodgian was one of the first companies to offer in-room Wi-Fi connectivity. Lodgian is now advancing the state of Wi-Fi in its hotels by replacing first generation 3Com Wi-Fi systems with Ruckus ZoneFlex smart wireless LAN systems.

"Lodgian is undergoing an aggressive roll-out to complete the installation of more than 1,000 Ruckus ZoneFlex APs in less than 90 days," according to Dan Webber, Lodgian interim vice president of information technology.

"Working with One Media Wireless, we configured the first of several Ruckus ZoneFlex systems in less than 30 minutes. We had complete Wi-Fi coverage and management in our 181-room Buckhead Courtyard Marriott in Atlanta, GA in less than five hours," said Webber. "We were astounded at the speed and ease with which we had the system deployed and are now replicating this success across our other U.S. properties. We plan to have the Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi systems in place at a majority of our hotels by the spring."

Reducing Network Administration and Support Calls was Key to Wi-Fi Upgrade

Webber estimates that the installation of the Ruckus ZoneFlex system within the Buckhead Courtyard Marriott has reduced Lodgian's network administration by 90 percent and guest support calls by 85 percent. "Good Wi-Fi connectivity has become one of travelers' top three criteria for selecting a hotel," said Webber. "Our previous system, while adequate for providing convenient Wi-Fi access, just wasn't robust enough to enable the necessary reliable connectivity to support all the new Wi-Fi-enabled devices and applications our guests want to use."

Webber noted that converting its properties to Smart Wi-Fi opens the door for guests to take advantage of the higher capacity, extended-range network for more sophisticated tasks such as viewing streaming video or making voice over Wi-Fi calls with dual-mode handsets from anywhere on hotel property.

Lodgian selected the Ruckus ZoneFlex system after an exhaustive evaluation of third-party wireless LAN systems. It also selected One Media Wireless as its exclusive partner to provide the technology systems along with service integration services for its nationwide Smart Wi-Fi deployment.

Overcoming Hotel Wi-Fi Woes

According to Webber, after evaluating several WLAN systems from top vendors, Lodgian selected the Ruckus ZoneFlex Smart WLAN system. Webber says the Ruckus ZoneFlex system offered advanced capabilities not found in other wireless solutions, such as Wi-Fi signal steering, ultra-simple configuration/deployment, superior support for 802.11n and wireless meshing.

Within each hotel, Lodgian is using Ruckus ZoneFlex 2942 802.11b/g APs combined with the ZoneDirector central management console for complete plug-and-play installation and configuration. Each ZoneFlex AP is built with Ruckus' patented beamsteering technology, a smart antenna array that steers Wi-Fi signals around interference and toward the user in real-time to provide consistent, higher capacity coverage and extended range. This means fewer APs are needed to cover a larger area than would be possible with competitive offerings.

The Ruckus ZoneDirector acts as a central point of configuration, management, administration and security for all Ruckus ZoneFlex APs. The Ruckus ZoneDirector gives Lodgian's IT staff complete visibility into the Wi-Fi environment of each hotel such as the number of users associated with each AP at any given time and the ability to detect rogue APs. It also enables IT personnel to control bandwidth usage over each SSID and block access to unauthorized users.

Ruckus Wireless Lite Mesh Gateways (LMG) are being used to extend Wi-Fi connectivity to places where running Ethernet cables isn't possible. The Ruckus LMG functions as a single-hop, long-range wireless bridge, acting as both a client receiving the hotel's Wi-Fi signal and as an AP to transmit the signal throughout the surrounding area. The Ruckus Lite Mesh Gateway can be placed anywhere and requires only power to operate.

"Our ZoneFlex system was designed specifically to address the needs of the hospitality industry and public Wi-Fi hotspots – places that cater to high-density usage and require more robust reliability," said Selina Lo, president and CEO of Ruckus Wireless. "Lodgian has raised the stakes for Wi-Fi within the hospitality market. It is showing the world that Wi-Fi can be used as a ubiquitous utility to enable a new era of guest services that have never before been possible."

"A more reliable Wi-Fi network enables new applications such as digital signage, online gaming, voice over IP, poolside or bar-side streaming of high-definition video content and other innovative offerings," said Webber. "Enhancing the user experience is what it's all about. With Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi, our guests now get connected fast and maintain predictable performance – all the time and wherever they are," concluded Webber.

About Lodgian

Lodgian is one of the largest independent owners and operators of full-service hotels in the United States. The company currently manages a portfolio of 46 hotels with 8,430 rooms located in 24 states and Canada. Of the company's 46-hotel portfolio, 25 are InterContinental Hotels Group brands (Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Select and Holiday Inn Express), 12 are Marriott brands (Marriott, Courtyard by Marriott, SpringHill Suites by Marriott and Residence Inn by Marriott), three are Hilton brands, and four are affiliated with three other nationally recognized franchisors. Two hotels are independent, unbranded properties. For more information about Lodgian, visit the company's Web site: www.lodgian.com.