The Four-Diamond Westin Kierland Resort & Spa Enhances Guest Satisfaction with BelAir Networks

KANATA, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BelAir Networks, the leading provider of mobile broadband multi-service mesh network solutions, today announced the deployment of a next generation wireless broadband network at The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa, an AAA Four Diamond resort located in Scottsdale, Arizona. This world class destination in the Sonoran Desert combines the sense of old Arizona with modern day luxuries including high speed Wi-Fi access accessible to guests throughout the resort. BelAir Networks is showcasing its award-winning wireless mesh solutions in Booth #370 at the HITEC Conference, June 25-28, 2007, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

“We’ve partnered with BelAir Networks for this and other resort deployments because their unique, award-winning outdoor-in wireless architecture delivers proven, cost-effective, and comprehensive indoor and outdoor access resort-wide – and their robust products withstand Arizona’s hot summer temperatures.”

One of the largest hotel resorts in Scottsdale, the country's most luxurious destination, The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa features 732 guest rooms, 55 suites, 32 casitas, eight restaurants, meeting rooms, boardrooms, the 25,000 square foot Kierland Grand Ballroom and a full-service spa. Outdoor amenities include a 27-hole championship golf course, tennis facilities, numerous courtyards, and a 9,000 square foot water park.

"As a world class resort, our three priorities in deploying this network were guest satisfaction, reliability and cost-efficiency -- BelAir Networks and Sunray delivered on all three without any disruption to our business or our ambiance,” said Jeff Lartigue, IT Director, The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa. “Guests really appreciate the simplicity of logging in once and having uninterrupted service wherever they go in the resort. The network is reliable, resulting in fewer support calls, and incredibly cost-efficient, requiring fewer nodes, and less wiring, labor, and installation time than competing solutions.”

The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa worked with Sunray Technology Integration, a leading IT integrator, to bring high speed wireless broadband to the entire resort in just a few days. Sunray deployed 12 BelAir Networks wireless mesh nodes outdoors to cover the resort with Internet access and provide comprehensive indoor coverage without the need for indoor access points or CPE devices. Competing solutions would have required more than 100 nodes and taken weeks to install.

"To bring complete wireless coverage to the prestigious Westin Kierland Resort & Spa using a competing wireless solution would have required more than 100 indoor and outdoor nodes, and coverage still wouldn’t have been seamless," said Chris Headings, VP of Operations, Sunray Technology Integration. "We’ve partnered with BelAir Networks for this and other resort deployments because their unique, award-winning outdoor-in wireless architecture delivers proven, cost-effective, and comprehensive indoor and outdoor access resort-wide – and their robust products withstand Arizona’s hot summer temperatures."

The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa, a main travel destination for many who come to the Phoenix/Scottsdale area, is now the only resort in the area to offer this comprehensive wireless broadband service. The deployment uses a combination of the flagship four-radio BelAir200 Wireless Multi-service Switch Router and the dual-radio BelAir100 Multi-service Node.

"The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa are taking a leadership position in their market by offering reliable, ubiquitous, high-speed wireless service to their guests,” said Jim Freeze, SVP of Marketing & Alliances, BelAir Networks. “BelAir works with leading local partners like Sunray Technology to bring our proven, cost-effective next generation wireless solutions to hotels and resorts around the world.”

BelAir Networks has hundreds of deployments worldwide, including more that 50 leading hotels and resorts, and venues such as Lincoln Center and Dolphin Stadium. BelAir Networks also provides wireless networks for public access, public safety and public works applications in cities such as Dallas, Boston, Minneapolis, the City of London and Toronto.

About BelAir Networks

BelAir Networks is the first company to offer scalable, mobile wireless broadband mesh networking solutions with the highest quality for data, voice and video. The company teams with world-class global partners to deploy proven, cost-effective wireless broadband mesh networks. BelAir’s wireless networking solutions are built on the only multi-service architecture for municipal wireless broadband deployments of Wi-Fi, WiMAX and 3G Cellular networks. Built specifically for outdoor deployments, BelAir Networks’ patented solution delivers the lowest cost per user and deploys in days, blending into the physical infrastructure of downtown business districts, hotels and resorts, and campuses. Founded in 2001, BelAir Networks is a privately held company. For more info, visit www.belairnetworks.com.