Each hotel accommodates up to 40 rooms which ensures that the hotels provide the personal touch. These unique hotels are enhanced by their unfettered period appearance, which exude character and charm, fitting in perfectly with their countryside surroundings.

In order to cater for two types of guest - those who use the hotels for short breaks and holidays and those who wish to take advantage of the conferencing facilities for business purposes - it was important for Historic Sussex Hotels to offer a complete, rounded service throughout  their hotels, which would meet the needs of both demographics.

Traditionally, guests using the conferencing facilities would be the only ones needing High Speed Internet Access (HSIA) and WIFI. But since the boom of the dot com era, more people than ever are reliant on the Internet for personal use and feel isolated without Internet access.

In order to stay competitive and keep up with modern demands,  Historic Sussex Hotels  took the decision to move away from their old dial up Internet connection and considered the time to be right to install HSIA which would provide unlimited Internet use for all guests, in all rooms and public areas.

Historic Sussex Hotels knew that installing the HSIA solution might not be as easy as it seemed. Due to the countryside locations of all their hotels, mobile phone signals and therefore Internet service can potentially be slow and sporadic, which would make for unreliable Internet connection. Hard wiring and a WIFI system would have to be installed to make sure that there was always a strong connection, so whoever provided the service would have to be proficient in installing both.  Furthermore, due to the building being listed, implementation of the HSIA solution would have to be carried out with minimal impact to the structure of the building.

The hotel would also need a solution that was compatible with their Property Management System (PMS), ensuring that the running of the hotel could continue as seamlessly as always without any changes having to be made to the hotels core applications.

Historic Sussex Hotels consulted their industry trade body; the British Hospitality Association who recommended RIEO Communications, a reliable company with vast experience in installing HSIA solutions. Having also been presented with testimonials from other hotels who had used the company, Historic Sussex Hotels felt confident that RIEO Communications would be able to deliver a desirable solution to their brief.

RIEO Communications’ high level of expertise meant that Historic Sussex Hotels had no concerns about the implementing HSIA. The physical installation of the HISA solution only took two weeks, with minimal disruption to the hotels. This proved to be quick and efficient, with Historic Sussex Hotels’ staff hardly noticing the presence of the installation team.

Unlike other HSIA packages currently available on the market, RIEO Communications allows the hotels to take complete control over their billing, meaning that Historic Sussex Hotels had the opportunity to capitalise on their HSIA investment.  “In the beginning,” comments John Sixsmith, Financial Director of Historic Sussex Hotels, “we gained quite a bit of revenue from the implementation of HSIA. Now we have rationalised our prices, as guests feel that the Internet should be as standard and not an added extra. As we have control of the pricing structure we were able to offer low, competitive prices, creating a service that our guests want.”

RIEO’s HSIA solution also introduces branding opportunities to the hotel; RIEO work with their customers to design custom splash pages which hotels use to further establish their branding. In addition, advertising, promotional and special offers can be used to create additional marketing opportunity. Historic Sussex Hotels have also found that more businesses have been attracted to use their facilities since implementation, and that leisure guests have also been using the services more regularly.

In addition, Historic Sussex Hotels are supported by RIEO Communications’ Network Operating Centre (NOC) 24 hours, seven days a week. RIEO provides guidance to all guests and hotel staff. “The technical support we receive is outstanding,” concludes John. “Guests are always happy when their problem is resolved, which means we are always happy. The staff are polite and courteous, making it a real asset to have. Installing HSIA has updated a crucial service and now we are fulfilling guest expectations in this important area”