When Good Hospitality Services (GHS) began its final countdown to the opening of its Home-2-Suites by Hilton in Indianapolis last month, they noticed a problem. The 108-room, seven-story historic building had no cellular coverage. In today’s constantly connected world, that was not acceptable for ownership. Just as the group was deliberating possible solutions, Josh Latham, regional vice president of sales for RoamBOOST, called GHS’ Corporate Director of Operations Tim Herzog. The full scope of the problem became apparent and RoamBOOST’s distributed-antenna system (DAS) proved to be the perfect solution.
The RoamBOOST DAS uses a network of bi-directional antennas that are placed strategically inside a hotel (in corridors, common areas and meeting spaces) or outdoor across recreational areas (such as pool, golf courses, tennis courts, etc.) to address signal strength issues – or lack of a signal altogether. The system proactively removes any obstacles that could potentially interfere with mobile calls or data transactions. In this passive DAS environment, the system works by taking an existing mobile signal and amplifying it throughout problem areas of a hotel. The solution can target specific areas as small as 5,000 square feet up to entire multi-site, multi-story properties. For larger installations, RoamBOOST would work in an Active DAS environment, which connects the building directly to the carriers’ signal source.
“Josh reached out to me at just the right time,” Herzog said. “I was losing sleep over what we were going to do without cellular service. We spent considerable time and energy renovating the property – paying close attention to maintaining the historic integrity of the building. Lack of cellular service was something that we didn’t anticipate. RoamBOOST was the exact solution we needed.”
The turn-key installation – from site assessment to design and installation – went smoothly, Herzog said. RoamBOOST delivered a seamless system that allows guests to use all their 3G voice and 4G data throughout the hotel, while maintaining the historic integrity of the lobby’s decorative ceilings.
“The antennas look terrific — guests don’t even know they are there,” Herzog said. “The crew came in and worked more quickly than we expected. We truly appreciate RoamBOOST’s willingness to work closely with us and accommodate our opening date.
“We couldn’t be more pleased with the way the system works,” he added. “Guests are unaware we needed to add this to the building. RoamBOOST’s system is everything we wanted — a system you did not have to think about or manage.”
Pam Angelucci, RoamBOOST senior vice president of operations, said she is thrilled that her team was able to help GHS keep the opening of its Home2Suites by Hilton Indianapolis hotel on track.
“With the tight turnaround and historic importance of the building, our designers and installers had to be quick, efficient and careful – but those very qualities are what makes RoamBOOST stand out,” Angelucci said. “We’re glad our straight-forward system is working so well. It’s our goal to have happy, satisfied customers, and we’re proud to count Good Hospitality Services among them.”
