Extricom’s Interference-Free™ Wireless LAN System selected for high-end guest services

London, UK – April 28, 2008 – Le Manoir Aux Quat’ Saisons, Raymond Blanc’s 2 Star Michelin hotel and restaurant and home to the Raymond Blanc Cookery School, has completed the deployment of an Extricom Wireless LAN (WLAN) system, designed to deliver wireless mobility services to guests and business delegates throughout Le Manoir’s 15th century buildings and gardens.  Implemented by systems integrator G4 Networks, Extricom’s WLAN system will also support the future migration of Le Manoir’s back-office applications, including voice-over-WLAN (VoWLAN), on to the wireless network.

Meeting the demands of Le Manoir’s clientele was a key driver behind the deployment of the WLAN solution.  Gurval Durand, deputy general manager, explains, “Many of our guests are high level business executives. The services we deliver, including free wireless access, are designed to meet their high expectations and to make their stay as comfortable as possible.  Every service or product at Le Manoir has to be top-of-the-range.”

“Extricom’s WLAN technology provides blanket wireless coverage throughout Le Manoir’s grounds, allowing guests to connect and continue working wherever they choose to relax, be it in the gardens, lounge, or in the privacy of their own Suite.  The seamless quality of Extricom’s Channel Blanket™ architecture means guests can even roam between all three, without disruption to their wireless session.”

Durand adds, “Furthermore, it also gives us the scope to explore new wireless applications as we seek to enhance our own communications strategy.  For example, we’re currently assessing the deployment of a VoWLAN phone system that would deliver greater mobility to our employees.  Extricom and G4 Networks have given us the longevity and capabilities to evolve as we strive to deliver a first-class guest experience.”

Besides meeting expectations for superior performance, systems integrator G4 Networks needed to deliver a wireless network that would neither detract from the aesthetics of the building nor disrupt the listed status of Le Manoir’s landmark buildings.  To do so, G4 Networks selected the Extricom EXRP-20 Dual-Radio UltraThin™ Access Points and mounted them all on the outside perimeter of the buildings, pointing inwards to ensure wireless connectivity within the building.

Dave Allen, director of G4 Networks, comments, “At Le Manoir, it’s the details that make the guest experience, and they had no lesser expectations for their wireless LAN.  WLAN is a key criterion when choosing hotel accommodation, but the real value-add is its pervasiveness, its simplicity, and the performance quality.”   

“Like Le Manoir, Extricom’s technology is all in the experience. Its mobility makes it ideal for enterprises that are looking for a far higher quality of service and, as wireless becomes the de facto standard for voice and data applications, its mobility capabilities offer a real differentiator.”

Extricom’s patented and award-winning Interference-Free™ WLAN System represents the next generation of enterprise Wi-Fi, with a fundamental shift in architecture from “cell-planning” to a Channel Blanket™ topology.  The technology eliminates the co-channel interference that plagues traditional WLAN systems, to deliver seamless and zero-latency mobility, robust, “wire-like” client connections, greatly increased capacity, and the ability to design for a guaranteed and predictable level of service for all users.  All this, without the iterative and costly RF cell-planning of traditional solutions.  The result is a high-performance yet simple solution for powering the data, voice (VoWLAN), and video applications requested by organizations.