Going green, Inspira Santa Marta Hotel selects Swisscom as its IPTV solution provider

Inspira Hotels, the urban and lifestyle retreat based on ecological sustainability, has chosen Swisscom as its IPTV solution provider. The hotel group, whose Santa Marta property is set to open in central Lisbon at the end of March, uses Swisscom's interactive IPTV solution not only to impress guests but also to reduce operational overhead, paperwork and ultimately, improve its environmental foot print.

Inspira Santa Marta Hotel, with 89 guest rooms and extensive meeting facilities, offers an oasis of calm and harmony in Lisbon's bustling city centre. The historical 19th century building underwent a complete renovation in 2009, taking inspiration from the ancient principles of Feng Shui. From eco-friendly building materials to energy saving TV screens, the whole focus of the Inspira Santa Marta hotel is towards minimizing its environmental impact. Technology plays an essential role in this context: The hotelhas been refurbished with a cutting-edge Category-6 Ethernet network which provides comfortable bandwidth for any kind of virtual communication throughout the hotel.

Inspira Santa Marta Hotel is the first property developed by Inspira Management Company, which targets a niche market in the urban lifestyle and retreat category.

"We have chosen Swisscomas ourIT partner because it is a forward looking company," says Nicolas Roucos, general managerof Inspira Hotel Santa Marta. "We aim to be leaders in the domain of IP-enabled guest services, and IPTV in particular.We wantto provide our guests with the best interactive experience whilst simultaneously reducing unnecessary paper wastage. Swisscom stood out as the most dynamic and committed partner for this challenge."

Thanks to Swisscom IPTV, guests will enjoy an interactive viewing experience whilst the hotel benefits from a rangeof innovativeways to communicate with their guests through the TVscreen. Among the system's unique features, guests can choose their favourite TV channels from an intuitive electronic programme guide, watch blockbuster movies at their own pace thanks to Swisscom's Virtual DVD Player (offering pause, rewind and fast-forward functions) and surf the Internet on the TV screen through a Wireless keyboard.

In keeping with the hotel's paper-free philosophy, guestscancheck and settle their bills online and consult the hotel service directory through the TV screen. The Swisscom Extranet, meanwhile, provides hotel staff with maximum transparency about the system status and access to personalized announcements on the TV screen. The Swisscom Network Operations Centre monitors the system 24/7 to ensure optimum service levels are maintained throughout.

"Inspira Hotels represents an innovative hotel concept that looks at technology as a driver for guest satisfaction, operational efficiency and social responsibility", says Leo Brand, CEO of Swisscom Hospitality Services. "Swisscom supports these goals by delivering guest services in the smartest possible way. Further information and communication services, such as Voice over IP, automatic mini-bar transactions and room controls can be perfectly embedded with Swisscom IPTV on the same IP network. We are committed to Inspira's mission and we will want to contribute even further through service convergence."