HBD Group Implements Centralized Datacenter for Its Three Principe Island Hotels

Nonius and HBD Group, a prominent hotel group in Sao Tome and Principe, announced that they are working together to equip HBD's hotels with the latest and the most advanced guest technology.

HBD Group has 3 hotels on the Principe island: the Bom Bom Island Resort, the Roça Sundy hotel, and the Sundy beach resort, the island's first 5-star resort. In Sao Tome island, HBD Group operates the Omali Lodge hotel.

The solutions implemented by HBD, in partnership with Nonius, includes a centralized datacenter that serves all hotels on Principe island, taking advantage of a shared infrastructure: centralized management, shared resources, and reduced operating costs.

The datacenter and the hotels are connected via fiber optics, which offer the following solutions and services:

• Network infrastructure: The network infrastructure is based on industrial switching, taking into account the location and characteristics of the hotels, where the climatic conditions are demanding. Nonius provided most of the inherent equipment needed for the communication infrastructure such as switches, racks, and other components.
• GIA / Wi-Fi: Guest Internet access management system allows a secure and high-speed connection throughout hotels facilities thanks to the latest generation IEEE 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard, culminating in full wireless coverage. Guest Internet access management is made possible by the Nonius’ GIA appliance.
• TV: Nonius delivered a complete solution including Connect TVs and management appliances. This solution allows a unique guest experience by offering different entertainment options and access to the best high quality and engaging content.
• Voice: The voice solution deployed is based on IP technology and it is specially designed for hospitality. It includes IP telephones and Nonius’ IP-PBX, the core of this solution, which allows PMS integration. It provides services such as billing, voicemail, wake-up call, room status update (e.g. housekeeping and mini-bar), and activation/deactivation of outbound calls from the room on check-in/check-out. Billing rates can be defined on-demand and detailed reports are available for guest and hotel staff telephone usage.

Nonius Cloud Dashboard is available for the solutions used by guests. It provides real time alerts, usage statistics and ROI / KPIs reports. This tool is designed for the hotel group and staff and offers a personalized view of relevant information to maximize operation.

Alexandre Pires, IT Manager at HDB Group, says: "I would like to point out that it was a great pleasure to work with the Nonius team. The choice of Nonius as a partner proved to be the right choice to handle the challenges that are inherent with emerging markets like São Tomé and Príncipe. Together we are building a new high tech hotel concept for the Islands. Being pioneers, we needed to get this right the first time, and in fact our initial venture is a major success. Clearly, HBD relies on Nonius to continue to innovate and by working closely on the development of a mobile application to raise the bar for guest experience."