CASE STUDIES • Radissson Istanbul

How Radisson Istanbul Sultanahmet delights guests with Planet Networking

Next to the historical city walls of Istanbul and facing the sea of Marmara sits Radisson Istanbul Sultanahmet. With twenty-eight guest rooms, a traditional Turkish approach to hospitality, and a commitment to continual modernisation, this Radisson property offers guests a comfortable and authentic experience. Radisson Istanbul Sultanahmet worked with Planet (formerly Hoist) to bring guests the latest networking technologies including smart TVs and lightning-fast internet.

Challenge

Before implementing Planet Networking, Radisson Istanbul Sultanahmet faced an issue experienced by almost every hotel worldwide: guests’ insatiable and evolving need for the newest technological advancements. According to Selami Taşkın, the hotel’s General Manager, technology is now more important than water to his guests: "We serve free water on the table in the guest rooms. But guests don’t care if you serve it or not. If you haven’t got good Wi-Fi or a smart TV, maybe guests won't complain, but it will be the reason they don’t choose you in the future."

But the pressure wasn’t only from guests: "Chains nowadays want you to supply the latest smart TVs in a good condition," says Selami. "They came to test our download and upload speeds before we joined the brand." Radisson Istanbul Sultanahmet needed networking technology that would evolve with consumer demand and suit the needs of Radisson’s standards.

Solution

As fashions change and decades pass, updating your furniture or decor is part-and-parcel of running a hotel business. But consumer demand for the newest technology moves a lot quicker: "People in Istanbul and all around the world - particularly the new generations - upgrade their phones constantly," says Selami. "Now there is technology everywhere. People see the importance and benefits of these developments and come to request it from our hotel. That’s why we looked to Planet Networking."

Radisson Istanbul Sultanahmet wanted to position themselves as a preferred choice in the market while having confidence that they would always be ahead of the technology curve. They invested in Planet’s Content Management System (to manage user interfaces guests see when logging into Wi-Fi or turning on a TV), Dashboard (to monitor consumption and analyse guest preferences), and Extranet (to manage access and block users for misbehaviour).

Radisson Istanbul Sultanahmet