Wifirst saves months of development time by connecting to hotel data using Impala
“We look forward to when Impala integrates as many PMS as possible so we can completely rely on their solution for all our PMS connection needs, even beyond the current Room Area Network and TV product.” — Alexis Girerd, Product Marketing Manager
Introducing Wifirst
Wifirst is the French leader in managed WiFi networks in the Hospitality & Residence markets. They have a robust technical foundation to power multiple digital services including Guest WiFi, Staff WiFi, Chromecast services, VoIP, and more. Their solutions provide WiFi in 19 countries around the world, and connect 730 thousand rooms to the internet.
They are committed to continuous innovation, and offering a network capable of absorbing the spectacular rise in Internet usage, offering high value-added services and making WiFi the technical base for the digital transformation of its customers.
Impala spoke to Alexis Girerd, Product Marketing Manager at Wifirst to learn more about why they need hotel data, the process of securely connecting to hotel data, and why they decided to use Impala for their Room Area Network and TV product.
The Challenge
We have a Room Area Network solution which provides each customer with a private network, exactly like they would access at home. This provides a secure network connection where the guest is able to log in with their own unique password, and we require hotel data in order to create these details.
We also need additional data to customise the guest experience. For example, to display the guest’s name on the TV screen in their room upon arrival, show the interface in their language, and more. We also display the WiFi password that enables devices to connect to the Room Area Network on the TV screen in their room.
We need to be notified when a check-in or check-out occurs in order to renew passwords for security reasons. The only way to get this data is through direct connections with different PMS that our hotel customers use. This is quite a long and complex process, and the number of compatible PMS with our solution were limited.
We would also need to plan this development in our product roadmap, which would add approximately an extra two months. We would then need to staff our technical team to work on a direct connection with the PMS. Depending on the PMS, we would budget roughly 10 man-days of work to complete a connection. This is quite significant when you consider the number of potential integrations needed for our product to achieve scale.
The Solution
We initially heard about Impala through a client working for the Honotel group. With Impala, we saw a simple solution to solve the PMS integration problem — one API to connect to every PMS. We also had the immediate need to connect to both Clock PMS and Mews, which made us jump quickly at the opportunity to try it.
The process for us to connect a new hotel was simple — we requested the connection with a few clicks on the Impala interface and that’s it!
“Since completing these integrations with Impala, we estimate to have saved 30-man days of work to achieve the same result.” — Alexis Girerd
The Results
We integrated to hotels using three different PMS to start — Clock PMS, Mews and Protel. Since completing these integrations with Impala, we estimate to have saved 30-man days of work to achieve the same result.
We look forward to when Impala integrates as many PMS as possible, so that we can completely rely on their solution for all our PMS connection needs — even beyond the current Room Area Network and TV product. There are now three hotels live with Impala, and more than 50 already planned to go live in the next few months.
For anyone that is considering using Impala for connecting to hotel data, go for it — it’s easy and reliable.
