For the second post in our new ‘Partner Focus’ series, we were delighted to catch up with Hauke Lenthe, Managing Director for EMEA and APAC at Nomadix.

For over 25 years, Nomadix has been a trusted networking technology partner to the global hospitality industry, enabling over five million daily internet connections in 150+ countries. With a global reputation for unparalleled reliability and ease of management, its patented gateways are the industry standard in hospitality, used by tens of thousands of properties and supporting millions of rooms worldwide. Nomadix also offers its solutions in other industries, where connectivity to guest Wi-Fi is critical, including the multi-tenant market.

First, we asked Hauke what customers can look forward to from Nomadix in 2022 and beyond. “We have had an incredibly busy start to the year as the industry begins the long road to recovery following the global pandemic,” he said. “Hotels are increasingly looking for new ways to connect and engage digitally with their guests and we’re seeing this reflected in the growing demand for Passpoint, which enables hotels to authenticate and connect guests to the hotel network, allowing them to stay online and roam seamlessly throughout the premises and their stay. With the ability to engage with guests as soon as they arrive – and build a bridge between the PMS and CRM – hotels have the opportunity to further enrich the guest experience and unlock new revenue streams.”

Nomadix launched its expanded product line, Nomadix Networks, earlier this year, which now also offers wireless access points, controllers and LAN switches designed to comply with stringent hospitality standards. “The extension to our existing offering is very exciting as it gives our hotel partners the opportunity to affordably upgrade their infrastructure with the latest Wi-Fi 6 technology to meet the growing demand for internet connectivity as buildings get smarter and guests bring more devices with them when they travel,” Hauke commented. “We now offer an end-to-end solution that seamlessly integrates all guest-facing technologies in a hotel.”

Next we asked Hauke about his experience in working with interTouch as a technology partner. “One of interTouch’s key strengths is that the company is truly global with a very strong local presence. The team has extensive local market experience, works effectively cross-culturally, and speaks our customers’ languages, which is such an asset. interTouch is a great example of an organisation that thinks globally and acts locally. It’s one of the key reasons why global brands like Hyatt have selected us to jointly rollout Passpoint across their portfolio this year.”

Looking at the key strengths of Nomadix, we asked Hauke what he sees as the unique selling points for the business. “We pride ourselves on being at the forefront of technology and our ability to deliver at scale, facilitating over two billion connections a year. With more than two decades of experience and continuous investment in development, we have a strong portfolio of solutions for hospitality and many other verticals,” he remarked.

Lastly, we asked Hauke what he sees as the latest hospitality technology trends. Here are his top three:

1. Connectivity – “It’s so much more than just Wi-Fi. People take it for granted, which means hotels need to continue to focus on offering the very best and most seamless experience as possible. Internet connectivity remains vital to the guest experience and with the change in workforce post-Covid workforce and “bleisure” travel on the rise, hoteliers need to be ready to offer best-in-class connectivity and bandwidth just like guests have available at home.”
   
2. Security – “This is, and will remain, a core focus for the industry. Data protection, GDPR compliance, and ensuring safe and secure internet connectivity is vital to a successful hotel operation. I foresee the technology advancements in this space to continue at a rapid pace over the years to come.”
   
3. Automation – “With staff shortages being a global issue in the industry, further fuelled by the pandemic, there is a huge opportunity to accelerate automation in hotels. From self-service options and voice-enabled guest room controls to AI-based tools, technology can be instrumental in solving labour shortages and freeing up valuable staff time to enrich the hotel guest experience. This does, however, require a shift in mindset for hoteliers.”