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March 26, 2014

Mobility and Hospitality Join Forces at Disney World's Swan and Dolphin Resort

By Laura Stotler, TMCnet Contributing Editor

As Director of IT at one of Walt Disney (News - Alert) World’s largest resorts and convention spaces, Chet Patel is continuously trying to keep up with the needs of his guests. And that means staying on top of mobile technologies and trends while also providing guests with the same level of connectivity they enjoy in their own homes.



Patel manages IT infrastructure at Disney’s Swan and Dolphin Resort, a nearly 90-acre complex comprised of two hotels and 329,000 square feet of meeting space. Located between the Epcot and Hollywood Studios theme parks, the resort is comfortably situated on the banks of Crescent Lake in Lake Buena Vista, FL.

In addition to offering a large number of guest rooms, the resort incudes 84 meeting rooms, four ballrooms, more than 110,000 square feet of convention and exhibit space, two business centers and outdoor function areas. And Patel’s job is to make sure the entire IT infrastructure, from telecom to Wi-Fi connectivity, runs smoothly.

“My current projects include infrastructure improvement,” Patel told TMC’s (News - Alert) Rachel Ramsey in an exclusive interview at IT EXPO Miami. “I’m putting fiber – single-mode and multi-mode fiber – throughout the resorts so I can bring innovative technologies to the resorts.” As part of Disney’s pledge to provide high levels of hospitality and service to guests, Patel needs to make sure they have all the conveniences they enjoy in their homes and offices during their stay. And that includes providing high levels of connectivity and availability for a wide variety of mobile devices.

Another important feature the resort provides is location-based services. Patel says he recently completed a rollout of Cisco (News - Alert) equipment, including a backplane and access points located throughout the hotels and resort space. The Swan and Dolphin offers dual Ds-3 circuits on-site, enabling customizable bandwidth for its guests. They also partner with service provider XpoNet, which specializes in hospitality and convention networking services and solutions.

Patel’s latest project is working on an indoor geo-location application to guide guests around the massive resort. With 17 restaurants, a grocery store, game room and spa, among other amenities, this type of service could prove invaluable to guests attempting to navigate the facilities and grounds.




Edited by Cassandra Tucker
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