Lenkerhof Hotel and Gourmet Spa Resort

The analog telephony system used at the Lenkerhof Hotel was more than 20 years old. As a result, more terminal devices and modules could no longer be repaired or upgraded at a reasonable cost due to a lack of spare parts and components.

When calls were forwarded internally, the caller’s number wasn’t transmitted, meaning guests had to repeat their name and room number on the transfer. 

The Bühlberg Mountain Restaurant, part of the hotel, has a separate, unreliable telephone connection, often making reservations difficult. In addition, the hotel’s outdated DOS-based alarm server can no longer meet the hotel’s new security requirements.

Communications across the entire resort needed modernization to match the hotel’s high standards of quality and hospitality. The whole resort complex, including the main hotel building, exterior grounds, and multiple restaurants, had to be connected day and night. The new solution needed to be cost-efficient, reliable, and secure, providing guests with outstanding, personalized experiences while improving employee productivity.

The Lenkerhof Hotel worked with their long-standing integration partner and chose a central hybrid telephony system combining Unify OpenScape Business and the Unify OpenScape Alarm Response server. This integrates with the hotel’s hospitality and business applications via an interface to ensure seamless productivity for front- and back-office staff.

The entire UC solution was integrated and implemented quickly and seamlessly without interrupting normal hotel operations. In addition to new IP phones in the Mountain Restaurant and DECT phones in the hotel, the new system seamlessly integrates the caretaker’s lovingly restored, historical rotary-dial telephone with a small adapter. Since the new solution is highly intuitive, minimum training was required to get employees on board.

The new hybrid telephony system supports voice over internet protocol (VoIP) and digital enhanced cordless telecommunications (DECT). It covers the entire interior and exterior of the expansive hotel complex and can be expanded anytime to meet changing service needs. The Bühlberg Mountain Restaurant and Südschnee Snow Bar are integrated using a radio relay network and IP-capable end-user devices.

The hotel’s one-number service means staff answer every call quickly and personally. Calls are no longer routed to a queue or mailbox but forwarded directly to an employee's mobile phone, who can always be reached.

The OpenScape Alarm Response server immediately alerts guests and designated first responders of necessary evacuation procedures in an emergency. When an alarm sounds in any resort area, responders automatically receive alerts with the event location on their DECT phone.

Since the Bühlberg Mountain Restaurant is now integrated into the hotel’s central telephony system, reception can identify and take incoming calls if the Mountain Restaurant’s line is engaged. This means the hotel and restaurant can answer every reservation inquiry, providing guests with attentive and personal care before entering the resort.

With Unify OpenScape UC Suite Outlook integration, back-office staff always have a clear overview of the call and contacts list. They can keep track of all communications processes with suppliers and partners, preventing unanswered inquiries and mistakes due to lost names or numbers.

OpenScape Business integrates with the front-office system, so guests’ names are automatically linked to their room numbers when they check in. When calls are forwarded internally, the guest’s name appears on the staff member’s device—an improvement over the old system, which displayed no information.

Room telephones are enabled for calls when guests check-in and are turned off automatically when they check out, so they don’t incur unnecessary costs. In addition, room service employees can use a key code stored in the system on their devices to call reception and update the room status.

With its wide range of benefits, OpenScape Business relieves the workload on the Lenkerhof Hotel service, front-office, and back-office staff, making communication with guests, partners, and each other more efficient. Employees have more time to devote to their guests, generating greater customer satisfaction and loyalty and strengthening the hotel’s outstanding reputation.