Aethos is an international community of hotels and member clubs in Europe and was founded on the belief that travel and hospitality should leave a positive and lasting impact on the body, mind, and spirit. With destinations in Italy, France, Portugal and more opening soon, Aethos is a library of places that celebrate the curiosities of local culture.
Aethos Milan was acquired by Aethos Hotels in 2021 from an art collector (formerly The Yard); the facility had undergone several expansions over the years, and the network infrastructure went through several installation phases with additions to both space and services. The result was a network with little logic or structure, no documentation, consisting of multiple unconnected networks; the connectivity provided were two different lines, one for the hotel part and one for the new restaurant part. This is the reason why the new owner called on Wifirst to update this infrastructure, which was no longer suited to the standards of the Aethos brand.
During the survey phases, we found unmanaged switches inside the false ceilings, a highly dangerous solution. Information about the various network points was absent, so it was impossible to know the various cable terminations or which were working and which were not. WiFi and network access was via WPA, so the network could be easily attacked. There was also no access control.
Wifirst’s WAN network was installed. With 1 main line FO 1 Gbps with a FO 100Mbps as a backup, Aethos has connectivity with an automatic backup in case of problems on the main line.
The entire network infrastructure was reviewed, implementing a new design with new cabling unifying the various networks so that we have a single converged network used for all services: Guest WiFi, Staff WiFi, front office and back office wired network, POS catering, CCTV and the audio system. We installed new hardware (switches and access points) with the latest WiFi 6 technology so that we can guarantee better coverage and higher performance.
Finally, to improve the guest experience and higher quality of service offering, we installed our Stream & Cast solution in all the guest rooms.
The property now has a new converged network on which the various services for clients and staff are provided (WiFi, CCTV, PMS, POS, Audio) and is ready for the implementation of new digital solutions that the property is considering like VoIP or access control, as well as any other future technologies
Alex Haas
VP of Operations, Aethos Hotels
A leader in innovative WiFi and Fibre connectivity solutions since 2002, Wifirst is trusted by thousands of customers across Europe to provide high-quality, robust networks.