For guests stepping into a hotel today, reliable WiFi is as essential as clean linen and a comfortable bed. According to Ryan Smee, Managing Director of One80 Technology Group, the hospitality industry has reached a point where connectivity directly influences guest satisfaction, operational efficiency and overall brand reputation.
With a portfolio of over 70 hotels supported across South Africa, One80 Technology Group has become a trusted technology partner to some of the country’s leading hospitality brands. The company specialises in delivering, upgrading and maintaining high-performance networks designed for the unique pressures of guest environments, from peak check-in times to late night streaming.
“The hotel environment is unlike any other,” Smee explains. “You’re dealing with hundreds, sometimes thousands, of devices connecting simultaneously. Guests move constantly between rooms, restaurants, conference spaces and pool decks and the network needs to follow them without interruption. That’s why our teams operate on a 24/7 support model, ensuring every property we manage delivers seamless connectivity day and night.”
At the centre of One80’s hospitality solutions is its strategic choice of HPE Aruba Networking as its preferred vendor. Smee says Aruba’s technology continues to stand out for its reliability, adaptability and hospitality-specific features.
“We chose Aruba because they understand hospitality,” he says. “Their access points are built for high-density environments, their security framework is rock solid, and their AI-powered optimisation ensures guests experience consistently strong WiFi no matter where they are on the property. Aruba’s in-room access points are especially powerful; they allow multiple devices like smart TVs, phones, tablets and room systems to connect directly through the AP, ensuring stable speeds, reduced congestion and a truly seamless guest experience. Aruba keeps innovating, and that means our hotel partners stay ahead of emerging demands.”
Aruba’s cloud-driven management platform also enables One80 to proactively monitor and optimise hotel networks in real-time, identifying potential issues before guests feel the impact. This proactive approach is one of the reasons One80 has built long-standing relationships with hotel groups that rely on dependable uptime and seamless guest connectivity.
Smee believes the future of hospitality will only become more dependent on strong network infrastructure. From smart-room technology and digital guest services to IOT-enabled operations, hotels need a network that grows with them.
“Connectivity is now at the heart of hospitality,” Smee notes. “Guests expect instant access, and hotels depend on stable networks to run everything from booking systems to smart devices. Our role is to make that entire ecosystem effortless.”
With its national presence, dedicated engineering teams and deep expertise in hotel environments, One80 Technology Group continues to raise the bar for hospitality WiFi in South Africa. And with the support of HPE Aruba’s constantly evolving technology, Smee is confident that the company will remain a leader in delivering exceptional, future-proof solutions.
“At the end of the day, we want every guest to feel like the WiFi experience ‘just works’,” Smee says. “When that happens, the hotel wins and so do we.”
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