The French Group Barrière Accelerates its Digital Transformation with CommScope and Wifirst

Over the past six years, Wifirst, a French leader in managed Wi-Fi, has installed and managed Wi-Fi in the Barrière Group’s casinos, hotels and restaurants, as well as all common areas such as meeting rooms, conference spaces, lobbies and bars.  They will continue to manage Barrière Group’s connectivity and maintenance so the hospitality leader’s IT staff can focus on the group’s digital transformation. 

The new Wi-Fi network will be the foundation of an ambitious digital transformation program that enhances services for guests.  Visitors will have the option to check in via their mobile device, download keys to their smartphones and go straight to their rooms.  They can also extend their stays, check out, or change rooms without having to go to the front desk.  By limiting unnecessary physical contact between guests and staff, these contactless conveniences will help increase guest confidence in the safety of their environment.

“We hope to give our guests an unforgettable adventure in an extraordinary setting marked by exquisite service, décor and cuisine.  Barrière Group creates a beautiful escape where convenience, tradition and sophistication are as magnificent today as they were 100 years ago,” said Emmanuelle Anglade, executive vice president, marketing, sales and technology at Barrière Group.  “We had a double need for connectivity and the challenge was to find a business partner who could help us find an economically viable, reliable and scalable solution to adapt to the new uses of today and tomorrow. The Wi-Fi solution developed by Wifirst with CommScope’s RUCKUS is helping us achieve our vision of digital transformation.”

More than 7,000 rigorously trained employees will also benefit from the new network as they’ll be able to work more effectively using mobile applications for housekeeping, catering, maintenance, digital signage and property management.  Staff across the casinos and restaurants will have access to emerging technologies for hospitality, including IoT, automation, artificial intelligence and more.

“Beautiful historic hotels are highly desirable places to stay but thick plaster walls, fireproof doors and even mirrors can be nightmares for Wi-Fi as they weaken and block signals,” said Etienne Detrie marketing director at Wifirst.  “Connectivity is critical both for guests who have become used to constant connectivity at home and for operational efficiency boosted by mobility.  Wifirst’s experts are steeped in the realities of how to keep hotels and their guests fully connected.”

Emmanuelle Anglade added, “Since the roll out of the new network began, there have been no complaints from guests regarding the quality of the Wi-Fi.  And the number of bookings has increased in properties that have benefitted from the new network.” 

To address interference challenges, Wifirst implemented RUCKUS’ high-performance dual-band Wi-Fi 5 access points. These technologies focus and steer Wi-Fi signals by choosing the best performing paths and channels, and even adapting to environmental changes and the devices used by guests.

“Barrière Group is creating an opportunity to impress visitors with a better-than-ever connectivity experience,” said Eric de Mython, Hospitality partner account manager at CommScope.  “It’s been a pleasure collaborating with Barrière Group who is at the forefront of modern hospitality through three generations of entrepreneurial owners.  Together with Wifirst, we are creating a blueprint for service excellence now and into the future.”

Journalists can find more information in the Barrière Group case study and video.

About the Barrière Group

Barrière is a brand used to market hotels, casinos and restaurants held by two distinct groups: Groupe Lucien Barrière (GLB) and Société Fermière du Casino Municipal de Cannes (SFCMC). Founded in 1912 by François André and expanded under the successive leadership of Lucien Barrière, Diane Barrière-Desseigne and Dominique Desseigne, Barrière has developed a range of unequaled offerings in the high-end hospitality leisure industry. The Group focuses on operational excellence and quality service with a decidedly French flair. Its properties currently include 33 casinos, a gambling club, 18 hotels (most of which are five stars), 15 spas, two tennis clubs and three golf courses. Barrière also enjoys a strong reputation in the dining industry, with more than 140 restaurants and bars, including the renowned Fouquet’s in Paris and nine other destinations.

About Wifirst

Created in 2002, Wifirst is the French leader in managed Wi-Fi for professionals. Wifirst has structured its activity around two large families of customers: hospitality and multi-dwelling units (Crous, AccorHotels, Club Med, etc…) as well as the retail and B2B market (La Poste, MAIF, Intermarché, etc.). The telecom operator extended its network internationally by opening offices in the United Kingdom and Spain in 2016 and, to date, covers 26 countries. A pioneer in the Wi-Fi as a service (WaaS) approach, Wifirst is committed to a process of continuous innovation to offer a network capable of absorbing the spectacular increase in internet usage, offering high added-value services and making Wi-Fi the technical base of the digital transformation of its customers. Wifirst is a member of the Bpifrance Excellence network, had an average growth of over 30 percent over the past decade and reached more than 55 million euros in turnover at the end of 2019. For more information, go to www.wifirst.com.

This press release includes forward-looking statements that are based on information currently available to management, management’s beliefs, as well as on a number of assumptions concerning future events. Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of performance and are subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results to differ materially from those currently expected. In providing forward-looking statements, the company does not intend, and is not undertaking any obligation or duty, to update these statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.