Unified coms outfit CounterPath has partnered with middleware provide TigerTMS to develop a custom-branded Bria and Stretto Platform solution, iConnect LITE.
Their iConnect LITE app enables hotel guests to use their smartphone or tablet as their room phone while checked into the hotel using a Wi-Fi or cellular data connection to make and receive calls.
Since the onset of COVID-19, hotel room phones have come under scrutiny as potential vectors for virus transmission. For this reason, hoteliers have been investigating ways to reduce contact with or entirely replace room phones. Using secure login credentials provided at check-in, the iConnect LITE app enables guests to make internal and external calls using their own devices, improving efficiency in communications and effectively replacing the handset in rooms. When a guest checks out, the iConnect Lite app deregisters and no longer provides login access on their device. Providing iOS and Android support, and hotel-specific branding, iConnect LITE is a viable option for all types of hotels.
TigerTMS CEO John Owen said: “iConnect LITE is the perfect UC mobility solution. It minimises the unnecessary contact guests might have with surfaces such as room phones, effectively reducing the potential for COVID-19 transmission.”
TigerTMS is a longstanding partner of CounterPath. The opportunity to partner on a solution for the hospitality vertical that leveraged the benefits of Unified Communications while addressing the challenges brought on by COVID-19 was one both organisations jumped on. The CounterPath Stretto Platform and Stretto API simplified workflows and made it possible to adapt to the hospitality industry.
CounterPath CRO Todd Carothers said: “In a post-COVID world, we see mobility solutions like iConnect LITE becoming commonplace, and CounterPath is positioned to leverage our experience in hospitality and similar markets. We look forward to working closely with TigerTMS as they expand their reach to their customer base.”
Currently deployed in Spain, TigerTMS plans to expand distribution of iConnect LITE to other European countries over the next year. TigerTMS also plans to expand deployments of the solution to adjacent industries, such as cruise lines and healthcare.
