At one time, the luxury rating of a hotel room would have been defined in terms of the level of service, the opulence of the decor and the quality of the cuisine.
Nowadays, it has just as much to do with the sophistication of the communications technology available to guests.

All of the rooms at the Burj Al Arab can boast some level of luxury, whether it is a mere single bedroom suite or one of the royal suites – thanks to some of the most advanced information technology available.

The luxurious trappings of each room hide a network of technical wizardry.

Behind the 22 carat gold framed, 42 inch plasma television screens in each suite, lies an interactive multi media system, which uses a complex network of twisted pair and co-axial cables. Burj Al Arab has an equal number of plasma televisions (42 inches) and standard 28 inch televisions and these are networked to the set top box, which is a personal computer operating on Microsoft Windows.

The doorbell of each suite is connected to the telephones and a camera. This equipment also links to the set top box, which in turn controls the functionality within the suite, allowing the guest to see the person ringing the door bell on the television and releasing the door lock if required or speak to the person using one of the telephones.

The set top boxes are also connected to a Sun server in the IT room which allows the hotel to display an interactive menu for the guest upon check-in. The menu enables the guest to view television channels, book wake-up calls, watch videos on demand or peruse restaurant menus.

Touch screen remotes are the key to the in-room technology from a guest standpoint. They give access to the multimedia systems and are designed to accommodate all functionalities within the room, from opening the curtains and answering the door to simply alerting the butler. The system also has the ability for reception to leave messages for the guest directly on the television screen.

All suites include an in-room business centre: including printer, scanner, copier, notebook computer, fax machine with personalised number and on demand isdn phone lines. To complete the service each notebook computer has its data cleared remotely by the team of IT professionals on guest check-out.

The facsimile machines in each suite are connected to a server in the IT room. This allows Burj Al Arab to provide a guest with a personalised fax number. The fax machine is also connected to the notebook computer allowing the guest to use it as a printer and scanner.

The Internet can be accessed in the suites. Burj Al Arab provides fast links using a 2 Mb leased line to telecommunications provider Etisalat. Guests can connect to personal Internet accounts using the isdn line in each individual suite.

The hotel has a complex network, using approximately 1·3 million metres of twisted pair cables and approximately 6000 m of fibre optic cables. The network is connected using 56 switches with gigabit uplinks and has fibre optic and atm links in order to share resources from other properties within the Jumeirah International group.

The pabx switch also plays a key role in connecting the building's automated features, including 2500 telephones.

"State of the art technology is used to transmit, maintain and monitor all the features in the hotel to make it a technical dreams", says Thomas Huber, group information technology director for Jumeirah International.