Hotel gets VoIP phones

The new Pantin Hotel in Leeds, set to open next week, is looking to the future by using VoIP phones and Wi-Fi throughout the building.

Staff will be equipped with VoIP phones which connect via the building's Wi-Fi network, which can also be used by guests at no charge, reports silicon.com.

The company are expecting to save £20,000 by using an IP telephony solution as opposed to a traditional network.

Sally Rouse, Pantin Hotels director of sales and marketing, told the website that the hotel expected many corporate guests as it is in the heart of Leeds' financial and legal district.

"There is definitely a demand from corporate guests for free internet and if we didn't offer it, it would be viewed as a hindrance," she said.

"Guests do not expect an additional fee to log on in their own room."

The company announced in August that it would be a high-tech hotel, with every room featuring a plasma screen, satellite television, iPod docking station and speakers.

It also, unlike many hotels, stores its servers in a secure centralised data centre away from the hotel and uses them remotely.