Jaydeep Anand, Co-founder, Chief Development Officer & Chief Sustainability Officer, FIVE Holdings, and Jacob Chacko, Regional Director, Middle East & Africa at HPE Networking, explain how FIVE Holdings has built a digital backbone that transforms guest experiences, enhances staff performance and future-proofs the art of hospitality through a visionary partnership with HPE Networking.
What was the driver behind the need to modernise your network infrastructure and why did you select HPE to deliver this?
Connectivity is no longer a perk, it’s an expectation. Today’s traveller demands instant, secure and seamless access, whether streaming, working remotely, or managing life through digital services. At FIVE, we partnered with HPE as it brings more than technology; it brings an understanding of hospitality at its core. The AI-driven, future-ready networking solutions portfolio fuses reliability with innovation, perfectly aligned with our mission to continuously redefine the guest experience at the highest level.
How has the network modernisation positively impacted your customers and improved the overall guest experience?
The hallmark of great technology is when it disappears into the background and guests don’t notice the network; they simply experience everything working as it should. Streaming, video calls, in-room smart services, smoother check-ins and faster service all flow seamlessly. Behind the scenes, operational efficiency has soared. This transformation not only keeps pace with evolving guest demands but reinforces FIVE’s reputation as bold, forward-thinking and guest centric.
From an operational perspective, what benefits have you seen internally and how has this created efficiencies within the workplace?
It predicts and resolves issues before they ever reach the guest, while automating processes that once consumed valuable time. Teams now communicate faster, collaborate smarter and manage systems with precision. With this rock-solid digital backbone, staff operate in real time, access critical data instantly and focus on what truly matters: serving the guest. The reward is minimal downtime, maximum productivity and measurable business performance gains.
How has the collaboration with HPE meant you’ve been able to reduce your carbon footprint as an organisation, lowering costs and power consumption across your property portfolio?
For FIVE, sustainability isn’t a tick box exercise, it’s part of our DNA. We’ve deployed energy-efficient CX switches and HPE Aruba Networking access points that consume less power and shift into deep-sleep modes when idle. The result: significantly reduced energy consumption, lower operating costs and a lighter footprint across our portfolio. “This partnership proves that sustainability and luxury aren’t opposing forces – when done right, they elevate each other.” Doing more with less is not just sustainable; it’s smart hospitality.
How challenging is it to meet the evolving needs of today’s tech-savvy customers and how do you manage this effectively?
Guests today are always on, always connected and highly discerning. Whether they’re in their rooms, lounging poolside, dining, or enjoying nightlife, their expectation is the same: fast, secure, reliable connectivity. At FIVE, anticipating those needs is ingrained in our ethos. With the AI-optimised network, we adapt in real time, ensuring every digital touchpoint is seamless. This enables us to perfectly align with the lifestyles of our tech-savvy guests.
How do you utilise AI to ensure operational excellence and drive the business forward?
AI is our silent powerhouse. It predicts, prevents and fine-tunes performance across the board – spotting anomalies, optimising bandwidth and ensuring flawless service delivery. By automating routine tasks and surfacing deep insights, AI frees our teams to focus on high-value interactions. The impact is twofold: sharper decisions for the business and consistently exceptional experiences for our guests. AI supports our operations whilst accelerating them.
How will you continue with your mission to streamline operations while remaining laser-focused on improving the guest experience?
Efficiency is not about cutting back, it’s about creating the capacity for excellence. Looking ahead, we’ll continue expanding our use of AI and smart systems to handle the repetitive and predictable, while empowering our people to focus on what only humans can deliver: genuine, unforgettable hospitality. “The future lies in the intertwining and harmony of human touch and intelligent technology – and at FIVE, that’s exactly where we’re headed.”
As Regional Director for HPE Networking, how do you envision the company’s role evolving in the hospitality sector and what strategic initiatives are you prioritising to stay ahead of industry trends and customer expectations?
HPE Networking is positioning itself as a transformational leader for hospitality brands in this dynamic AI-driven world we live in. We have hoteliers worldwide who advocate for us and that speaks volumes for the legacy we have built in the hospitality sector.
Having said that, our focus remains on continuous innovation and enabling secure AI-native networking, IT sustainability and driving business outcomes. This is evident in high-profile collaborations like the one with FIVE Hotels and Resorts, where smart room systems and energy-efficient access points have driven both operational efficiency and carbon footprint reduction.
Today’s hotel guests are living in a fast-paced world, and their expectations are aligned with having a high-speed and secure, AI–powered network, smart room control systems, contactless services and personalised digital experiences. HPE Networking meets these expectations with IoT integrations and a centrally managed dashboard, which is the much-loved HPE Aruba Networking Central. Our solutions also support IT sustainability through recyclable hardware, eco-friendly designs and Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) models that shift CapEx to OpEx. This helps hotel chains and organisations across various industries achieve a smarter infrastructure, predictive maintenance and scalable, sustainable digital transformation, while also driving cost savings and accelerate business outcomes.
Muhammad Shahid, Managing Director, ELEVATE, a trusted HPE partner that supported the implementation, highlighted that technology is transforming hospitality – with the FIVE Hotels project a ‘prime example’.
He said: “ELEVATE’s expert team, in collaboration with HPE Aruba Networking, delivered a future-ready infrastructure that enhances guest experiences and streamlines operations. “Our focus on deploying energy-efficient HPE Aruba access points truly helped FIVE reduce its carbon footprint and lower power costs – proving that innovation can be both impactful and sustainable.”
