SIP trunks for
hotels and hospitality
The telephony needs of hotels are unique. Even with cell phones, guests want easy access to hotel services via the in-room phone and inter-room dialing. Modern SIP trunking for hotels helps properties deliver that experience while cutting telecom costs.
Many hotels have invested significantly in legacy phone systems and integrated technologies. Since the majority of these aging phone systems are TDM-based, hotels are forced to pay a large monthly phone bill for many analog lines or for a T1/PRI circuit with relatively low usage.
Many hoteliers and lodgers are reluctant to upgrade their existing analog phone system to IP phones due to the high cost of equipment and handsets, and worry the technology that integrates in-room phone usage with the hotel's check-in and check-out billing system, room service, housekeeping, and other guest services will be compromised. SIP trunks for hotels and hospitality solve this problem without forcing a full hardware swap.
What is SIP trunking?
Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) trunking is an alternative to traditional physical telephone lines. It enables voice and unified communications over your existing high-speed internet connection, without the need for PRI lines. With a SIP trunk connected to a compatible PBX system, hotel staff and guests can place and receive calls to and from any phone number. Each SIP trunk supports a number of SIP channels, and the channel count determines how many calls can be active at one time.
The terms SIP and VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same. SIP is the technology that makes a VoIP call possible, but SIP channels can handle more than just voice traffic, including fax, video, and messaging.
The benefits of SIP trunking for hotels and hospitality
There are a number of compelling reasons SIP trunking is so popular among businesses that accommodate guests, from boutique inns to large multi-property chains.
Low up-front cost and huge savings
A small initial investment in a gateway box is required to move to SIP. A gateway is simply a router or proxy server that routes between networks. Gateways range from several hundred dollars for a multi-analog line box to about $1,000 for a digital SIP-to-T1 device. For some properties, an investment may be required to improve the facility's overall internet bandwidth.
These investments are small compared to the overall savings. Industry research shows that businesses can cut telecom costs by 25% to 65% when switching from legacy PRI lines to SIP trunking, and hotels with high call volumes often land at the top of that range.
Pricing based on channels, not phones
Legacy systems require one phone line for every extension, which means paying for lines that are rarely used. SIP trunking changes the equation by requiring only one channel per simultaneous call. This is ideal for hotels, where every room has a phone but only a small fraction are in use at any given moment. You can right-size capacity based on actual usage rather than room count.
SIP calling typically includes local calls and long-distance charges to the 48 contiguous US states, and it can be paired with attractive international long-distance rates. This helps the hotel save money on its own business calls while also reducing call costs for guests.
Flexibility
Unlike PRI lines, which are sold in fixed groups of 23 channels, SIP trunks can be purchased individually, and more can be added easily when additional capacity is needed. This means hotels do not pay for more than they need and do not have to anticipate future demand. Seasonal properties can scale up for peak travel windows and scale back during slow months.
10-digit direct numbers
With SIP.US, you can provision separate 10-digit phone numbers for different departments, suites, or staff members. This increases the flexibility of the call flow for your front desk, reservations team, food and beverage operations, and event sales. If you already have DID numbers or main numbers you want to keep, we can port them to your new SIP trunks.
No PRI lines needed
SIP trunking eliminates the need for Primary Rate Interface (PRI) lines. PRI lines are how calls were traditionally delivered to the public switched telephone network (PSTN). They are no longer needed when SIP trunking is in place. The cost of a SIP channel is much less than that of a PRI line, so savings are substantial and immediate.
How are hotels actually using SIP trunking?
SIP trunks for hotels and hospitality solve real, day-to-day problems across every part of the property.
Front desk and reservations
Reservations calls are revenue calls, and missed ones cost real money. SIP trunks support direct inward dialing (DID) numbers for the front desk, reservations team, and group sales, as well as call queues that hold guests in line rather than dropping them. Calls can be transferred between extensions, rolled to a manager on duty, or forwarded to a mobile phone after hours.
In-room phones and PMS integration
SIP works with the same legacy PBX systems many hotels use to integrate in-room phones with property management systems (PMS) for check-in, checkout, voicemail, and billing. Because SIP rides on your data network rather than replacing your PBX, you keep the existing room-to-room dialing, automated wake-up calls, and housekeeping integrations your staff and guests already know.
Multi-property hotel groups
For hotel groups operating multiple properties, SIP trunking connects all locations to a single unified communications platform. Calls can be transferred between properties at no charge, reservations can be routed centrally during off-peak hours, and adding a newly acquired property to your phone system takes minutes rather than weeks.
FCC e911 compliance for guest safety
Hotels operate multi-line telephone systems (MLTS) that require direct 911 dialing without prefixes and dispatchable location information for every emergency call. Still, research found that only 57% of enterprises are compliant. SIP.US supports nomadic e911 on US DIDs, letting you assign a specific dispatchable address (including room or floor) to each number.
After-hours and disaster recovery
When local infrastructure fails, calls automatically reroute to mobile phones, secondary PBXs, or a PSTN failover number. SIP.US uses redundant data centers, so a problem in one location will not affect your front desk or reservations line.
Why SIP.US is the perfect fit for hotels and lodging
There are many advantages of SIP trunking in the hotel and hospitality sector. Of course, not all SIP services are the same. SIP.US has built its platform to meet the needs of businesses like hotels that need to provide outstanding guest service while keeping costs in check.
FAQs
At the same time hotels and lodging companies are moving to SIP trunking, many are moving off their physical PBX and choosing a hosted solution. This places the responsibility for managing the system in the vendor's hands and frees your IT team to focus on other priorities. For hospitality businesses that want to keep control over the physical PBX, there are many low-cost and even free, open-source alternatives available. SIP.US works with all of these options.
If you have an older phone system that is not internet-ready (also called IP-enabled), we may still be able to help your property by using an inexpensive device called an ATA (analog telephony adapter). This article explains how in more detail.
Find out how your hotel or hospitality business can benefit from SIP trunking by getting your free trial today.
Customer feedback
Here is what our customers have to say about working with SIP.US.
Simple Interface.
We were able to get our systems up and running with SIP.US in a matter of minutes using the simple online interface.
Matt Harrison
Elevate Audio Visual
Low cost and good!
It’s easy to be low cost, but it’s a lot harder to be low cost AND good! In my opinion, SIP.US should be on anyone’s short list of primary providers.
Michael Dodds
Doddstech
All the tools I need.
The SIP.US Control Panel gives me all the tools I need to add, change and delete phone numbers. I can even order all the DIDs I need and set them up instantly. I love having access to these self-service tools, but I know the support team is also there if I need additional help.
Colin Cook
Thimble River
Up and running in minutes.
We are able to get our Switchvox systems up and running with SIP.US in a matter of minutes using the simple online interface.
Mike Crockett
BITS Technology
Quality support, low price.
I wasn’t sure how to configure my Asterisk system to work with SIP.US. The SIP team was able to remotely access my system and set it up for me. I didn’t expect that level of support for such a low price.
Greg Galvin
The Galvin Law Group
Fast and easy set-up.
I don’t have any experience with SIP trunking, but connecting my Asterisk PBX to SIP.US was fast and easy.
Eddy Pareja
Sangfroid Web Design
Excellent support.
The reason we moved most of our VOIP to you is because of your excellent support. We moved from another provider but your support makes the extra money well worth it.
Brian Marshman
CEO BMI SmartCloud