Hotels Seek to Improve Wireless Access
mobile computing heaven
The race is on.
The Westin St. Francis in San Francisco’s Union Square is among the first hoteliers to sign up with LodgeNet Interactive Corporation to implement its Mobile Internet Devices and integrate them into their own hospitality system.
In English, this means Westin guests can order in-room dining, book a spa appointment, make golf reservations, sign up for their reward program points and even change the in-room temperature and electricity controls through their iPhones and Blackberries. Basically, guests’ smart phones replace the concierge function, which will no doubt trigger a rebuttal from the National Concierge Association. But let’s face it: the name of the game has always been “be relevant or be run over.”
The project is in the pilot stages this summer; LodgeNet says it should roll out more test markets between now and the end of 2009. Anyone who wants to see this technology in action can stop by the company’s booth at HITEC at the Anaheim Convention Center June 23 – 25.
It’s a smart move for anyone who read the American Hotel and Lodging Association’s 2008 study on customer satisfaction. A whopping 82 percent of guests say they care most about their wi-fi services, even over in-room entertainment systems and airline check-in kiosks.
Which could explain why Omni Hotels — the first luxury hotel brand to give guests free wireless access in their rooms — is focusing more on the basics. It signed with BelAir Networks to upgrade its network design to accommodate mobile computing. “With nearly 50 percent of our guests using wi-fi and their bandwidth demands continuing to accelerate, we sought a high-performance network partner” says Richard Tudgay, Omni’s IT veep.
Photography: Westin St. Francis
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2 Responses
Do we know what portion of the 50% who use wifi are business travelers? That might help hotels decide if and how much they should charge. Could be a moot point though, as they are all trending towards free as you suggest.
Jeff. Omni didn’t give that information, but from personal experience and as a travel agent who specifies in leisure travel, the number of vacationers who bring laptops is increasing. I’ve always used the fact that I’m self-employed and need to check in as my excuse, but the truth is I took the laptop along on a Mediterranean cruise this spring to have a place to download my camera card every night. And I was online every day, with less than 5 percent of my correspondence related to business. The rest was to check back home and say hi to the friends and family.