hotel and hospitality wifi news
Hotel WiFi Stories
Loews to offer free Wi-Fi to all guests at all hotels
9 years ago
by liveport
in Hotel WiFi Stories
Loews Hotels and Resorts is the latest chain to offer free Wi-Fi to all guests in their rooms, bucking the industry norm of charging for it, especially at higher-end properties.
The New York-based luxury hotel chain says every guest room at each of its 18 properties throughout North America will now be equipped with complimentary wireless Internet access.
“We look at it as a service our guests at Loews expect because they are getting it at home,” says Paul Whetsell, president and CEO of Loews. “I don’t think it’s sustainable to keep charging for it.”
Loews properties had been charging from $14.99 to $20 a day for Wi-Fi, depending on the market. Most of their lobbies had complimentary Wi-Fi. Now all of them will in addition to the guest room Internet.
Those guests who use an excessive amount of bandwidth will still incur a charge, however.
Several studies have shown that free Wi-Fi is one of the most coveted amenities among hotel guests. In a Hotels.com survey of 8,600 travelers worldwide, just 11% said they would be willing to pay for Wi-Fi when staying in a hotel.
The article goes on to point out that InterContinental Hotels Group will begin offering free Internet to its Rewards Club members. IHG, parent company of Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza, is the largest hotel chain based on room numbers and has 71 million Rewards Club members worldwide.
More here.
Hotels that charge for WiFi
10 years ago
by liveport
in Hotel WiFi Stories
More and more hotels are dropping in-room WiFi fees. But there are still plenty out there with charges of $8, $15, even $25 per day. Some of these hotels may advertise “free WiFi,” but it is typically restricted to the lobby or common areas: you pay for in-room Internet access.
So who’s still charging? Here’s the list, as of Spring, 2013. And if you prefer to get your WiFi on the house, here’s a list of hotels with free WiFi.
Accor Hotels
– Mgallery Hotels
– Novotel Hotels, with the exception of a few in Europe
– Sofitel Hotels, except those in Europe, Africa and the Middle East
Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group
– Some Radisson Hotels
Boutique & Lifestyle Collection
– Affinia Hotels
– Morgans Hotels
– Swissotels
– Viceroy Hotels and Resorts
– Tune Hotels
– Thompson Hotels
Hilton Hotels Group
– Conrad Hotels
– Waldorf-Astoria
– Embassy Suite
– DoubleTree Hotels
Hyatt Hotels
– Park Hyatt Hotels
– Some Hyatt Regency and Grand Hyatt Hotels
InterContinental Hotels Group
– Crowne Plaza Hotels (some Crowne Plazas we deal with provide free WiFi. Best to ask.)
– Some InterContinental Hotels
Marriot Hotels and Resorts
– Marriott Hotels
– Renaissance Hotels
– Ritz-Carlton Hotels, with the exception of most of the newer establishments
– JW Marriott Hotels, with the exception of the newer ones
Starwood Hotels
– Luxury Collection Hotels
– Sheraton Hotels
– St. Regis Hotels
– W Hotels
– Westin Hotels
– A number of Le Meridien Hotels
Wyndham Hotel Group
– Dream Hotels
– Wyndham Hotels and Resorts
– Wyndham Grand Collection
– TRYP by Wyndham Hotels, with the exception of the newer establishments
Luxury Hotels
– Dorchester Collection
– Jumeirah Hotels
– Kempinski Hotels
– Mandarin Oriental
– Taj Hotels
– Trump Hotels in New York
– Some Orient-Express Hotels
– Some Rocco Forte Hotels
Hotels with Free WiFi
10 years ago
by liveport
in Hotel WiFi Stories
More and more hotels are dropping the WiFi charges to get online while you’re out of town. So who’s still charging? Who’s gone free? Here’s a list of hotels with free Wi-Fi in each guest room. Note that some hotels may require guests to sign up for one of their loyalty programs, but a number of them offer unlimited access.
Here’s the list:
Accor Hotels
– Ibis Hotel
– Mercure Hotel
– Pullman Hotels
Best Western Hotels
– Best Western
– Best Western Plus
– Best Western Premier
Choice Hotels
– Ascend Collection
– Cambria Suites
– Clarion Hotels
– Comfort Suites
– Comfort Inns
– Econolodge
– Quality Inns
– Sleep Inn Hotels
Carlson Rezidor Group
– Country Inn and Suites
– Hotel Missoni
– Park Plaza Hotels
– Radisson Blu Hotels
Boutique & Lifestyle Collection
– Ace Hotels
– ALT Hotels
– AKA Hotels
– Andre Balazs Hotels
– B Hotels and Resorts
– Citizen M Hotels
– COMO Hotels
– Desires Hotels
– The Doyle Collection
– Gansevoort Hotel Group
– Greystone Hotels
– Gem Hotels, Ascend Collection
– James Hotels
– Joie De Vivre Hotels
– Kimpton
– Palace Resorts
– Soho House
– Standard Hotels
– Swire Hotels
Hilton Hotels
– Hampton Inn Hotels
– Hilton Garden Inn
– Home2 Suites by Hilton Hotels
– Homewood Suites
Hyatt Hotels
– Hyatt Andaz Hotels
– Hyatt Place
– Hyatt House
– Summerfield Suites
InterContinental Hotels
– Candlewood Suites
– Holiday Inn Hotels, including Holiday Inn Resorts, Express and Club Vacations
– Hotel Indigo
– Staybridge Suites
Marriott Hotels and Resorts
– Edition Hotels
– Fairfield Inn Hotels
– Gaylord Hotels
– Residence Inn Hotels
– SpringHill Suites
– Towneplace Hotels
– Courtyard Hotels by Marriot
Starwood Hotels and Resorts
– Aloft Hotels
– Four Points by Sheraton
– Element Hotels
Wyndham Hotel Group
– Baymont Inn and Suites
– Days Inn
– Hawthorn Suites
– Howard Johnson
– Microtel Inns and Suites by Wyndham Hotels
– Night Hotels
– Ramada Hotels
– Super 8 Hotels
– Travelodge Hotels and Motels
– Wyndham Garden Hotels
– Wingate
Luxury Hotels
– Aman Resorts
– Anatara Hotels
– Four Seasons Hotels
– Montage Hotels
– Langham Hotels
– Peninsula Hotels
– Regent Hotels
– Shangri-La Hotels
– Trump Hotels outside of New York
Thanks to Hotel Chatter’s 2013 WiFi report for the list.
Hotels feeling effects of iPad on guest WiFi networks
12 years ago
by liveport
in Hotel WiFi Stories
The New York Times has an interesting piece on how iPads are changing the economics and speed of hotel WiFi.
Here’s one excerpt: “Largely because of the broad use of iPads and other mobile tablets, which are heavy users of video streaming, the guest room Wi-Fi networks that most hotels thought they had brought up to standard just a few years ago are now often groaning under user demands. ”
The piece points out that the demand for streaming video often surpasses the hotel’s ability to provide it for free. The writer feels there will be a move to a tiered system, where basic access for checking email and browsing the web will be free, but users will have to pay for higher bandwidth required to watch videos.
It is estimated that 10 to 15 percent of hotels in the United States now offered at least some kind of Wi-Fi service with fees for higher use.
How is your network coping? Have you made upgrades in the last few years, only to find yourself falling short of guest demands again? Liveport’s all-inclusive pricing model might be the solution. Liveport includes equipment refreshes for life, eliminating the need to pay for expensive and frequent upgrades. We also have the ability to provide the tiered networks discussed in the article, and our mesh-node technology is perfect for mobile devices like tablets and smart phones. Ask us how we can help or visit http://www.liveport.com.
Hotel Guests: “We want free WiFi…and it better work!”
12 years ago
by liveport
in Hotel WiFi Stories
If hotel guests have their way any time soon, the days when hotels charge guests for wireless Internet will be a thing of the past. Listen to this rant from the New Zealand Herald’s Pamela Wade:
Access to free, fast, reliable WiFi ought to be as standard in hotel rooms as the provision of toilet paper. It should be like electricity and water: factored into the room rate as a normal facility, and unthinkable not to provide it. Personally, I would give up the 1000-count sheets that, being asleep, I’m mostly unconscious of, the fluffy robe and silly scuffs that I never wear, and the huge noisy spa bath that takes forever to fill, if I could instead settle down to read my emails, post to my blog, check up on the news at home and generally behave as though I live in the 21st century and not some 1980s outpost where the closest thing to email is airmail.
She goes on to note that most budget hostels and high-end properties have seen the light, but that many mid-range hotels have not. If you have five minutes, it’s a great read from a [irritated] customer’s perspective.
Link: Hotels need to wise up on WiFi (New Zealand Herald)
To be honest, we think she’s right for the vast majority of properties out there. And with the costs of installing and managing a strong, robust guest wireless network falling and competition rising, it’s hard to see why more hotels aren’t dropping the charges. For example, service (including equipment, install, support and more) from Liveport works out to just $2 per room, per month. Even after adding in monthly ISP costs, hotels are still able to provide fast, fully managed wireless in every room for pennies a day.
What do you think? Where is guest WiFi headed in the future?