Marriott Bows to Pressure on Wi-Fi Blocking But There's Lots of Wiggle Room
Skift Take
Marriott's customers resoundingly told the chain not to mess with their personal Wi-Fi devices and Marriott had little choice but to concede this battle. Other chains will likely feel the heat, as well. Still the war isn't over and the FCC will ultimately have much to say about where all of this is headed.
Facing a firestorm of criticism from frequent guests as well as Google, Microsoft and the news media, Marriott International has backtracked in its bid to block consumers' personal Wi-Fi devices during conferences at properties that it manages, but the chain and the entire U.S. hotel industry still have plenty of wiggle room.
Marriott issued a difficult-to-decipher statement yesterday indicating it won't block guests' personal Wi-Fi devices, but added that the hotel company still seeks clarification from the FCC on the issue when it comes to network security.
"Marriott International listens to its customers, and we will not block guests from using their personal Wi-Fi devices at any of our managed hotels," the statement reads. "Marriott remains committed to protecting the security of Wi-Fi access in meeting and conference areas at our hotels. We will continue to look to the FCC to clarify appropriate security measures network operators can take to protect customer data, and will continue to work with the industry and others to find appropriate market solutions that do not involve the blocking of Wi-Fi devices."
Translation Please
Here's the translation: Marriott vows not to block conference attendees' personal Wi-Fi devices for network quality reasons when Marriott or third parties provide Wi-Fi to support conferences at properties that it manages.
However, Marriott has not withdrawn a petition it made to the FCC in partnership with the American Hotel &
