The Next Generation of Hotel Wi-Fi Is Finally Coming on Line
Photo Credit: Hilton Orlando completed its comprehensive Wi-Fi upgrade last month. Hilton Worldwide
Skift Take
Quality of Wi-Fi is becoming as big a conversation as cost, especially for branded hotels catering to business travelers and the group market. We can't reiterate enough, though, that free is what consumers expect.
There are few things more annoying to travelers than paying for hotel Wi-Fi that only works when and where it wants.
The total tonnage of conversation revolving around Wi-Fi cost has traditionally far overshadowed any discussion about quality. So to better understand what’s involved in delivering a strong hotel Wi-Fi experience, we spoke to technical representatives at Hilton Orlando and New York Hilton Midtown. Both properties have recently installed all-new wireless networks.
When wireless technology came to the fore following the iPhone launch in June 2007, the earliest technology was very basic. Since then, the technology available to hotels in terms of equipment infrastructure, and consumers in terms of their devices, has steadily improved. However, the technology required to really support a 500+ room hotel where guests all have 2-3 devices is only a little more than a year old.
The technical term for today’s most advanced wireless standard is IAEE 802.11ac. The
