Hotel owners and operators are preparing for the type of connectivity consumers will demand soon: WiFi 6 and 5G mobile-enabled networks. The hotel guest of the not-too-distant-future will require advanced speeds and capabilities when it comes to their wireless connections, reported Hotel News Now.
“The future of 5G is really going to be reliant on greater coupling with WiFi signals, which are fairly ubiquitous within buildings,” said Armand Rabinowitz, VP of strategy and workgroups at HTNG.
“It’s going to be critical for owners and operators to plan for the upgrade of their WiFi infrastructure to take advantage of that.”
Per Hotel News Now, hoteliers said they’re taking action now in their new-build and renovation projects to ensure properties are ready for these wireless updates. In preparation for what customers want, the Concord Hospitality group includes multiple entrance conduits for telecommunications services and requires at least one spare. In addition, every hotel opens with fiber service, and the company makes sure it can always bring in redundant or new carriers via the entrance conduit. They also take equipment room size into consideration with every new build, ensuring they can accommodate the needs of today as well as future equipment upgrades.
Concord Chief Information Officer Brian Cornell added that every guest room is capable of having its own wireless access point if necessary. Typically, WiFi signal levels require an access point in every second or third room, Cornell noted.
“There will be a marketplace for small, in-building 5G repeaters/cells for commercial and hospitality buildings,” he said. “When we build hotels, we do include a spare roof conduit in the event the location is selected by a cellular carrier for a rooftop cell tower. These are typically lease arrangements and generate additional cash flow for the hotel.”
When making wireless infrastructure upgrades at a hotel, sticker shock over cost is a hurdle for many owners. Savvy owners understand the importance technology plays with guest return intent, as well as with staff efficiency and productivity, Cornell said.
“It is critical to have open dialogue early to identify the costs, so there are no surprises,” he added.
January 9, 2020
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