High Speed Internet Access (HSIA): Mobile Broadband

Surveys consistently show that guests don’t want to be pay for Internet access on top of the hotel room rate. However, this demand for free high speed Internet isn’t generally being met and, on top of that, prices charged are often described as a “rip-off”.

This is particularly the case when it comes to hotels specifically catering for business travellers. The argument can be made that a reliable, high speed Internet connection is as essential for a business traveller as hot water or other amenities and shouldn’t be subject to a separate fee.

Not everyone thinks this way though. There are significant costs, not only in the initial infrastructure but also the ongoing support. If a hotel provides Internet access for their guests then the system must be:

* Secure
* Reliable
* Easy to use
* Provide technical support if things go wrong

If the quality of the system suffers because it is provided for free then the outcome is lose-lose. There’s a good argument to be made that by having an Internet revenue model, the hotel is more likely to be providing a quality service.

Can skype cause problems with a hotel Internet connection? It seems so depending on how skype is being used and the filters in place on the hotel’s system.

A blogger staying at a Best Western hotel in Canada posted about his experience trying to connect to the hotel’s high speed Internet solution. He couldn’t connect to the wireless system so tried the Ethernet connection without any luck. After several attempts and all the standard troubleshooting procedures he phoned tech support.

Apparently his skype session was generating an excessive number of Internet sessions and had tripped the hotel filter. He admitted to having around 10 individual chat sessions open but was still surprised at the incredible number of connections that skype was making. The only solution in this particular case was not to use skype, an answer he wasn’t impressed with given that skype was an important communication tool for him.

He does acknowledge the other side of the story and the problems that hotels have in providing a reliable, safe connection for all of their hotel guests but would prefer a solution where the ISP recognises applications like Skype and allows it within the filtering rules.

Here’s a link to the full story.

Studies undertaken on corporate wi-fi networks in New York, London and Paris revealed that 22-25% of them are not secure.

In addition a demo for CNNMoney.com at a major hotel in the US showed how easy it was to open, copy and delete files on another user’s computer on the hotel wireless network.

Anyone hacking into a hotel wireless system doesn’t have to be physically located in the hotel.

So what steps can be taken to protect your data when using a hotel wi-fi network. Dave Garrison, the CEO of Ibahn recommends these steps in a recent cnnmoney.com article.

* Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN)
* Use encryption technology such as Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA)
* Disable file-sharing on your laptop
* Disable peer-to-peer capabilities of the wi-fi network
* Use a personal firewall
* Keep your laptop safe

More hotels are providing Internet access for their guests and it is fast becoming one of the most requested amenities. At the BITAC Tech & Operations 2007 conference the discussion centred around the technology problems this can pose for hotels.

A central theme was the demand for more bandwidth as guests are doing more than surf the Internet and are using the Internet connection to:

• Download music and video
• Watch TV
• Use VOIP applications such as Skype
• Access VPNs for business purposes

Heavy usage of the available bandwidth slows down the system for all guests so it poses a challenge for hoteliers in terms of charging structures and infrastructure

This year at HITEC, an annual conference for hospitality industry professionals, the guest room of the future (dubbed Guestroom 2010) was featured. The idea was to showcase imminent or new guest room technologies.

Showcased technology:

• Browser based technology enabling guests to access their hotel reservation details, personal travel itinerary and hotel information from their mobile phone.

• Technology to unlock the room door with your mobile phone

• A body suspension system to replace a standard mattress, using a system of linked rods and small plastic-domed caps that shape themselves to your body.

• An alarm clock that rolls away from you when you hit the snooze button so that you have to get out of bed and find it when it goes off again.

• A coffeemaker that displays the local weather forecast.

Hotel Chatter have completed their annual survey of hotels with the best and worst wifi offerings.

This a summary of their findings. You can read the full report here .

Free wireless broadband in hotel rooms and public places is what guests are asking for.

This isn’t being offered consistently and in fact the report found that more restrictions are being placed on free hotel wireless Internet. Commonly, you can get free wireless broadband in the hotel lobby but in the rooms it is via Ethernet and there is a fee.

Hotel Chatter have put together their list of the world’s best geek hotels.

There has been a rash of reporting on the inherent security problems with wireless broadband services in hotels. IBahn put out a press release stating that their wifi networks are secure and that each system should be judged on its merits without applying blanket statements to the whole industry. The news is covered in Broadband Wireless Exchange Magazine.

The press release includes some good tips for travellers:

• Disable or block file sharing (and all other network services) on interfaces used for broadband access
• Enable Windows Firewall or (preferably) install a third-party personal firewall
• Use file encryption, available in Windows XP Professional and other products
• Choose non-obvious passwords to deter notebook, data, and server access
• Use a VPN or encrypted mobile application, ideally with two-factor (hardware or biometric) authentication
• Choose public Wi-Fi access that provides enhanced security services
• Connect only to known SSIDs
• Disable ad-hoc mode and automated connection to non-preferred SSIDs
• Use a host intrusion detection agent to detect/prevent risky connections, including bridging between wireless and wired interfaces

9000 hotels were surveyed in over 100 areas in the US and answered questions on the amenities they provide to guests.

These are the Internet related trends that came out of the survey

· Fifty percent of the properties surveyed offered high-speed internet access in 2004, which grew to 89 percent in 2006.

· Wireless Internet access is likely the fastest growing in-room amenity. The number of hotels that offer this service more than doubled over the last two years. In 2006, 82 percent of all hotels offered this service compared to 35 percent in 2004.

More highlights from the survey are covered by 4Hoteliers.

LodgeNet, who provide in-room entertainment and broadband solutions to hotels throughout the United States and Canada have acquired StayOnline, a leading provider of high speed Internet access to the hospitality industry. The deal increases five fold the number of hotel rooms for which LodgeNet provides broadband services.

Scott C. Petersen, the CEO of LodgeNet made the following comment”

“Travelers want the same level and quality of Internet access they have at work and at home; and as a result, we believe hotels will increasingly want to get that guest-critical service from a financially secure company they know and trust.”