NATIONAL REPORT— High-speed vs. dial-up are no longer the choices hotel companies have as their Internet options; in the new world order they must select which method of wireless connectivity will make their properties the most appealing to consumers. The entire world is going wireless; not just the hotel universe. The change goes well beyond Ethernet cards and laptops. Now it’s all about chips and satellites that will make it possible for consumers to connect wirelessly to the Internet virtually from any location they choose, and to communicate with other wireless devices effortlessly. The hotel industry isn’t downplaying the sea change that wireless technology will bring about. “I really believe [that with]all the excitement and potential created by the Internet, you will see the same excitement level around wireless,” said Scott Heintzeman, CIO, Carlson Hotels Worldwide. “We are only at the beginning of the journey.” Mark Hedley, senior vp/chief technology officer for Wyndham International, concurred. “People don’t understand the significance of how wireless will change the way we lead our lives,” he said. There is no doubt the hotel world will be wireless, it’s a matter of when, and what format will win out as the industry’s most prevalent protocol. The Options Looming for hotels are four major options: a) Going with a wireless solution that complies with the existing 802.11b protocol standard; b) Opting instead for Bluetooth, a radio-frequency connectivity technology that allows short-range connections between devices; c) Using a blend of both, or perhaps another new entrant; d) Making no choice at all and counting instead on telecommunications providers, like Verizon, for example, to provide a national wireless infrastructure that will give consumers connectivity wherever they travel. 802.11b has been around longer than Bluetooth, and as a result, has already seen greater acceptance by the industry. Wyndham International is basing its wireless check-in platform on the 802.11b standard, while Heintzeman reports Carlson is similarly placing its dollars on that model. Other companies report that they are keeping their options open as far as Bluetooth goes, especially since new protocols standards are being sought for the new technology. Meanwhile, Registry Magic, a provider of Bluetooth technology, said that it is “in touch with the largest hotel chains in the world” to explore the use of the product, according to Chairman Lawrence Cohen. Cendant Hotels told HOTEL BUSINESS® that it is testing Bluetooth at its high-tech Wingate Inns brand, while Starwood Hotels & Resorts has actually made an investment in a Toronto-based firm called Classwave, which promises to provide an environment that will make Bluetooth a viable connectivity solution in its hotels. While still a newcomer, Bluetooth has been successfully tested at least two hotels in the United States: The Venetian in Las Vegas and the Holiday Inn Wall Street in New York. What’s slowing its implementation is the shortage of Bluetooth-enabled cell phones in the United States. As of presstime, there were merely 10 nationwide, although cell-phone manufacturers are scrambling to provide the product, which is already widely used in Europe. How It Works Bluetooth, as far as the hospitality industry is concerned, works like this. As a consumer carrying a cell phone containing a Bluetooth chip approach a Bluetooth-enabled hotel at which they have a reservation, they will hear an alert sound coming from their cell phone. After inputting a personal identification number (PIN), the consumer will be asked, via the cell phone’s message field, if he/she would like to check into the property. If the answer selected is “yes,” the guest will receive a room number. As the guest approaches the room, he/she will again hear his/her phone alerting them. After once again inputting his/her PIN, the guest enables Bluetooth to unlock the guestroom door. Once in the room
