As you can imagine, in this day and age, one of the top amenities travelers desire in their hotel rooms is high speed internet access. As early as 2002, a survey conducted by the web site travel company, Expedia, found that 42 percent of their respondents said that internet connections topped the list of things they would most like to see in their rooms. In addition, sixteen percent thought mobile phone and laptop chargers would be useful, making the items the second most popular. Other business related items mentioned were work stations and ergonomic chairs with 14 percent, while 12 percent thought their room could be improved by the presence of printers, photocopiers and fax machines.
Now hotels are listing their internet speed capabilities among their top amenities to attract customers. “Hotels, like all businesses, have unique bandwidth needs as they must not only provide reliable Internet to employees but also to the rooms of their guests,” said Mel Yarbrough, Chief Revenue Officer for Towerstream, a company that has said it is going to provide high-speed wireless broadband to the American hotels in its market. The Palms Hotel and Spa and Circa 39 Hotel, located in the heart of Miami Beach, are some that are opting for their solutions.
Most hotels now offer high speed internet connections in their rooms, as well as Wi-Fi in their common areas. A search on “Hotels and High Speed Internet” brought up chains hotels with phrases like “complimentary high-speed Internet access in all of our hotel lobbies and designated public areas…” “Each suite is equipped with a full kitchen and free high-speed internet,” and “Free High Speed Internet and Guaranteed Best Rate”. And several companies offering to help hotels offer these services to their clients, like Towerstream mentioned above, come up as well.Â
Download Speedplexer to your laptop, and you’ll be able to see how fast your connection is next time you’re at a hotel.