Faced with a need to accommodate tech-happy business travelers demanding faster Internet access, hotels are moving to expand their Internet capabilities, whether through phone lines or via wireless technology.
But for some of Orange County’s largest hotels, that technology,and the fees that may come with it,are still a thing of the future.
Newly constructed hotels like the Doubletree Irvine Spectrum were designed with high-speed access in mind. The Doubletree, for instance, has T-1 access in every room at no extra charge.
But older properties need to upgrade, and that’s where things can get bogged down.
“It’s becoming imperative that hotels provide (this) to guests,” said Patrick Hynes, director of public relations for the Hilton Anaheim, OC’s largest hotel.
“But deciding what format is the best and most user-friendly, given technology that is changing rapidly, is another story.”
Some Are Wired
The Hilton Anaheim has high-speed T1 lines for its meeting facilities, but has yet to upgrade its guest rooms, though every room has a pair of two-line phones, each equipped with data ports. Guests accessing the Internet on these lines receive the first 30 minutes free; after that, the charge is 10 cents per minute.
At the Doubletree Costa Mesa,also owned by Hilton Hotels Corp. since its merger with Promus Corp.,T1 lines are available in all meeting rooms and in guest rooms on the executive level. Guest room charges are $9.95 per day.
Director of sales Dan Fitzgerald said the property is the first corporate-owned Doubletree to offer the service and is a beta site for what could be standard issue for all Hilton-owned properties in the future.
Two weeks ago, the Irvine Marriott launched high-speed service in all guest and meeting rooms. But while there is no extra charge for using a standard data port, those who choose high-speed access add $9.95 to their daily room charge. That fee, however, gives them 24-hour access, according to Scott Darby, director of room operations.
Some Are Deciding
Others among OC’s largest hotels still are deciding what route to take,both about equipment and access fees.
The Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel is in the process of adding high-speed service; the property can bring in DSL or T1 service for groups. Though other Ritz-Carltons already up and running are imposing a $9.95-per-day charge, director of public relations Lisa Poppin said the South Orange County property has not yet determined what its access fees might be.
Meanwhile, both the Anaheim Marriott and Wyndham Garden, Costa Mesa, expect to have upgrades completed in guest rooms later this year, but neither property has decided what to charge.
At the Marriott, DSL lines will be added to all rooms. The Wyndham, however, will provide wireless technology in all public areas and meeting rooms and an option of a standard or wireless connection in guest rooms.
Meanwhile, at the Westin South Coast Plaza, which is operated by Starwood Hotels & Resorts, director of sales Bill Allison said that all company properties were instructed to hold off on local upgrades until a further study of guest needs is complete. Allison said the hotel has two data ports and two modems in all rooms at no extra charge.
Pricing An Issue
In a recent survey by Siegel Communications, an Atlanta-based publisher of hospitality industry news, 35% of respondents said they’d pay $10 per night for in-room, high-speed Internet access, 39% said they’d pay it if their companies were footing the bill, and 26% said they would not pay it.
But while hotel brands that have adopted company policies seem to favor a $9.95-per-day option for in-room high-speed service, a new service announced recently at the American Hotel and Motel Association convention in Phoenix could change their thinking,and that of hotels that have not yet made the move to high-speed access.
E-centre.net, an Atlanta Internet start-up, said it has contracts to equip guest rooms in more than 300 hotels and motels nationwide with state-of-the-art, in-room computers and high-speed Internet access. The product, called StayOn Line.com, will offer connections for $6.99 per night and is initially targeting mid-priced, budget and extended-stay properties. The service will be provided free to hotels, with the revenue from the customers shared.
“It’s a turnkey operation to the hotel,” said Cary Evans, the company’s chairman. “There’s no capital outlay for the hotel,” Evans said. He said the company already has service agreements with two hotel groups but declined to name them at this time, saying only they had very few properties in California.
The program, which a press release said has received a “multi-million dollar initial round of venture capital funding,” is expected to launch at three Atlanta properties in May.
Fitzgerald said such a service could change the landscape for the industry.
“With more providers, rates would be more favorable to the end-user,” he said. n
