Hotel Internet Management: Should You DIY?

Installing or upgrading a Wi-Fi network requires heavy investment in infrastructure, design, implementation, management, and security. Add to that an unstandardized sea of solutions and you have the source of a lot of research, headache, and lag in resolution.

Every CIO knows optimizing Wi-Fi networks plays a big part in completing an optimal guest experience, but to obtain a network that can deliver and stay within budget requires a careful balance. Hotel CIOs have 2 basic business models to choose from:

1. Leave it to the experts: Identifying and enlisting a third party vendor, like Eleven, to help design, implement, own and manage a fully integrated wireless network is the most popular option. It takes fewer IT staff and reduces the property’s resource requirements. Because the third party owns and operates the implemented systems, this solution is typically the best and most cost-effective option.
2. Roll your own: If you currently employ an experienced IT team this can be a viable option. Typically, this option is chosen when a property requires complete control and management of their wireless infrastructure. Developing your own hotel network management requires making tough decisions about the type of technology to install, infrastructure design, implementation, management, and most delicate of all - security.

CIOs can take a lot of weight off their shoulders by utilizing technology partners who specialize in guest Internet management. With Internet management software, like Eleven, you can even offset infrastructure and other costs through tiered pricing models. The roll your own approach can be feasible for some larger and multi-brand corporations, but they often find in-house solutions are not as focused and cost effective as leaving the network management to the experts.

Adapted from this Hospitality Upgrade article.

What Wi-Fi solution do you use and why?