From 5G to Wi-Fi 6 to Hotspot 2.0, it can be hard to keep up with all of the advancements in wireless communication and networking. Below we outline our top 8 predictions for the Wi-Fi industry in 2019 and what technologies you really need to pay attention to and why.

We have quickly become accustomed to the world at our fingertips. In just a decade, our habits and lives are forever changed–many of us no longer travel with maps, we can answer almost any question in mere seconds, and we can connect with people on the other side of the globe in an instant. Wi-Fi has also since become ubiquitous in hotels and other public spaces, in response to the expectation that we are connected always and everywhere. But for many reasons, the industry has not always been able to keep up with the demand for more and better Wi-Fi.

People today expect to be connected always and everywhere; sometimes it's hard to believe that there was a world before smartphones and Wi-Fi. In the time since Wi-Fi became ubiquitous in hotels, apartments, and public spaces, it has fueled the evolution of connectivity in a lot of ways. Just like Maslow's hierarchy of needs, the most basic needs start at the bottom, and you can't get to the next level without a strong foundation. 

Last week some of our team members joined hospitality's brightest minds to talk technology at the HT-NEXT conference in San Diego. We engaged in meaningful conversations, attended informative sessions, and came home with several great insights about how hotel brands develop their Wi-Fi strategy for today—and tomorrow.

As a follow-up to our recent article in Hospitality Upgrade, “The Future of Hotel Wi-Fi”, we have pulled together our insights plus thoughts from some of the industry’s best and brightest to present you with our top six predictions for hotel connectivity in 2018.