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.

Last week, part of the Eleven team ventured down to Silicon Valley for the 2018 HTNG Insight Summit. It was a week of high-tech learnings and insightful conversations with industry leaders, so we rounded up our top six learnings to share with you.

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.

Spring Breakers Beware! Much ado has been made about hotel Wi-Fi security since a recent report from the Today Show showed just how easy it is for hackers to tap guests’ personal information via hotel Wi-Fi. Unsuspecting sunbathers naively connect poolside only to learn a nefarious hacker has secretly duped them into authenticating on to a fake Wi-Fi network that closely resembles the hotel’s.