Cutting the Cord

Not yet up-to-date with “Wi-Fi”? Better hurry, before you’re out of date.

by Sheryll Alexander (editor@clubandresortbusiness.com)
May 2006
 

Summing It Up Wi-Fi is in high demand and many people expect top-notch service, no matter where they are. Survey the site before installation and then check every room that you want to have access, to make sure there are no dead zones. Open access is not secure, but doesn’t require the hassle of passwords. Wi-Fi can be used when POS terminals need to be relocated, such as for a golf tournament, banquet, or beverage cart.

Is your club or resort thinking about going wireless? Think hard, but don’t think long. Within the next year or two, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) will be a standard amenity at most highend hospitality venues.

More and more, members and guests are bringing work and play together by flicking on their wireless enabled laptops through easily accessible Wi-Fi networks. And they are demanding Wi-Fi because it gives them the opportunity to stay connected with the office while on the course or at the club.

But the good news goes beyond satisfying guest or member demand for this new service. Some clubs and resorts are now taking advantage of Wi-Fi to connect buildings or employees over long distances. And some now provide all the amenities of a hotel meeting room in the environment of a country club-like facility.

Wanting Wi-Fi

“Our conference and business guests were asking for Wi-Fi,” says Lewis M. Kiesler, general manager at Cranwell Resort, Spa & Golf Club in Lenox, Mass. So last summer, Kiesler says Wi-Fi was installed throughout the entire property, including guest rooms and public spaces.

Cranwell is a 107-room facility with an 18-hole championship golf course, a 35,000-sq. ft. spa, 16 conference rooms, and three restaurants.

“We wanted to remain competitive in a resort marketplace [against others] that generally were installing Wi-Fi at their properties,” says Kiesler. “We’re seeing great advantages in telling our leisure and business guests that we have highspeed wireless service in all rooms and conference spaces. We think it helps build overall resort occupancy and is a great selling point for conference bookings.”

For Western Pennysylvania’s Treesdale Golf & Country Club,Wi-Fi was just the “right thing to do,” says General Manager Jack Kimbell. “[It] put us on the leading edge of what we can provide for our members,” he says. Treesdale is owned and operated by ClubCorp.

At Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, the company’s “technology initiative” claims to help guests be more productive while on the road by making it easier for them to do business when they arrive. In fact, Fairmont was the first hotel company to offer high-speed and wireless Internet access on a brand-wide basis.

Some of the company’s properties with award-winning golf courses in the United States include The Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club in Miami, The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess in Arizona, and The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa in California.

Ted Chuckmala, Manager of Technology Operations, says he truly believes having high speed and wireless access is now as essential as having a telephone in every guest room. These services have become a tremendous differentiator for the Fairmont brand, he adds.

“Most savvy [guests] expect the same level of online access that they have at their homes or in their offices,” he explains. “The Internet is so tightly integrated into today's society that without access, many of our [guests] would feel cut off from the outside world.”

Installation Manual

Once your club or resort decides to go wireless, how do you go about it? Cranwell’s Kiesler says he and his staff spent several months researching Wi-Fi providers and interviewing companies. “We chose the company based on service and maintenance considerations, references from other hotels that had already experienced an installation with the company, and cost-effectiveness,” he reports.

Installation was completed in just three days and with few problems. “The equipment that was specified and installed did not present problems with walls or metal objects,” Kiesler says. But to make sure reception is truly clear, he recommends not letting the Wi-Fi technicians leave until the signal is tested in every room with a meter.

Cranwell also signed up for a service contract. “Guests have a toll-free number they can call from their room if they are having difficulties with connection [or access],” says Kiesler. “If there are problems, the service company has technicians available within a [30-minute] drive.”

Treesdale’s Kimbell says he believes the preinstallation site survey is very important. “The site survey was critical, as we were able to foresee any [dead zones] before we started,” he says.

“Hot spot” placement is a key to ensuring good coverage, says Fairmont’s Chuckmala. “Furthermore, we have quite a bit of mobility with the units and are able to move them at any time, should wireless be needed at any additional location in the hotel,” he adds.

For the Fairmont le Chateau Montebello in Canada’s vast Québec province,Wi-Fi was in fact the only option, as the resort is considered to be the largest log hotel in the world. “Wireless technology was an ideal solution,” says Chuckmala. “Additionally, changing locations of the access points, or adding additional units to obtain the desired coverage, has had positive results,” he says.

Open-or-Shut Case

One big consideration when installing a Wi-Fi system is whether a “closed” or “open” system is needed. Closed systems can only be accessed by guests or members with some type of log-in name and password. Open systems, such as those found at Wi-Fi “hot spots” all over the country (such as Starbucks), are accessible to anyone, at any time.

The most prominent disadvantage of unsecured (open) wireless is, of course, security. Not using today’s wireless encryption standards of WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy),WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access), or WPA2 can lead to malicious attacks on computers connected through the wireless network.

Without encryption, Wi-Fi users could fall victim to identity theft. Closed—or encrypted— systems hinder the malicious users’ attacks, but are not always 100 percent effective.

In fact, WEP is now considered an outdated source of security, as it is easily broken into by moderately skilled hackers. Today’s most-used technology is WPA. However, the new cutting edge security software is WPA2, which is a government-grade security solution (for more information on security standards, visit www.wi-fi.org).

Cranwell Resort decided to install a closed wireless system. “We charge for usage and the guest must pay by credit card when accessing the system,” says Kiesler. The resort controls conference group access by issuing a password, which posts to a master bill.

For overnight guests, the Wi-Fi system is easy to use. A page automatically pops up and asks for guest room information when guests try to access the Internet. For security purposes, the signal doesn’t go past the Cranwell property.

Treesdale Golf & Country Club also opted for a closed system. “All [members] need to do is get the password from the receptionist, and the password changes every week,” says Kimbell.

If easy access in all public spaces for members and guests alike is important, consider an open system for maximum exposure. But be sure to warn users that their data is not encrypted and, therefore, potentially visible to others.

Fairmont has an open system, but all Internet gateway servers and switches are software secured and continually upgraded with the latest networking technologies. Fairmont has also deployed real-time traffic monitoring across all entry points, and enforces stringent access controls to lock down known virus ports. “These capabilities provide our guests with peace of mind,” says Chuckmala.

POS-itive Results

Yes, Wi-Fi is a good sales tool and makes guests and members happy. But what else can it do for your club or resort? For some, wireless networking is the answer for virtual meetings or for connecting POS systems across distances such as from the main building to a faraway golf clubhouse.

For example,Wi-Fi solved an operational challenge at The Fairmont Banff Springs. “Essentially, it has allowed us to connect [the golf clubhouse] building to our main hotel [a distance of about one mile] at a reasonable cost,” says Chuckmala, who notes that connecting via cable would have been cost-prohibitive.

Wi-Fi has also made some POS systems more flexible. Jack Kimbell of Treesdale CC says he has used wireless networking for general employee meetings and meetings with department heads. “It has been great,” he says.

Perhaps one day everything will go wireless, from club-wide POS systems to business guests leisurely working by the pool or in the lobby. And judging from the rapid progress with Wi-Fi that many clubs and resorts are making, that “one day” may be just around the corner. C&RB

To comment about this story, suggest topics you'd like to see covered in future issues of C&RB, or just ask a question, contact editor@clubandresortbusiness.com