Many major-market hotels already offer the quicker connections, according to Bobby Bowers, a lodging expert at Smith Travel Research in Hendersonville, Tennessee. In a few years, they ll be everywhere, he predicts. Marriott recently began installing high-speed Internet access in many of its guestrooms, meeting rooms and business centers. Its network is up to 50 times faster than conventional data ports and lets guests access the Internet and use the telephone at the same time. GuesTech s SuiteLink system is being installed in 50,000 hotel rooms nationwide, and it offers connection speeds roughly 100 times faster than a normal line from a 450MHz PC in the room.
Access is free.
That s because the take rates or the rate at which guests use these services is in the single digits, he says. Usage only goes up when people don t pay for it. In other words, don t expect to see a T-1 line in your hotel room any time soon unless you re willing to pay a premium for it. Christopher Elliott is a writer in Annapolis, Maryland. Inc. All rights reserved.