Over the last couple of months here at Pacific Infotech, we’ve talked extensively about the benefits of upgrading your hotel WiFi to a brand new, scalable solution capable of not only delivering high performance for your back-end operations, but also ensuring that your guests have access to the kind of high-speed internet access that they expect from a modern, 21st century hotel.

Having talked about it however, even we understand that upgrading your existing hotel WiFi solution can be a daunting task, especially if you’ve been using the same tired, underperforming system since time time immemorial.

In speaking to scores of hotel owners over the last couple of months about transforming their own wireless internet package, we also understand that one of the biggest factors in delaying the upgrade process is that most simply don’t know where to start when it comes to choosing the right package for them.

With a variety of options available, how do you select a solution that’s going to deliver all the performance and reliability you, your employees, and most importantly, your guests, need to thrive in today’s digitally driven society?

Below, our hotel IT specialists offer a checklist of several questions you should be asking when it comes to upgrading your own hotel WiFI package.

1) Is it scalable?

Of paramount priority in choosing a new solution is guaranteed scalability. What this means, is that the amount of bandwidth your package delivers can be increased -or reduced- to meet current demand.

Say for example, you’re a mid-sized hotel where occupancy is low mid-week but then increases so that you’re at full capacity from Friday to Sunday. Naturally, you’d want a high powered broadband solution to meet that weekend demand, but does it really make sense to be paying for the same amount Monday-Thursday when your hotel is relatively quiet?

We didn’t think so either.

That’s why scalability is so important, allowing you to pay only for what you use, when you use it.

As such, you ensure that both employees and guests have all the WiFi power they need, when they need it, without worrying about the excess costs.

2) What’s your starting point?

Let’s stick with scalability for the time being. Yes, it is possible to expand and decrease your bandwidth allowance to meet demand, but it pays to know your starting points.

After all, the lowest WiFi use of a large-scale, city-centre chain hotel is going be different than that of a small-mid sized business in the country. Consider how many guest rooms you have along with how much time your hotel staff spend using WiFi to run your business and use this to plan accordingly so that even at a base minimum, your hotel’s wireless internet solution delivers enough power and speed to keep your hotel performing at its best.

3) When does your current hotel Wifi perform at its worst?

Do you find that guest complaints about your WiFi access increase during evening hours? Are staff telling you that a slow connection prevents them from working at optimum levels during the weekend?

Those are both tell-tale signs that your hotel’s internet solution is most in-demand at those hours, resulting in slower overall performance.

Why is this useful to know? Again, it all comes back to scalability. When you know your peak demand hours, you can work with your hotel IT specialists to come up with a scalable solution that delivers all the high-powered WiFi access you need during those times of heavy use, before decreasing access again during off-peak hours.

4) Can it be Separated for Guest and Staff Use

As we spoke about in our recent article on hotel WiFi security allowing guests access to the same wireless internet connection used by your staff is never a good idea, and could well leave you vulnerable to all manner of security breaches.

Instead, it’s it’s best to ensure that your hotel internet provider can create a separate network for guests, keeping your vital back-office operations well protected whilst at the same time delivering the kind of high-speed public access that’s guaranteed to keep your guests happy.

5) Can Installations Be Done During Off-Peak Business Hours?

Upgrading your hotel WiFi may be of vital importance, but no more so than ensuring that guests can continue to enjoy peace and quiet on their stay whilst your staff are able to work at maximum efficiency.

So it simply makes sense to ensure that the company providing your WiFi upgrade can carry out any essential onsite work during your quietest periods, meaning that you get the upgrades you need with no disruptions to your day-to-day operations.

6) Is Ongoing Support Available?

Whilst a good IT provider will take every provision to ensure smooth, uninterrupted wireless internet access with no disruptions, there are those times when the unexpected happens and something goes awry.

Should that happen to your business, it’s important to know that help is on hand to get you up and running again as quickly as possible, minimising the impact of internet downtime on your business.

At Pacific Infotech, we provide flexible, fully-scalable hotel WiFi solutions backed by 24/7 support and the most competitive industry prices. Get your free quote today by calling us on 020 313 76707 or contact us online to arrange a free consultation.