A leading provider of wireless networks for hotels has mounted a passionate defence of prices charged for internet access following a stinging attack in a popular guidebook. The response follows criticism by the authors of the latest edition of the Good Hotel Guide, which slams some hotels for “rip-off” wireless prices. London’s Savoy Hotel, with…
Hotel web costs under fire
A leading provider of wireless networks for hotels has mounted a passionate defence of prices charged for internet access following a stinging attack in a popular guidebook.
The response follows criticism by the authors of the latest edition of the Good Hotel Guide, which slams some hotels for “rip-off” wireless prices.
London’s Savoy Hotel, with a tariff of £10 for 24-hour access, was among a string of hotels named and shamed in the 2007 edition of the book.
Graham Powell, European managing director at wireless service iBahn, hit back at “short-sighted” reports that suggested installation and maintenance of equipment was cheap.
“The actual set up and ongoing support of a wi-fi network demands much more than a domestic service,” Powell added. “One highly important factor is speed of connection and to provide this, hotels require a specific leased internet line.”
Powell insisted that domestic wireless services would not have speed and security currently required by hotels users.
He added: “This need for a strong network is due to many hotel guests being business people connecting through to their corporate networks, an intrinsically different type of user to those in local coffee shops or at home.”
