Norma’s and its scrumptious brunch may be the best-known crown jewel of Le Parker Meridien hotel in New York City, but the establishment offers another perhaps lesser known amenity that is every bit as enticing. Their Wi-Fi.
While hotels may tout their terry cloth robes, on-site spas, and continental breakfasts as differentiating factors, it is all for naught if guests cannot Instagram photos of their bubble baths and manicures, or log into their email over a power breakfast. But for hotels employing Samsung Wireless Enterprise’s Wi-Fi solution, that should not be a problem.
This week, Samsung is showing off its innovations to the hospitality industry at the HX: The Hotel Experience 2016 event, where the company is demonstrating a new portfolio of technology that promises to enhance the guest experience by way of always-on wireless connectivity, elite displays across a hotel property, and seamlessly integrated solutions for simplified management.
“Wi-Fi quality has become a deciding factor in the guest’s perception of the superiority of a hotel,” said John D’Annunzio, general manager of Samsung Wireless Enterprise. In fact, he told Digital Trends, a recent study shows that nearly half of business travelers consider free Wi-Fi the most important consideration when choosing a place to stay.
“Samsung developed a solution that reimagines what you should be able to do with Wi-Fi to deliver the level of connectivity that guests desire,” he added. “With Samsung’s Wi-Fi solutions — beginning with implementing the Wi-Fi infrastructure through connecting all electronics and mobile devices — hoteliers can achieve greater guest loyalty and satisfaction.”
Much of this is thanks to some new hardware from Samsung, namely the company’s Hospitality Wall Plate, which allows hotels to place wireless access points into individual rooms rather than hallways, thereby providing guests stronger signals. Already, its effects have been felt by hotels like Le Parker Meridien, which has implemented the new solutions.
“At any given time, we have 800-1,400 devices running on our network and during peak evening hours this can be more than 2,000 devices,” said John Yu, Director of Management Systems for Le Parker Meridien. “We needed a Wi-Fi network that provided the capacity to support all of those devices and a partner who could consolidate our sources so we could be more efficient. Since the [Samsung] installation, we have experienced a 30 percent decrease in guest calls related to Wi-Fi help.”
Ultimately, Yu told us, the goal is for a hotel to recreate your home experience. For many of us, that starts with getting online.
