With a multitude of options available to hoteliers, how do you select the best high�speed Internet access solution for your hotel? 

• What features and functionality do today�s� guests want?  
• What kind of return on investment can hoteliers expect? 
• What is the life span of this technology? 
• What are the benefits, both tangible and intangible, of wireless and hard-wired systems? 
• Should I charge for guest access or should I provide it as a free amenity?  

�These are just a few of the many questions posed to me on a daily basis from hoteliers and industry analysts.� DiMilia said. �There�s no disputing that wireless technology is the way of the future and that this platform satisfies even the most rigorous demands of today�s guests.�  According to a recent article in Salon.com Technology titled �Waiting for WiFi�, 27 million people carry laptops. By the end of 2002, more than 10 million

Antonio Di Milia

�Forward thinking hotel companies, such as Hawthorn Franchise Systems, Noble Investment Group, Atlanta; AFM Hospitality, Toronto; and RIM Corp; San Francisco, have completed their research and chosen wireless high-speed Internet access either as a brand standard or a preferred solution for their hotels,� DiMilia said.

Properties are implementing wireless solutions, he said, for several important reasons: Wireless solutions add the most value and convenience to the traveler and Hotelier alike; a basis for future applications for the hotel; and minimal risk and optimal reward for all involved.

�Somehow, amidst the high-tech revolution, hotels and high-speed Internet access suppliers lost sight of the fact that we are in the hospitality business,� DiMilia said. �Far too many suppliers and hoteliers were fooled by pie-in-the-sky business models, and failed to focus on how the amenity would benefit guests, improve operations, and increase the overall business for the hotel.�

Proper presentation 

DiMilia said the hospitality industry must be presented with the facts surrounding high-speed Internet access � whether the solution is wired, wireless or cable-enhanced � and the ability to compare each solution, apples to apples. He said he welcomes the opportunity to address industry questions at upcoming industry conferences, association meetings or in a consulting role at hotel companies or individual properties. He speaks to hospitality trade editors as a source for wireless education and industry information.

�The demand for a wireless high�speed access is suddenly on everybody�s priority list as the price of wireless-equipped laptops drops and wireless access standards become pervasive.� DiMilia said. �The hotel industry needs to position itself today to meet the evolving and apparent needs of its guests.�  

He said hoteliers are educating themselves on ways to leverage their wireless network, develop more cost efficient operations and improve guest responsiveness. Providing broadband connections to guests is only the first step. In fact, he said, a wireless network is capable of supporting many aspects of the hotel�s operations.
    
DiMilia has more than 13 years of IT and management experience. He has served in management positions at firms such as Intergraph Corporation, Sykes, Platinum Technology and L&H. He is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelors degree in Information and Computer Science and a Masters Degree in Computer Science from the University of Alabama in Huntsville.