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HIGH-SPEED INTERNET ACCESS
The midscale hotel segment is embracing high-speed Internet access as a brand standard. Intercontinental Hotels Group, Marriott International, Choice hotels International and Best Western International are offering free-to-guest HSIA in dieir midscale brands.
IHG announced in January diat free HSIA will be available in all guestrooms of its more than 2,200 Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels in North America by the end of me year. It also will be available in some public areas, such as lobbies.
"We did not plan to do this in 2004, but our franchise advisory committees said they felt it was important," said Torn Seddon, senior v.p. of America's brand performance for IHG. "CorporateIy, we had questions if this was the right time to deploy it and if guest demand justified the cost."
HSIA was installed already in about half of the hotels, but franchisees said they didn't want to respond to local markets only, Seddon said.
Best Western members voted in January to require free HSIA in at least 15 percent of guestrooms effective Sept. 1. HSIA also is required in some of the hotels' public spaces.
"This was once considered an amenity, but it's now becoming a necessity," said Jim Newhall, managing director of technology for Best Western. "We are at the intersection of customer demand-driven by travelers having it in homes and offices-and more affordable technology that is feature rich."
About 20 percent of Best Western hotels offer HSIA already, and they can continue to do so as long as it meets the company's minimum standards.
Choice announced last May that wired or wireless HSIA must be in 50 percent of guestrooms and in public spaces of its Comfort Suites and Clarion brands by june 1. Choice is evaluating HSIA for its other midscale brands.
"About four years ago, the industry went through a cycle where there was a lot of...