Investment in in-building wireless connectivity solutions in the hospitality industry is on an uptick. In-building wireless solutions allow hotels around the world to provide strong cellular coverage for guests demanding connectivity anytime and anywhere.
A robust voice/data network also allows guests to access the internet and use social media while on vacations, to book tour packages and transportations and to make reservations at restaurants.
To address this need, vendors are working with carriers and hotels to understand coverage and capacity needs to inform deployments. Let’s take a look at three case studies involving the use of distributed antenna systems to solve for in-building connectivity at hotels.
Chicago’s Trump International Tower and Hotel has 2.5 million square feet of hotel, condominium and office space. ExteNet has installed a distributed antenna system (DAS) to enhance mobile service throughout the building.
The vendor said that providing reliable wireless coverage to this skyscraper was a real challenge, since many such buildings are much taller than the cellular towers that serve them. Additionally, loss of signal indoors due to obstructions can make it harder to make reliable voice calls or experience fast data speeds, especially on a 98-floor structure like Trump Tower.
ExteNet’s solution used a combination of DAS and iDUCT technology, which takes advantage of existing HVAC infrastructure, to create a high performance wireless network. ExteNet said that current setup is compatible with multiple carriers, featuring support for multiple technologies including 3G and 4G LTE wireless service.
The Renaissance Midtown Hotel in New York City wanted to improve its cellular experience for its guests. To achieve this, the hotel selected system integrator Cell Signal Solutions, which partnered with JMA Wireless to deploy the latter’s Teko DAS.
Even with a 40 floor structure, only three, 20-watt Remote Units (RU) were deployed to ensure robust cellular coverage throughout, JMA Wireless said. The two partners also deployed a single optical fiber to connect the RUs.
Teko DAS can leverage existing equipment to add new technologies and carriers to the multi-band, multi-operator solution. The Teko DAS platform includes the Multiband Spectrum Analyzer (MSA), which is a solution that enables the hotel’s IT department to remotely monitor and optimize the quality of service (QoS) delivered by the network.
At the Grand Hyatt Rio de Janeiro luxury hotel in Brazil, Comba Telecom delivered a full turnkey wireless solution using active DAS and antenna to improve network capacity and coverage.
The Grand Hyatt Rio de Janeiro has 436 guestrooms, 43 suites, 1 penthouse suite, 2 presidential suites, restaurants, sports facilities, as well as meeting venues for hosting businesses, social events and conferences. Comba’s active DAS solution covers all the hotel indoor areas with 232 antennas where indoor omni-directional antennas were deployed along corridors and public access areas.
Comba also provided a 3-sector solution for outdoor environments using camouflaged tri-band antennas located on the roof of the hotel.
