Every business needs stable, reliable connectivity and hotels are no different. Staff rely on it to manage bookings and receive payments while guests expect buffer and lag-free Internet to browse and stream online during their stay.
However, given their structure, hotels are a little trickier when it comes to broadband. There are often multiple floors with thick walls which can interfere with connectivity and not to mention hundreds of devices connected at the same time.
Unfortunately, standard broadband can’t manage this kind of traffic. As a result, hotels have to turn to other solutions who can meet these connectivity demands.
8 Fast Broadband Solutions For Hotels In The UK
Since a standard broadband connection won’t be enough to meet a hotel’s needs, here are eight other fast broadband solutions to consider.
Fibre Broadband
For ultra-fast Internet, fibre has become the go-to solution. In the UK, you can either get Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) or Fibre to the Premises (FFTP). With FTTC, the fibre connection goes to your street cabinet and then wire coppers to the building.
With FTTP, the fibre goes straight to the hotel with speeds of up to 1 Gbps. This enables connectivity for multiple users and can support streaming as well as cloud services. However, FTTP isn’t always available in rural areas.
Business-Class Cable Broadband
Cable broadband supports fast speeds and decent coverage for hotels in urban areas. This type of broadband uses coaxial cables to deliver speeds of up to 500 Mbps and often includes business-grade features like static IP addresses and priority support.
Similarly to fibre, it’s not as readily available in outlying areas and speeds can fluctuate during peak times with heavy traffic.
Leased Line Broadband
For hotels who rely heavily on connectivity to run their operations, a leased line is worth considering. It’s a symmetrical connection so both upload and download speeds are the same, ideal for bigger hotels.
Since you don’t share the line with other users in your area, consistent speed and reliability is always guaranteed. However, it is more expensive than standard broadband and will require professional installation.
Satellite Broadband
For hotels in remote locations where fibre and cable isn’t available, satellite broadband may be the only option. The installation is quick and doesn’t require cabling with speeds that can support admin operations and guest Wi-Fi.
The latency can be a bit higher than what you would get with fibre or cable and some plans have limited data packages so it’s best to check this before committing to a plan.
4G Or 5G Mobile Broadband
Mobile broadband is a great alternative for a backup Wi-Fi or in areas where you can’t use fibre. Their speeds are fast, particularly 5G and its quick to set up without needing any major installation.
Keep in mind that the quality of the connection is affected by the signal strength and high data usage can cause your bill to add up quickly.
Business-Grade Wi-Fi Access Points
Standard routers can struggle if a hotel has hundreds of rooms and conference facilities. Fortunately, business-grade access points are designed to support multiple connections simultaneously with fast speeds. Some even have advanced features like bandwidth management.
However, the setup is a bit technical so it will require professional expertise and the upfront cost is pricey.
Mesh Wi-Fi Systems
You can have a fast broadband connection but if it isn’t evenly distributed across the hotel, some guests and staff will struggle to get connected. Mesh Wi-Fi systems use multiple access points to remove dead zones and create one network across the whole property. This way, users should get reliable coverage no matter where they are in the hotel.
It’s worth having but the initial upfront cost can be expensive and it will require professional planning to ensure the hotel’s coverage needs are met.
Hybrid Solutions
A lot of UK hotels are using a combination of approaches instead of one single option. For example, you could use fibre broadband with mobile as a backup and mesh Wi-FI for additional coverage with business-grade access points to support multiple users.
This approach can certainly minimise any downtime and is customisable but the initial investment will be fairly large.
How To Choose The Right Broadband For Your Hotel
Choosing the right solution will depend on the hotel itself since each one is unique with a different layout. Some things that you will need to consider are the number of guest rooms and the structure of the building.
Identifying the hotel’s daily Internet usage patterns can also help you determine which solution is best depending on which are in line with your budget for the initial installation and ongoing costs.
By taking these factors into consideration, you can strike a balance between reliability and cost without compromising on speed and service for both your guests and hotel staff.
