Jim Stewart from RIEO Communications talks about how hospitality conferencing and Internet solutions could alo be implemented within a hot desk environment.

Armed with just a laptop, the new breed of transient workers are moving away from traditional fixed offices and opting for more flexible solutions in relaxed environments like hotel venues to carry out their business. Subsequently, the hospitality sector aims to offer comprehensive conferencing and Internet solutions to meet guest demands for technology.  

Location independent working, as its sometimes referred to, is also changing the role of the serviced and fixed office as hot desks are becoming the norm. With this shift in trend it raises the question whether internet solutions which have been developed for the hospitality sector are also suitable for hot desk venues as they promote instant, flexible, ready to work space for short periods of time.

Total Autonomy

In the past hotels typically entered into a 'revenue share' agreement with hospitality broadband provider creating a small additional income for the venue, with the trade off being the installation of the equipment at minimal or no cost. This was always sold as the most cost-effective route, with little or no alternative on the market.

In such cases the hotel was not in control of a crucial business service, since the cost of connectivity was dictated by the Internet provider. However there are now respectable providers who offer a fair return with cost-effective levels of service.

With the ability to recoup 100% of the revenue created by High Speed Internet Access (HSIA) the hotel has the discretion to charge the guest as much or as little for the Internet connection as they see fit. As the hotel is not tied into a long-term revenue share contract with the internet service provider, hotels have complete ownership of the fee structures.

For an emerging hot desk venue, this type of cost-effective solution could be beneficial as it allows for complete billing flexibility. It also could create the opportunity for these shared office spaces to charge for heavy Internet use as an additional stream of income.

A bigger bandwidth

Staying ahead of the connectivity 'wave' and connecting to the myriad of business applications is a top priority for venues which are embracing the new trend of remote workers. Applications such as iTunes, YouTube, Joost, Slingbox, and SKYPE have become the norm which has not only put huge demands on broadband connection but impacts on the cost of running the service. By having autonomy over Internet services, hotels have the option of recouping some of these costs- likewise serviced offices that provide hot desks could also charge accordingly. For example, the business may choose to absorb the cost of light bandwidth applications like MSN but perhaps charge a premium for the higher bandwidth hungry applications.

WiFi explosion

WiFi is fast becoming the connection of choice for most users; as a result, the hospitality broadband indiustry is experiencing a WiFi explosion. Customer research from RIEO Communications shows WiFi usage has risen from fewer than 20 percent of users in 2004 to well over 60 percent of users in 2007, overtaking wired usage by 50 percent.

Research was also carried out to compare whether hotels charging for HSIA were experiencing the same demand as hotels that offer the service for free. The results revealed that there is absolutely no difference in usage levels between those hotels that still charge for access and those hotels that have chosen to give HSIA away for free. Ironically, some of the highest usage sites were those that charged between £15.00 and £20.00 per day for access.

From this analysis, its plain to see that WiFi connection has more marketing potential than wired, and that pay as you go office space, like hotels, could capitalise on the the WiFi explosion. Traditional fixed offices that are opting for a hot desk environment for its employees also need to be aware that wireless connection is fast becoming the norm.

Conferencing solution.....

Hotels now provide much more sophisticated conferencing solutions and like their HSIA offering, have the freedom to bill delegates accordingly. For ease of use, services like RIEO Communications' Conferencing solution include configurable conference features to enable the hotel to define just one user name and password for multiple users. Simple plug and play designs now operate without the need for onsite specialist technical support.

With this high level of flexibility and independance, hotels can remain competitive within the conferencing market; however, this type of model can again be rolled out within office environments that are offering shared space to lots of different businesses during a day.

Staying flexible

To cater for the new generation of business people on the move, hotels and offices whether they are serviced or not, need to keep up with the demand for technology. WiFi connection, having a big enough bandwidth to cope with modern day applications and flexible conferencing should all be considered if instant work space is to be created. The mobile workforce now expects these systems to be in place.

For example, the Cheval Group, an estate that spans Kensington, Knightsbridge and Chelsea, installed the RIEO solution throughout all their serviced apartments. Guests staying in the high class accomodation can now enjoy inclusive high speed Internet solutions supported by a 24/7 help desk.

To remain competitive and to satisfy the needs of business people on the move it's never been so important for venues and offices to provide secure high speed Internet access. Flexible, reliable technology is paramount to the transient workforce therefore venues that provide hot desking facilities, like hotels, can promote  their service offering to win high value business or introduce flexible billing tarrifs by using Internet Providers that give 100% of the revenue opportunity to the venue.

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