Omni To Roll Out Free Wireless Systemwide

Omni Hotels today announced it will offer free wireless high-speed Internet access in all of its hotels by year-end. The service will be available in guest rooms as well as select public spaces.

The latest hotel chain to upgrade its Internet accessibility, Omni said guests will be able to log on through a wireless compliant network interface card found in most new laptops. The service currently is operational at four of Omni's 40 hotels. Other properties in the chain presently offer a wired solution.

For such hotel chains as Omni, offering high-speed connectivity, whether in a wired or wireless solution and especially at no daily fee, is a form of competitive advantage in promoting their hotels to travel buyers. Increasingly, requests for proposals ask hotels to spell out precisely what is their Internet capability. Business travelers consistently have told buyers they place a priority on quick Internet access in order to be able to access their e-mail messages while away from the office.