Guests judge a hotel's WiFi in the first few minutes: does it connect, is the login easy, and does it keep working? In the Caribbean, there is an extra problem behind the scenes. Dedicated internet bandwidth on an island costs far more than in the US or Europe, so a hotel cannot simply buy its way out of a slow network.
What goes wrong
- One guest uploads a large video, and everyone else's WiFi slows down.
- Streaming in the evening takes all the bandwidth you pay for.
- Guests see "connected" but nothing loads, and then mention it in a review.
When the circuit is limited, smart traffic management is the difference between good and bad guest reviews.
What bandwidth management does
- Per-user and per-zone limits: each guest, and each area such as rooms, a restaurant or a conference room, gets a fair share.
- Fair-use queuing: when the circuit is busy, capacity is shared fairly instead of going to whoever takes the most.
- Upload protection: one heavy uploader cannot slow down the whole resort.
- Capacity planning: the network is sized for your circuit and your building, so you know when you really need more bandwidth.
For more on limits per package and device limits, see WiFi bandwidth management.
Make the bandwidth go to your guests
Bandwidth is also wasted when people who are not guests use it. In a managed TekiEazi network, only in-house guests get guest WiFi: login is checked against your PMS with last name and room number, and access can be ended instantly at checkout. Guest traffic is kept apart from your operational network, and a dedicated guest internet circuit can be used where you want full separation.
Someone on the island
When something breaks, someone who knows your building should answer. Our team is based in Sint Maarten and monitors the network centrally, with experience rebuilding hotel networks after Hurricane Irma.
Read about the full managed hotel WiFi service for the Caribbean, check the FAQ, or request a WiFi assessment.