Improving Cell Phone Coverage in Hotels with Signal Boosters
Reliable cell phone coverage has become a must-have amenity for hotels looking to satisfy guests and run operations efficiently. However, weak signals and dead zones are a common complaint in many hotel properties.
Fortunately, purpose-built cell phone signal boosters provide an effective solution to enhance in-building cellular connectivity.
Jethotelsolutions examines how signal boosters work, key benefits for hotels, and what to consider when selecting and installing a system.
The Need for Better In-Building Cell Coverage
Almost every guest arrives at a hotel with at least one cellular device in hand. Smartphones, tablets and laptops are used to stay connected with work, family and friends while traveling. Guests expect to enjoy strong, consistent cellular coverage throughout a hotel, enabling them to quickly check emails in the lobby, make calls from their room, or live-stream video over WiFi.
For hotels, providing excellent cell phone coverage has become a critical part of delivering a high-quality guest experience. Weak signals lead to frustration and complaints that impact guest satisfaction scores. A recent study found that nearly three-quarters of hotel guests report having experienced poor cell phone reception during their stays.
At the same time, reliable cellular connectivity enables hotel staff to communicate and collaborate more effectively using mobile devices. Front desk agents, housekeepers, maintenance crews, and managers all rely on being able to use their cell phones continuously across the property.
Challenges with In-Building Cell Signals
When cell signals must pass through a building’s physical structure, they often become weakened or blocked entirely. Construction materials like concrete, metal, low-emissivity (Low-E) glass and insulation can all degrade or obstruct cell phone signals from nearby towers. The design and layout of a building also play a role in creating dead zones where coverage abruptly drops off.
In large hotels with hundreds of guest rooms, inconsistent cell signals lead to pockets where guests simply cannot make calls, send texts or access data despite having a strong connection just down the hallway. Changes to the external cellular network, like the addition of new towers, can also impact signal penetration into buildings.
While poor reception is not the fault of hotels, it becomes their responsibility to solve the problem to maintain positive guest experiences.
How Signal Boosters Improve Cellular Coverage
Cell phone signal boosters are systems designed to overcome the factors that lead to weak indoor cellular signals. They enhance coverage by pulling in existing outside signals, amplifying them and distributing them through a building.
A complete signal booster system consists of three main components:
- An outside antenna, typically mounted on the roof, which collects cell tower signals. The antenna has higher gain and sensitivity compared to a cell phone antenna, allowing it to gather signals up to 30X weaker.
- An amplifier which strengthens the weaker signals captured by the outside antenna. The amplifier filters and enhances the signal before retransmitting it.
- One or more inside antennas to broadcast the amplified signal indoors. Strategically placed indoor antennas can blanket a building with smooth, reliable coverage.
Signal boosters are carrier-agnostic, meaning they improve cellular reception from all major providers. The systems operate automatically without requiring any management or interaction after installation.
Benefits of Signal Boosters for Hotels
Upgrading antiquated systems or installing signal boosters where coverage is lacking provides measurable improvements for hotel owners, staff and guests:
- Enhanced Guest Experience – Guests can fully utilize their mobile devices anywhere on the property without interruption to their connectivity. This leads to higher online ratings and reviews.
- Increased Guest Loyalty – Visitors are more likely to return to a hotel where they know their cellular service will be consistently strong. Reliable cell coverage improves brand perception.
- Higher Revenue – Today’s travelers often research and book hotel rooms on their phones. Weak signals hinder bookings and negatively impact conversion rates.
- Operational Efficiency – With better connections, hotel staff communicate and collaborate more effectively. Requests can be addressed promptly for better customer service.
- Safety/Security – Robust cell coverage ensures uninterrupted connectivity with emergency services if needed. Critical communications are less likely to fail.
- Future-Proofing – A signal booster system supports cellular technology advances like 5G services. The coverage benefits future-proof the hotel’s infrastructure.
Selecting the Right Signal Booster
Hotel properties vary widely in size, construction, layout and other factors that influence what type of signal booster installation makes sense. Partnering with a WilsonPro authorized reseller provides access to experts who can assess your building and usage requirements to design a customized signal booster solution.
Key considerations include:
- Building square footage – Larger hotels may require a more powerful amplifier and additional indoor antennas for full coverage.
- Construction materials – Thick walls and Low-E glass weaken signals, requiring higher gain amplification to overcome the barrier.
- Aesthetics – Indoor antennas must blend into décor and not detract from your design aesthetic.
- Prioritized areas – Determine whether to focus on enhancing coverage in rooms versus public spaces based on need.
- Budget – Balance performance and cost to maximize value. Multi-area systems are more affordable than installing a separate solution for every space.
- Future bandwidth needs – Choose a system with enough headroom to support increased usage as guests consume more cellular data.
Professional Installation for Optimal Results
The most effective hotel signal booster installations are handled by experienced professionals certified in WilsonPro products. An authorized WilsonPro installer performs critical pre-deployment site surveys to thoroughly evaluate weak coverage areas, measure signal levels and gain an understanding of your property’s layout and construction.
This data informs the design of a customized signal booster configuration that is calibrated precisely for your building. The installation team has the technical expertise to select optimal antenna locations, proper cabling and system settings to maximize coverage across public spaces, rooms, conference areas and back-of-house offices.
Following installation, the integrator will conduct acceptance testing to validate that enhanced cellular coverage meets your requirements. They will also provide instructions for ongoing maintenance and monitoring of the system.
When poor in-building cell phone reception impacts guest satisfaction and staff productivity at your hotel, purpose-built signal boosters from WilsonPro offer a proven solution. Partnering with authorized WilsonPro resellers ensures your system is expertly designed, installed and supported to transform frustrating dead zones into seamless, strong cellular coverage.