HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY
Transforming Guest Wi-Fi & Security for a Long Island City Hotel
This 100-room hotel in Long Island City became an ingenuIT client in 2016 after hotel management reached out to discuss ongoing guest complaints about poor wireless coverage and frequent outages. As anyone in hotel guest services knows, unreliable Wi-Fi is one of the fastest ways to receive negative reviews and guest dissatisfaction. Upon reviewing the hotel’s existing IT infrastructure, we identified several critical issues that were impacting both performance and security.
The hotel's wireless issues were caused by a poorly designed network, relying on low-grade SMB access points and unfit network components. Additionally, the hotel's business network and guest Wi-Fi were completely unsegmented, creating serious security risks—guests could see each other’s devices on the network, and even worse, had potential access to the hotel’s internal business network. The hotel needed a robust, high-performance wireless solution that ensured security, reliability, and seamless guest experiences.
The Challenge
After a comprehensive IT audit, we identified three major concerns that required immediate action:
Unreliable Wireless Performance: The hotel relied on consumer-grade wireless access points, leading to poor signal coverage and frequent dropouts.
Critical Security Risks: The guest network and business network were on the same flat network, creating a significant cybersecurity risk.
Outdated and Inadequate Infrastructure: The hotel was using Linksys SMB switches and low-end networking equipment that could not support a high-demand hospitality environment.
To resolve these issues, ingenuIT worked closely with hotel management to design and implement a secure, high-performance wireless network that would significantly improve guest satisfaction and protect the hotel's business operations.
The Solution
We developed a multi-layered, enterprise-grade IT solution that addressed wireless reliability, security, and performance. Our key initiatives included:
1. High-Performance Wireless Network Implementation
Deployed a Ruckus Wireless network with full mesh connectivity, ensuring strong and seamless wireless coverage throughout the hotel.
Optimized access point placement to eliminate dead zones and maximize performance.
Implemented bandwidth management policies to prevent network congestion and ensure consistent speeds for all guests.
2. Security & Network Segmentation
Implemented network isolation to prevent guest devices from communicating with each other, reducing security risks.
Created VLAN segmentation and ACL policies, separating guest Wi-Fi from the business network to ensure data privacy and security.
Replaced Linksys SMB switches with business-grade Cisco switches, providing better network stability, performance, and management capabilities.
3. Firewall & Redundant Internet Connectivity
Installed high-availability Sophos firewalls, offering enterprise-level security, threat protection, and network traffic control.
Configured dual redundant internet connections, ensuring that if one provider went down, the hotel automatically failed over to the backup connection—eliminating downtime.
The Results & Business Impact
Since implementing these critical IT upgrades, the hotel has experienced dramatic improvements in network performance, security, and guest satisfaction:
✅ High Reliability & Seamless Connectivity: Guests now enjoy fast, uninterrupted Wi-Fi throughout the entire hotel, leading to positive reviews and improved guest experiences.
✅ Enhanced Security & Compliance: The business network and guest Wi-Fi are fully isolated, preventing security breaches and protecting sensitive hotel data.
✅ Significant Reduction in IT Issues: With business-grade networking hardware and proactive IT management, the hotel has seen a significant decrease in connectivity-related complaints.
✅ Zero Major Network Failures in Nearly 10 Years: Thanks to our proactive maintenance, high-availability firewalls, and redundant internet connections, the hotel has not experienced any major network outages since the infrastructure overhaul.
ingenuIT continues to monitor and maintain the hotel’s IT infrastructure, ensuring ongoing performance, security, and reliability. By leveraging enterprise-grade networking solutions, this Long Island City hotel has transformed its IT infrastructure—delivering superior guest experiences and future-proofing its operations
PARTNER WITH INGENUIT TODAY
Let’s Elevate Your IT Strategy Together
From startups to enterprises, ingenuiT provides tailored IT management solutions that empower growth, efficiency, and security. Ready to take the next step? Let’s discuss how we can help your business thrive.