Saigon’s Caravelle Expands Free Wi-Fi Environment to Hotel Cars
One of Saigon’s most historic addresses, the Caravelle Hotel, continues to set the pace for five-star properties operating in Vietnam’s largest metropolis. In fact, the Caravelle’s progressive approach to Wi-Fi means you can now log in before you check in
“This brand new complimentary hotel-wide service ensures that guests can touch base with work and stay in touch with family no matter where they are or what they’re doing,” said John Gardner, general manager of the Caravelle. “Whether in the car on the way to the airport or sitting in the lobby, as long as you’re with the Caravelle, you’re always online.”
And the Caravelle’s picking up the tab.
Two years ago the Caravelle became the first five-star hotel to offer free access to the Internet in Ho Chi Minh City, one of the most rapidly developing business hubs and talked-about tourist destinations in the world. Now, the Caravelle has gone one step further by installing state-of-the-art systems in the hotel’s half-dozen cars.
The four interchangeable Wi-Fi routers create hotspots using 3G and HSPDA technology that enables download speeds of up to 7.2MB per unit.
Within the hotel, fiber optic lines fuel hotspots from the hotel’s guests rooms, to the restaurants, bars and pool deck while copper lines service the hotel’s administrative back side. At just a single day’s notice bandwidth can be ugraded still further to meet any requirements. Guest rooms can accommodate wired and wireless demands.
“Both business and leisure travelers today expect instant and easy access to the Internet – and here you don’t even need a password,” said Gardner. “Furthermore, with our hotspot connection in all hotel cars, you are online minutes after touching down. That’s especially handy in a city famed for its chaotic traffic.”
The general manager said the hotel believes the benefits of the goodwill engendered by complimentary access outweigh the revenues, and compliants, that result from squeezing $10 - $20 per day fees from guests.
Meanwhile, the Wi-Fi free hotel is enabling all sorts of social media, anticipating Tweets, Flickr uploads and other forms of instant communication.
Guests sending emails or blog posts down the from the hotel’s fabled rooftop bar are also upholding a fine tradition. It was here wartime correspondents watched the US military and the Vietnamese army clashing on the fringes of the city before filing stories from bureaus located in and around the hotel.
