Nantucket Island Resorts (NIR), a collection of premier resort properties nestled among the island's charming cobblestone streets and pre-Civil War buildings, yielded over $12,000 from offering guests unobtrusive Wi-Fi Internet connectivity from May through July 2004.
Nantucket is located approximately 30 miles south of Cape Cod, Mass. and was brought to prominence by seamen who dominated the whaling industry from 1715 until the mid-1800s. Today, hospitality organizations such as NIR have helped elevate the island's status to among the world's elite resort communities.
Seeking to retain its old-world charm, but offer guests convenient 21st Century communications, NIR has selected Single Digits' business-class hotspot solution. The invisible Wi-Fi service is offered at The Cottages at the Boat Basin, Harbor House Village, The Wauwinet and throughout the Boat Basin area. The Wi-Fi service enables guests to check emails, stay in touch with family and friends or simply review the dinner menu of a neighboring restaurant. The high-speed extension of Internet services helps stressed business persons relax and enjoy NIR's beautiful surroundings. Michel Ducamp, Nantucket Island Resorts' director of operations, further elaborates on the intangible benefits the Wi-Fi service is bringing to his guests.
"Guests can now instantly monitor work related issues or check that 'crucial email' at a moments notice from an ocean-side terrace or front porch lounge chair. The Wi-Fi convenience is actually making it easier for them to relax and scale between their unceasing work agendas and personal lifestyle," Ducamp said.
Nantucket Island Resorts (NIR) now views Single Digits' business-class hotspot solution as a "must have" for guests and estimates that it has become "ten-times easier" to book business because guests know Wi-Fi service is offered. To access the Internet via Wi-Fi, guests simply open up a Web browser on their laptops or PDAs to automatically view NIR's branded welcome page. Users select the amount of time they wish to purchase, enter a credit card number and the system instantly encrypts all information, seamlessly executes the billing and authentication process and presents the guest with a user name and password to gain access to the Internet. To better support guests, the resort utilizes Single Digits' Business Access Portal Web page that reads like a phone bill and allows the resort to view Wi-Fi user connectivity, comparing day and night sessions in order to better serve clientele.
Perhaps the most powerful feature of Single Digits' solution is its ability to allow NIR to dynamically change its Wi-Fi pricing structure to match market demands. Michel Ducamp views the hospitality Wi-Fi market as constantly changing and having to dramatically adjust Wi-Fi service rates over the next five years.
"The flexibility of Single Digits' business-class solution, allowing us to set our own Wi-Fi pricing terms, is paramount as Nantucket will most likely have to drop its rates in order to meet the changing dynamics of a fluid hospitality industry. In four to five years, Wi-Fi service in resorts will be as common as soap in the bathrooms," stated Ducamp.
Located just nine miles from bustling Nantucket Town, adjacent to the Great Point Wildlife Sanctuary, The Wauwinet is a serene retreat that combines the luxurious comfort of a wealthy friend's New England seaside estate with the sophistication of an elegant European inn.
Single Digits provides business-class wireless hotspot management software and hosting solutions enabling full service, customized Wi-Fi access for businesses of all sizes.