transforming how hotels are booked and is becoming the industry standard for online and application booking .

This year , TripAdvisor has integrated metasearch into its website to help consumers search for hotels .

Exactly how this will affect distribution costs remains to be seen given current consumer booking patterns , which typically involve shopping around extensively before booking . While RoomKey . com has continued to increase its supply since the hotel industry ’ s biggest operators and franchisors joined forces to launch it in January 2012 , metasearch ’ s proliferation may not lead to more direct booking given its adoption by OTAs .

The rise of metasearch is forcing hotel companies to invest in upgrading their connectivity , as the new activity pushes server capacity to the limit similar to when OTAs first emerged . To alleviate this some hotel companies are partnering with vendors that offer huband-spoke distribution .

Offering tiered Wi-Fi The amount of hotels offering free Wi-Fi to guests continues to increase , up to

64 % according to the 2013 HotelChatter Hotel Wi-Fi Report .

However , guests ’ use of mobile devices and streaming content is causing bandwidth usage at hotels to skyrocket . This means more investment to upgrade wiring infrastructure , and owners are looking for a return . Setting bandwidth limits can help , but then guests complain about their Internet speed .

To rectify this , some hotel companies are exploring tiered Wi-Fi systems that offer lower-bandwidth access capable of handling emails and browsing for free , but charging for higher-bandwidth access to facilitate streaming and downloading .

Atlantica Hotels International Brasil , São Paulo , has been testing a system that offers a complimentary base Wi-Fi package to all guests and a premium Wi-Fi package for guests who want more bandwidth . Meanwhile , IHG announced in March it is expanding its loyalty program ’ s free Internet to all elite status members from July 2013 , and extending this service to all members during 2014 . However , Don

Berg , IHG ’ s vice president of loyalty programs and partnerships , told Travel Weekly in April that “ hotels may have to charge a premium for heavy bandwidth users .”

Installing in-room audio sound systems Audio sound systems are becoming a differentiator on the luxury level . Both Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group , Hong Kong , and Orient-Express Hotels , Hamilton , Bermuda , say audio sound systems are a priority for their guestrooms .

“ Mandarin Oriental is known for providing a quality acoustic experience within our guestrooms ,” says David Heckaman , vice president of technology , Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group .

Since most guests do not discern between standard audio sound systems and more expensive audiophile systems , the most important consideration is volume control , especially of lower frequencies caused by subwoofers as guestrooms often already have attributes to control middle- and higherlevel sound frequencies . Like guestroom televisions ,

audio sound systems require a volume limit function .

Brand . com online review integration The list of hotel companies with online review integration on their brand . com websites grows . This includes early adopters like Accor and Wyndham Worldwide as well as recent additions like Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts , Toronto , which added a custom widget with selected quotes from TripAdvisor , Facebook and Twitter that are hot links to reviews or posts to its new US $ 18 million website . Best Western International , Phoenix , also added a TripAdvisor review widget next to each property on its brand website .

Meanwhile , hotel companies that have not added online reviews to their sites are considering it , such as Carlson , Minnetonka , Minnesota . “ User-generated content is an important part of the traveler lifecycle , including at the decision-making process where user- generated content can play such a significant role ,” says Gigi Deslauriers-Knop , senior director , online strategy and optimization at Carlson .

52 HOTELS June 2013 www . hotelsmag . com