High-Tech Hotel From T1 Connections to Wireless Laptops, Hotels Catering to Business Visitors by Mark Hilpert The Washington areaís dot-com industry may have lost its shine in the past year, but demand for its technologies continues. Local hotels are no exception. From wireless Internet connections to videoconferencing to mini-bars that keep a running tab, some of Washingtonís most prestigious hotels are leaving behind the notion that technological amenities means hairdryers and coffeemakers. Simply having a fax at the front desk for business travelers to use doesnít cut it anymore. For many consultants and diplomats, cars, planes and hotel rooms are their offices. And that means hotels better at least have some of the basics: high-speed Internet access, copiers, even audiovisual equipment for presentations. All of this doesnít come cheap, and acquiring the right gadgets to keep guests happy no doubt causes some heartburn among hotel management when it comes to the bottom line. But a slumping economy and tougher competition for guests are a clear message: Adjust to 21st-century needs or risk becoming "Fawlty Towers." Net Without Strings One prominent Washington, D.C., inn is clearly sold on the need to go all out on tech wizardry to keep clientele and attract new guests. Georgetownís Four Seasons Hotel is so wired that guests can hop on the Net from their laptops anywhere on siteÛno wires needed. Walls throughout the hotel were equipped in the past couple of years with sensors and transmitters to allow wireless Internet access anywhere in the hotel, provided youíre willing to tack on an extra $10 a day to your bill. For more traditionalist types, the hotel has outfitted guest rooms with conventional Internet connections, and its business center comes equipped with a Macintosh and a PC, a color copier, fax, shredder as well as a daytime staff, and is open round the clock for the true workaholic. A more recent addition is digital videoconferencing, which the hotel outsourced until demand increased to the point where an in-house studio was added to enable links with virtually anywhere in the world. "It became very popular post-Sept. 11," said hotel spokeswoman Tricia Messerschmitt, adding that the Four Seasons has many Washington, D.C., clients who come just to use the service. "Companies are cutting expenses and donít want to travel as much." The Four Seasons also did a major upgrade of its banquet rooms, which now have "touch-screen" controls, allowing conference organizers to quickly adjust room temperature, sound, and lighting from one central point, in addition to helping facilitate presentations. An audiovisual contractor is also on site to provide an array of equipment and expertise for such conferences. The hotel is set to add a "plasma" flat-screen monitor and soundproof features to another conference room as well. Messerschmitt said the impetus for the upgrades was "just being a Four Seasons. We have a team that focuses on what our guests want and try to be ahead of the curve without being faddish." Messerschmitt noted that 75 percent to 80 percent of Four Seasons guests are business travelersÛsuch as the increased number of diplomatic guests who have visited the hotel since Sept. 11Ûand need such tools to get the job done. "These are heads of state, chief financial officers, sophisticated, tech-savvy people," she said. "They are here to work, and we need to be able to provide them not only with a comfortable stay but a productive one as well. We try to provide all the tools a business traveler might need on the road." Technological savvy even extends to concierges, all of who have training to assist guests using the hotelís high-tech equipment, as well as an in-house technology team on call 24 hours a day. Hoop Dreams When the NBA All-Star game came to town last year, The Ritz-Carlton had a daunting assignment: host a high-tech conference for NBA.com and partners AOL Time Warner and Microsoft. The conference, part of an overall marketing effort by the NBA, required fast-break technology, and it was up to the Ritzís Shane Cretacci to make sure there were no turnovers. High-speed Internet access in rooms, run by an on-site server, and reserved TV channels that enabled tailored broadcasts to conference attendees were key capabilities the Ritz used to handle all of the high-fliers. "People request pretty much anything under the rainbow, and we make that happen," Crettaci said. It sometimes requires acquiring new technologies, which the Ritz might keep in order to expand its capabilities. Newly added features include videoconferencing anywhere in the hotel over Internet or integrated services digital network (ISDN) lines, "point-to-point" TV for broadband broadcasting, and satellite access. Management at the Ritz is also considering making wireless Internet access available throughout hotel. In the Ritz bar, a drop-down liquid crystal display (LCD) screen allows for any kind of presentation or showing of important breaking news and big sports events. For those who like to schmooze while they booze, Internet access is available for presentations and meetings. Techie Watering Hole Tech types with a lounge lizard streak are also catered for at the JW Marriott Hotel. The Pennsylvania Avenue hotel has jazzed up its 1331 Lounge with a variety of cutting-edge features to encourage guests to get out of their rooms and join others in the lounge. Ten flat screen TVs are backed up by a Bose sound system, Direct-TV music, microphone inputs for business presentations and Internet access in each booth. The overhaul, done last summer, was part of a strategy by management to reflect the growing popularity of doing work in a more social settingÛthe new old-fashioned way: on a laptop, over a drink. Things were just about set for a grand opening when Sept. 11 struck. Hotel management, seeing a need from guests for a place to gather and watch the news, decided to go ahead and open the lounge. "People wanted to see what was going on," said Greg Slader, director of audiovisual services. "At a time like that, people are looking for a sense of community." Meeting spaces have also been revved up with wiring for high-speed Internet and ISDN videoconferencing. Creative input often comes from visiting audiovisual and television production companies that regularly provide ideas about emerging technologies, Slader said. Still, the recession has put a brake on some initiatives. "We like to be as state of the art as we can, but because of the economy, we have to put some things off," Slader said. Nevertheless, the hotel sees its technology capabilities as a key to winning over customers who might go elsewhere. T1 Connection in Each Room For the venerable Hay-Adams, adding 21st-century technology was just one part of a nearly $20 million renovation. Completely shut down in early November for a massive overhaul, the White House neighbor recently reopened with an updated feel to an old favorite. Each room will have the increasingly de rigueur T1 connection (gratis) as well as an "E-Fridge," a mini-bar cum accountant. Infrared sensors inside relay inventory messages to the front desk regarding usage, allowing for both restocking and (presumably, unless the guest is a talented hacker) eliminating any check-out arguments over billing. Five rooms will also have systems that allow personalized programs for controlling the lights and the temperature of the room, heating or cooling it at certain times of the day as well as turning on and off lights when a guest enters or leaves the room. "It is an easy-to-use, high-tech amenity, which allows the guests to make their rooms feel as much like home as possible," said Andrew Crosby, spokesman for the Hay-Adams. It will undoubtedly be a welcome change for past guests who often complained rooms were too hot or too cold because of the hotelís centrally controlled heating and cooling system. Conference rooms are also stepping out of the past, with 25 T1 connections in each room, and the fifth and seventh floors will be "secure-ready" to accommodate visiting diplomatic delegations and heads of state. Elevator key cards and codes will lock off these floors to other guests and visitors to assure security. For Crosby, the changes amount to a collective effort to retain the hotelís status while not falling behind on modern demands. "The Hay-Adams wanted to keep up with technology and even take the next step ahead," Crosby said. "The reputation of the hotel is its historical significance and luxury so close to the White House, yet todayís business or diplomatic visitor r equires the modern enhancements we have made." Mark Hilpert is a freelance writer in Washington, D.C.