How We Designed a Network for a 150-Room Coastal Hotel
Client: 150-room 4-star coastal resort, multiple buildings Challenge: Legacy network aging out, couldn't support 300+ simultaneous guests + staff + operations systems Solution: Enterprise-grade network redesign with guest WiFi, staff network, operations infrastructure, and monitoring Result: Network scalability for 5 years, zero guest complaints about connectivity, improved operational efficiency
The Context: Scaling From 80 Rooms to 150
A coastal resort had recently undergone major renovation and expansion. They went from 80 rooms to 150 rooms. But their network was designed for the old property — it was undersized, fragmented, and unprepared for the new occupancy.
The Immediate Problems
Insufficient WiFi capacity:
- Old WiFi was designed for maybe 100 guests
- New property could have 300 guests simultaneously
- Network couldn't handle the load
Separated systems:
- Guest WiFi was separate from operations
- But both ran on the same internet connection
- When guests streamed video, operations systems slowed down
Aging equipment:
- Core infrastructure was 6+ years old
- Small switches, basic firewalls
- No redundancy (single points of failure)
Lack of monitoring:
- When WiFi had problems, guests discovered them first
- No visibility into network health
- When equipment failed, entire systems went down
Performance expectations:
- Guests expected hotel-quality WiFi (as good as home)
- Staff needed reliable connectivity (POS, reservation system, communication)
- Back-of-house systems (reservations, housekeeping, security) needed reliability
- Management needed analytics (who's on the network, bandwidth usage)
The Business Impact
Poor network meant poor guest experience:
- Guests couldn't stream entertainment or video call
- 1-star reviews mentioning "terrible WiFi" appeared
- Competition with better WiFi took bookings
- Staff productivity suffered (checkout slow, reservations lagged)
Our Approach: Enterprise Network Design
This wasn't a simple WiFi installation. It was a multi-year, multi-building network design for a 4-star property.
Phase 1: Requirements Assessment
We spent weeks understanding the property:
Physical assessment:
- 150 rooms across 3 buildings
- 200+ offices and back-of-house spaces
- Outdoor areas (pool, patio, courtyard) with expected WiFi
- Coastal environment (salt air, moisture, temperature extremes)
- Building materials (concrete, metal, glass) affecting signal propagation
Occupancy and usage patterns:
- Peak occupancy: 300 guests
- Average stay: 3 nights
- Check-in surge: 3-7 PM (heavy WiFi demand)
- Guest usage: Streaming video (60% of bandwidth), video calls (20%), browsing (20%)
- Staff usage: POS, reservations, housekeeping app, communication tools
System requirements:
- Reservation system (critical)
- POS system (critical)
- Security cameras and access control
- Housekeeping management app
- Guest WiFi (high capacity needed)
- Staff WiFi (reliability needed)
- Management network (security needed)
Internet connectivity:
- Current: Single fiber provider, 200 Mbps (sufficient for old property, inadequate for new)
- Peak usage estimated: 400-500 Mbps during peak hours
- Single point of failure (if provider goes down, everything stops)
Phase 2: Network Architecture Design
Based on requirements, we designed a comprehensive network:
Internet Connectivity:
- Primary: Fiber provider, 1 Gbps (upgraded from 200 Mbps)
- Secondary: Fixed wireless backup from different provider
- Automatic failover between primary and backup
- Load balancing (traffic split between providers during normal operation)
Result: Even if primary provider fails, guests never notice. Internet connectivity never drops.
Network Segmentation:
We created separate logical networks:
Guest WiFi Network:
- Public-facing, open to all guests
- Bandwidth-limited per device (so one guest streaming 4K video can't take down the network)
- Isolated from operations networks (guests can't access hotel systems)
- Guest portal (login page with hotel information, upsell opportunities)
Staff WiFi Network:
- Secure authentication (staff log in with credentials)
- Higher priority than guest WiFi (operations don't get bogged down by guest usage)
- Access to internal systems (POS, reservation, housekeeping)
- Device management (remote management of staff devices)
Operations Network:
- Hardwired (not WiFi) for critical systems
- Security cameras, access control, phone system
- Isolated and monitored
- Firewall-protected
Management Network:
- Management access to monitoring and analytics
- Separated from guest-facing systems for security
Access Point Design:
Guest WiFi required extensive coverage:
- 80 indoor access points (distributed across 150 rooms, hallways, lobby, restaurant, common areas)
- Each room gets coverage from at least 2 access points (redundancy)
- Outdoor areas (pool, patio) covered with weatherproof access points
- Strategic mounting on ceilings to minimize obstruction
- Careful channel management to avoid interference
Each access point was:
- Enterprise-grade (Ubiquiti UniFi 6 Pro or equivalent)
- Weatherproof-rated (coastal environment)
- Connected via PoE (Power over Ethernet, single cable for power and data)
- Configured with consistent settings (same SSID, password, channel plan)
Wired Infrastructure:
The access points needed backhaul:
- Core ethernet cables (Cat6A or fiber) connecting each building's switch
- Switches strategically placed in central locations (server room, each building)
- Redundant connections between switches (if one connection fails, traffic routes through another)
- UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) on core equipment (network stays up during power blinks)
Core Switch and Firewall:
Central equipment room with:
- Core switch (enterprise-grade) handling all traffic
- Redundant power supplies
- Dual firewalls (active-passive failover)
- Router handling internet connectivity
- Battery backup (4+ hour runtime for graceful shutdown if power lost)
Phase 3: Monitoring and Management
24/7 Monitoring:
- Each access point monitored for health
- Internet connectivity monitored (alerts if primary goes down)
- Bandwidth monitoring (usage patterns and capacity planning)
- User count monitoring (know how many devices connected)
- Security monitoring (detect unusual access patterns)
Management Dashboard:
- Real-time view of network status across all 3 buildings
- Guest WiFi usage (how many people on network right now?)
- Bandwidth consumption (what's using bandwidth?)
- Problem alerts (something's wrong; here's what it is)
- Historical reports (trends, peak times, usage patterns)
Proactive Maintenance:
- Weekly equipment health reviews
- Monthly performance optimization
- Quarterly firmware updates (tested before deployment)
- Annual physical inspection and cleaning
Implementation
Timeline: 16 weeks from design to full deployment
Phase 1 (Weeks 1-4): Infrastructure
- Installed core equipment in central server room
- Ran ethernet cabling between buildings
- Commissioned core switches and firewalls
- Set up redundant internet connectivity with failover
Phase 2 (Weeks 5-12): Access Points
- Mounted 80 access points across the property
- Connected each to ethernet backbone
- Configured access points (individually and group settings)
- Tested coverage in all areas
Phase 3 (Weeks 13-16): Integration and Testing
- Connected guest systems (portal, registration)
- Connected operations systems (POS, reservations, security)
- Comprehensive load testing (simulating 300+ simultaneous users)
- Staff training on network systems
- Guest communication about new WiFi
Results
Performance:
- Guest WiFi: 95% of guests report "excellent" or "very good" WiFi
- Bandwidth capacity: Designed for 5X current peak usage (supports growth without redesign)
- Load time: Pages load in under 2 seconds for guests
- Video streaming: Supports 1080p streaming for multiple guests simultaneously
Reliability:
- Uptime: 99.97% in first year (less than 3 hours downtime)
- No guest-impacting outages in 12 months
- Automatic failover tested and working correctly
Operational Improvements:
- POS faster and more reliable
- Staff network separate means guest usage doesn't slow operations
- Housekeeping app performance improved (faster check-ins)
- Security camera system reliable and responsive
Guest Impact:
- WiFi reviews virtually eliminated from negative comments
- Competitive advantage vs. other coastal hotels
- Occupancy rates stabilized (no longer losing bookings to competitors with better WiFi)
- Guest satisfaction scores improved
Management Benefits:
- Real-time visibility into network health
- Capacity planning data (know when to upgrade before problems occur)
- Usage analytics (understand how guests use network for business decisions)
- Cost savings from eliminated guest support calls about WiFi
Design Principles That Made This Work
1. Overbuilt for Current Need
We designed for 5X peak usage growth. Current peak is 400-500 Mbps; network is designed for 1+ Gbps. This means:
- No performance degradation as occupancy increases
- No emergency upgrades needed for 5+ years
- Better reliability (less stress on equipment)
2. Redundancy at Every Critical Level
- Dual internet providers with failover
- Redundant core switches
- Redundant firewalls
- Multiple access points per area (if one fails, others provide coverage)
- UPS backup on core equipment
If something fails, service continues. Guests don't notice.
3. Isolation and Segmentation
Guest WiFi is completely isolated from operations. If guests overload their network (which they will), operations continue unaffected. This is critical for hospitality.
4. Scalability Built In
The network can scale from 150 rooms to 250 rooms without fundamental redesign. We just add more access points; the core infrastructure has capacity.
5. Monitoring Prevents Problems
We catch issues before they impact guests. Temperature in server room rising? We know. Access point performance degrading? We know. We fix it proactively.
Cost Breakdown
Capital Investment:
- Equipment (switches, firewalls, access points): $45,000
- Installation and cabling: $30,000
- Integration and testing: $15,000
- Staff training: $5,000
- Total capital: $95,000
Annual Operating Costs:
- Internet connectivity (dual providers): $18,000
- 24/7 Monitoring and support: $24,000
- Maintenance and updates: $6,000
- Total annual: $48,000
ROI:
- Eliminated guest support calls about WiFi (saves 5-10 hours/week staff time)
- Prevented loss of bookings to competitors with better WiFi
- Improved staff productivity (faster POS, better systems)
- Estimated benefit: $80K-150K annually
- Payback period: Less than 1 year
Lessons for Hotel Network Design
If you're planning network infrastructure for hospitality:
- Guest WiFi capacity is critical — Over-provision rather than under-provision. Guests expect seamless connectivity
- Segment networks — Guest and operations networks must be separate to prevent guest usage from impacting business systems
- Redundancy prevents disasters — Backup internet, redundant equipment, failover systems are essential
- Monitoring provides visibility — Know about problems before guests do
- Weatherproof equipment — Coastal and harsh environments require industrial-grade equipment
- Plan for growth — Design for 3-5X expected growth so you don't need a redesign in 18 months
- Integration is important — Guest portal, POS, reservation system, security — all must work together
- Professional installation matters — DIY network often creates technical debt and performance issues
Ongoing Partnership
This hotel has continued engaging us for:
- Quarterly capacity planning reviews
- Annual security audits
- Technology recommendations for new guest amenities
- Integration planning for new systems
The network isn't static. As the hotel adds features (mobile check-in, smart room devices, enhanced security), the network adapts to support them.
Planning a Network Redesign for Your Property?
We design enterprise networks for hospitality properties nationwide — hotels, resorts, casinos, vacation rentals, and multi-property operations. Our designs prioritize guest experience, operational reliability, and scalability.
Schedule Your Free Consultation
Or contact us directly:
- Phone: (804) 510-9224
- Email: info@sandbarsys.com
Let's build network infrastructure that supports your guests and operations.