National Report–Not all that long ago, hoteliers regarded surcharges to calls made from in-room telephones, as well as from the banks of payphones deployed in public areas, as a not-so-insignificant revenue source.

But not any longer.

The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., is using LGC Wireless' multi-carrier InterReach Fusion in-building wireless system to deliver cell services indoors.(THE GREENBRIER)

Virtually every guest—business or leisure—brings along his or her cell phone. Most of these guests have cell phone plans that are far more economical than room surcharges, which makes their in-room communication choice rather obvious: cell phones.

However, cell phone networks generally are built for outdoor rather than indoor reception. As a result, reception can be spotty in some guestrooms and especially in interior conference rooms.

Hoteliers, carriers and solution providers are aware of these issues and are aggressively attacking the problem.

Windows at the 43-story Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, N.J., have lead in them to create a gold look from the outside. "But the cell company we had partnered with did not plan on putting in antennas," Gerald Emens, telecommunications engineer, said. "They felt they could externally hit the building and give us adequate coverage."

That was not the case. The lead in the windows reflected signals back out to the external towers, and as a result, receiving cell signals inside the Borgata became problematic, Emens said.

Now, in an adjacent 42-story tower due to open in 2008, planning has been undertaken for most major cell carriers to put in a cell site within a head-end room in the interior of the property. Meanwhile, the existing facility's convention and casino areas will be retrofitted for cell reception as well, with guestrooms likely to be equipped after that.

In retrofitting hotels for better cell coverage, some of the onus is on the carriers. Jim Erickson, v.p. of in-building for AT&T Mobility, often finds his office in the trenches of hotel cell reception-enhancement projects.

Coverage "has to do with where a building is located in relation to our nearest (outdoor) cell sites," Erickson said. "It could be [due to] the construction of the buildings—dense, lots of walls, in urban areas with lots of [blockage]."

In fact, even some green initiatives can thwart coverage. Erickson said that low-emission glass—which can enable a hotel to save on heating bills—often limits the amount of radio frequency signals that can get through from the outdoor hotel site into the guestroom.