Version 6
July 27, 2009
This document is provided for informational purposes, and for compliance with all IHG brand standards
for high speed Internet access, and IHG makes no warranties, either express or implied, in this document.
Information in this document, including URL and other Internet Web site references, is subject to change
without notice. The entire risk of the use, or the results from the use, of this document remains with the
user. Unless otherwise noted, the examples of companies, organizations, products, domain names, e-
mail addresses, logos, people, places, and events, depicted herein are fictitious, and no association with
any real company, organization, product, domain name, e-mail address, logo, person, place, or event, is
intended or should be inferred. Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the
user. Without limiting the rights under copyright, no part of this document may be reproduced, stored in or
introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise), or for any purpose, without the express written permission of IHG.
IHG may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights
covering the subject matter in this document. Except as expressly provided in any written license
agreement from IHG, the furnishing of this document does not give the client any license to these patents,
trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property.
The information contained in this document represents the current view of IHG on the issues discussed
as of the date of publication. Because IHG must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be
interpreted to be a commitment on the part of IHG, and IHG cannot guarantee the accuracy of any
information presented after the date of publication.
IHG is either a registered trademark or a trademark of IHG in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their
respective owners.
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Contents
Contents
1. INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................................................. 1
1.1 HOW TO USE THIS DOCUMENT ........................................................................................................................ 1
1.2 COMPATIBILITY OF OPERATING SYSTEMS AND BROWSERS ................................................................................. 2
1.3 COLLATERAL ................................................................................................................................................. 2
1.4 LAUNCHING HSIA.......................................................................................................................................... 3
1.5 PLUG-AND-PLAY SOLUTION ............................................................................................................................ 3
1.6 CHANGING SETTINGS ..................................................................................................................................... 3
1.7 INTERFACE TO PMS....................................................................................................................................... 3
1.8 BILLING OPTIONS ........................................................................................................................................... 4
1.9 ACCESS CODES............................................................................................................................................. 4
1.9.1 Non-Guest Users........................................................................................................................ 4
1.9.2 Changing Access Codes ............................................................................................................ 4
1.10 PORTAL FACILITY ........................................................................................................................................... 4
1.10.1 Start/Welcome/Launch Page (per brand standard) .................................................................... 4
1.10.2 Log-in/Access Page (Required).................................................................................................. 5
1.10.3 Splash/Landing Page (per brand standard) ................................................................................ 5
1.11 CONTENT MANAGEMENT ................................................................................................................................ 5
1.12 CONTROL OF CONTENT AND GUEST ACCEPTANCE ............................................................................................ 5
1.13 INTERFERENCE WITH HOTEL SERVICES AND DEVICES ........................................................................................ 6
2. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS....................................................................................................................... 7
2.1 WIRED – CAT5E/6 AND OPTICAL FIBER ........................................................................................................... 7
2.1.1 Backbone and Vertical Cabling................................................................................................... 7
2.1.2 Horizontal Cabling ...................................................................................................................... 7
2.1.3 Labeling Cables, Patch Cords, and Face Plates ........................................................................ 7
2.2 WIRELESS REQUIREMENTS ............................................................................................................................. 7
2.2.1 Wireless Protocol Standards ...................................................................................................... 7
2.2.2 Minimum Acceptable Signal Strength ......................................................................................... 7
2.2.3 Roaming between WAPs............................................................................................................ 7
2.2.4 Installation of WAPs ................................................................................................................... 8
2.2.5 Wireless Encryption .................................................................................................................... 8
2.2.6 Wireless Broadcast..................................................................................................................... 8
2.2.7 Wireless Access Codes .............................................................................................................. 8
2.2.8 Wireless Bridge .......................................................................................................................... 8
2.2.9 Wireless Site Survey .................................................................................................................. 9
2.2.10 Compliance with IEEE and ITU .................................................................................................. 9
2.3 LOCATION COVERAGE .................................................................................................................................... 9
2.4 MINIMUM DATA CIRCUIT REQUIREMENTS........................................................................................................ 10
2.4.1 Multihoming Solution ................................................................................................................ 10
2.5 BANDWIDTH MANAGEMENT ........................................................................................................................... 10
2.5.1 Bandwidth Shaping................................................................................................................... 10
2.5.2 Varying the Bandwidth Use of Guests ...................................................................................... 11
2.6 PROXY SERVER ........................................................................................................................................... 11
2.6.1 Maintaining Web Proxy Server Log Files.................................................................................. 11
2.6.2 SSID Naming Convention......................................................................................................... 11
2.7 VPN SUPPORT ............................................................................................................................................ 11
2.7.1 Supported VPN Protocols......................................................................................................... 11
2.7.2 Troubleshooting VPN Connections........................................................................................... 12
2.7.3 VPN Client Certification ............................................................................................................ 12
2.8 NETWORK ROUTING ..................................................................................................................................... 12
2.8.1 Network Address Translation (NAT) ......................................................................................... 12
2.8.2 Authentication Gateway / VBN Server ...................................................................................... 12
2.8.3 Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) Support ............................................................ 13
2.8.4 Proxy Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) Support .................................................................. 13
2.8.5 Protecting Against Denial-of-Service (DoS) Attacks ................................................................. 13
2.8.6 Automatically Redirecting the URL ........................................................................................... 14
2.8.7 Transparent Web Proxy............................................................................................................ 14
2.9 PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (PMS) SUPPORT ...................................................................................... 14
2.9.1 PMS Billing (Optional) .............................................................................................................. 14
Contents
1. Introduction
High-Speed Internet Access (HSIA) is no longer an option but rather a requirement for guests and visitors
to our properties. Guests need the Internet for their communication (email and voice), entertainment
(Video-on-Demand and gaming), and information needs. The convergence of technologies and the
proliferation of residential HSIA have made HSIA the essential service it is today. Therefore, IHG
recognizes that being able to access and use the Internet easily influences overall guest satisfaction.
Guests expect:
An affordable, reliable, consistent, and secure connection to the Internet
Things to "just work"
Wireless roaming throughout the property
Consistency in the speed of connection
The HSIA system comprises the Internet data circuit, hardware, software, and support services needed to
deliver HSIA to hotel guests and other users who use their own computers or devices in the guestrooms,
meeting rooms, or public areas.
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Introduction
1.4 Collateral
The HSIA vendor must provide, at the property’s option, access to appropriate literature, such as:
User manuals
Tent cards
Other advertisements
Such materials must:
Be professionally prepared
Be prominently displayed on the work desk if permitted by brand standards
Clearly advertise the service, service features, instructions, and support information for HSIA,
including the toll-free support number
The property must ensure that all advertising and in-room collateral material developed for the property
by the vendor is compliant with IHG brand standards.
If such materials are included with the system at no charge, an itemized list of the types and
quantities of such items must be provided.
If replacement or additional materials are available, itemized materials and costs (if any) must be
provided.
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Introduction
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Introduction
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Introduction
o For a User who is a guest, charges for use are billed automatically to the guest's folio through
the PMS interface.
o For a non-guest User, charges for use normally are billed manually through the PMS system
to a non-guest User folio at the front desk.
Service options
Optional advertising areas
Property branding
After a session has ended (for example, because a time-out has occurred or the browser has been
closed), Users should be redirected to the Welcome page.
Users should have the ability to select the language in which this page is displayed.
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Introduction
Log-in/Access page
Splash/Landing page
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Technical Requirements
2. Technical Requirements
The following sections describe the technical requirements for HSIA. Because the trends in connectivity
and applications have changed over time, the HSIA infrastructure should be reviewed every three years
to verify it can support these new demands.
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Technical Requirements
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Technical Requirements
Technology Requirement
Ethernet IEEE 802.3 series
DSL ITU G.992 series
Wireless IEEE 802.11 series (Minimum 802.11g)
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Technical Requirements
The following table summarizes the required location coverage for HSIA.
The property will obtain a minimum of 20 public routable static IP addresses from the ISP for use with
virtual private network (VPN) access.
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Technical Requirements
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Technical Requirements
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Technical Requirements
Component Requirement
Hardware Rack Mounted
Server Operating System Server
PMS Support Optional1
PMS Interface Optional1
Number of User Licenses To Accommodate Maximum Number of Users
Static IP VPN/User Requests
VPN Support Required
Virtual LAN (VLAN) Support Required
Brand Page Landing Page
Anti-Virus Server Software For Server Protection
Access Code Generation For All Users
1
For example, Opera PMS currently supports over 50 in-room Internet systems. Check with your HSIA and PMS
vendors to confirm the requirements for the system to be installed.
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Technical Requirements
2.9.1 PMS Billing (Not Required if HSIA is provided free of charge for all
Users)
HSIA must be able to perform the following tasks:
Detect connections and disconnections within three seconds of the event
Generate reports by department (guest room, meeting room, business center, and so on)
Handle taxes
Transaction time-out processing (night-audit mode)
Allow the User to select a premium billing plan (Tiered Billing) where more bandwidth can be
allocated
Post to a guest folio
Note: Hotels that charge HSIA access for non-guest Users, hotels must have a process in place to
capture payment for HSIA services. .
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Technical Requirements
Provide an estimate of physical space required for each MDF and IDF.
Recommend an inventory of on-site spares and User device rentals (if applicable) to expedite
repairs and provide service to Users.
Propose uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) for all included equipment.
Provide documentation describing all equipment, wired and wireless, used in the system, including:
o Network diagram
o Port mapping
o Connection guides
o Equipment labeling
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Security
3. Security
3.1 Port Security
The HSIA vendor must enable port security on all ports in each hotel installation. This measure prevents
Users from viewing the traffic of other Users using the high-speed network in the hotel. Data traffic to and
from each User is kept private and isolated from other Users. This feature is also known as room-to-room
security.
Port security also must be implemented on wireless. That is, a wireless User should not be able to browse
open file shares on another User's laptop.
The HSIA system must include wired and wireless security providing the following protections:
Room-to-Room
Users in guest rooms shall not be able to access or to view the computers, data, or network of
other Users in different guest rooms through the HSIA network.
User-to-User
When Users are connected through the same WAP in a Wi-Fi HSIA environment, Users shall not
be able to access or to view the devices, data, or network of other Users of that WAP.
Hotel-to-Room
Hotel staff shall not be able to access or to view the computers, data, or network of Users in the
guest rooms through the HSIA network.
Internet-to-Room
Users on the Internet shall not be able to access or to view the computers, data, or network of
other Users in the guest rooms through the HSIA network.
Room-to-Hotel
Users in guest rooms shall not be able to access or to view the computers, data, or network of the
hotel LAN through the HSIA network.
Property-to-Property
Users at one property shall not be able to access or to view another property’s computers, data,
or network through the HSIA network.
Internet-to-Hotel
Users on the Internet shall not be able to access or to view the computers, data, or network of the
hotel LAN through the HSIA network.
Public-Areas-and-Meeting-Rooms-to-Guest-Rooms
Users in public areas or meeting rooms shall not be able to access or to view the computers,
data, or network in guest rooms through the HSIA network.
Meeting-Rooms-to-Meeting-Rooms
Users in one meeting room shall not be able to access or to view the computers, data, or network
of Users in another meeting room through the HSIA network.
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Security
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Security
suspicious activity, the vendor must take the necessary action to protect the integrity of the network. The
vendor also must inform the hotel about any modifications to the normal operating parameters of the
HSIA service. Specification of bandwidth management assists in providing a consistent user experience.
2
Contracts with ISPs should contain a provision to support the changing of passwords and password management.
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Vendor Qualification and Agreement
4.3 Agreement
The HSIA vendor must enter into a written agreement with the hotel that covers:
Description of the HSIA services
Compliance to the standards outlined in this document
IHG recommends that the term of contract be no longer than three years.
The contract should have a provision for change in services through technology upgrade throughout the
term of the agreement.
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Vendor Requirements for Service Level Agreement (SLA)
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Vendor Requirements for Service Level Agreement (SLA)
Component Requirement
Support 24 x 7 x 365
Phone Number Toll Free
Signage Professionally Prepared
Monitoring Remote Monitoring
Access Points (APs) Remote Monitoring
Ethernet Switch Remote Monitoring
Escalation Procedure Provided by Vendor
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Vendor Requirements for Service Level Agreement (SLA)
Network architecture
Hotel network configuration database, which includes:
o Switches
o Access points for wired and wireless solutions
Equipment detail
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Vendor Requirements for Service Level Agreement (SLA)
5.3.1 Warranty
The vendor should state the length of the initial included warranty period, including terms and conditions.
If the proposed equipment is not uniform as to initial warranty period and terms, then this should be
itemized for all proposed equipment.
5.3.2 Maintenance
The vendor should be prepared to document and describe, upon request, their ability to certify,
troubleshoot, and manage, both remotely and on-site, the proposed solution(s), including descriptions of:
Personnel
Training and certification
Test and diagnostic equipment
Management utilities
Hours of operation
Trouble ticket system (features and capability)
Escalation policy
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Vendor Requirements for Service Level Agreement (SLA)
To facilitate monitoring and trouble shooting, the system should allow visibility to each IP end device in a
room from a remote location (such as the vendor’s Network Operations Center) through either a managed
Ethernet port in the room or otherwise.
The vendor should provide complete documentation of the proposed Network Architecture, including all
Ethernet switches to be installed.
The core Ethernet switch in the main equipment room should be configured with redundancy for fail-safe
operation.
5.3.4 Support
The vendor should be prepared to document and describe, upon request, their ability to provide:
Toll-free 24 x 7 end-user support
Remote troubleshooting and management, including support scope
Support information for all hardware, software, and services included in a proposed system should be
submitted to the property before system turn up and acceptance.
5.3.5 Escalation
In the event that normal maintenance and support fails to resolve a problem in a timely fashion, the
vendor should provide an escalation procedure and guidelines, including contact persons and methods.
This information should be submitted to the property before system turn up and acceptance.
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Appendix A: Condensed Specifications
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Appendix A: Condensed Specifications
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Appendix A: Condensed Specifications
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Appendix A: Condensed Specifications
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Appendix A: Condensed Specifications
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Appendix A: Condensed Specifications
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Appendix B: Typical HSIA Network
Guest Rooms /
Wired and/or Wireless
Meeting Space /
Wired and/or Wireless
Public Space /
Wireless
Firewall
VBN
(V i s i t o r B a s e d
N e t w o r k Se r v e r )
T1 Bandw idt h
(1 .5 4 M b s ) Managem ent
De v i c e
$ 3 ,5 0 0 +
DSL / Ca b l e
(6 .0 M b s )
Internet
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Appendix C: HSIA Terms & Definitions
Bandwidth Management: The process of measuring and controlling the communications (called
traffic, or packets) on a data network, to avoid filling and overfilling the HSIA network. Filling or overfilling
the HSIA network results in network congestion and poor performance. When network congestion occurs,
Users experience slow performance, and the quality of service deteriorates. This creates such issues as
queuing delays, packet loss and/or blocking of new connections. On an HSIA network, as many Users as
possible are allocated bandwidth at levels which exceed dial-up connection speeds, even during peak
usage. Additionally, bandwidth management has the capability to block bandwidth intensive applications,
so that such applications cannot use disproportionate amounts of network resources and deprive regular
users from a better Internet surfing experience. Such applications can be selected by hotels and/or their
ISPs.
Cat 5e - Category 5e Cable: Type of Ethernet cable used to carry Data and voice. This is an
enhanced version of Cat 5. Although 1000 Mbps was designed for use with Cat 5 cable, the tighter
specifications associated with Cat 5e cable and connectors make it an excellent choice for use with 1000
Mbps. Cables are still limited to a maximum of 100 m (328 ft) in length (normal practice is to limit fixed
("horizontal") cables to 90 m to allow for up to 5 m of patch cable at each end).
Cat 6 - Category 6 Cable: This cable standard for Gigabit and other protocols that is backwards
compatible with the Category 5/5e cable standards. The cable standard provides performance of up to
250 MHz and is suitable for 10/100/1000 Mbps.
Firewall: System designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from an internal private network.
Gateway Server: The server that controls guest access and experience for connecting to the
Internet
ISP: Internet Service Provider – AT&T, Verizon, etc. It is the company that provides access to the
Internet
LAN - Local Area Network: Computer Network covering a small geographic area, like a home,
office, or group of buildings (e.g. a school). The defining characteristics of LANs, in contrast to wide-area
networks (WANs), include their much higher data-transfer rates, smaller geographic range, and lack of a
need for leased telecommunication lines. Ethernet over unshielded twisted pair cabling, and WiFi are the
two most common technologies currently comprising the LAN.
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Appendix C: HSIA Terms & Definitions
the aggregation of multiple ports into a single group, effectively combining the bandwidth into a
single connection.
SSID: Service Set Identifier – Common Name Given to Wireless Access Points (WAP)
WAN - Wide Area Network: WANs are used to connect LANs and other types of networks
together, so that users and computers in one location can communicate with users and computers in
other locations. Many WANs are built for one particular organization and are private.
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