Hotel chain: we only want to block guest hotspots in meeting rooms

The American hotel chain Marriott states that it does not want to block personal WiFi hotspots of guests in hotel rooms or the lobby. Only the hotspots that frustrate the connection in conference rooms or that pose a danger.

Marriott says it invites and encourages its guests to use personal MiFi and Wi-Fi hotspots. The chain’s statement follows a request from Marriott and the American Hotel & Lodging Association to the FCC to clarify whether or not it should block guest hotspots.

“The question that arises is what measures network administrators can take to detect and shield malicious and fake hotspots that are used in our meeting rooms and that pose a threat or disrupt the connection of guest networks,” claims Marriot. The hotel chain says it wants to protect guests against hacking attacks.

Critics of the hotels position, such as Google and Microsoft, fear that blocking hotspots is primarily intended to force guests to use the hotel networks. Use of these networks is usually paid and therefore an additional source of income. Marriott was fined EUR 479,000 last year for blocking customers’ Wi-Fi hotspots.