Author Archive
Friday, August 10th, 2012
Annie Livingston, Marketing
Looking for a better view than the hotel lobby when working or even just for fun? Take a break and “sightsee” at one of the rooftop bars that overlooks the European city below. Relax and enjoy a drink as you enjoy the view.
You can even take a picture and send it to friends and family back home if you are staying at one of the iPass-enabled hotels, which are located at the Lisbon, London, Berlin, and Oslo hotels from the “10 Best Hotel Rooftop Bars in Europe” list from Fodors.com.
BA Terrace at Bairro Alto Hotel
Located in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, the BA Terrace is a great place to enjoy a quiet cocktail and avoid the chaos happening below.
Vista at The Trafalgar Hotel
A hip and trendy place to go, Vista is full of London’s A-list citizens, and overlooks some of the city’s most famous sights.
Roof Top Terrace at Hotel De Rome
Located in Berlin, the Roof Top Terrace is a great place to enjoy either an alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage while overlooking the city.
Q Lounge Rooftop Bar at First Hotel Grims Grenka
With lounge chairs and a gorgeous view, the Q Lounge Rooftop Bar in Oslo is a great place to stop for an afternoon cocktail, or a late evening drink.
As the iPass Wi-Fi footprint continues to expand, be sure to use our Hotspot Finder for more places to connect before your next trip.
European Hotel Rooftops >>
Thursday, August 9th, 2012
Annie Livingston, Marketing
As part of our continually growing Wi-Fi footprint, we recently added over 200 new hotspots throughout Kenya.
Below we have listed our top 10 hotspots in Kenya, particularly in Nairobi and Mombasa. If you’re ever traveling in Kenya, be sure to check them out!
1. The Village Market
Having over 150 stores, The Village Market in Nairobi is a large complex full of shopping, recreation and entertainment. It was designed to resemble and open-air African market, and is full of greenery. Come enjoy an international hub as well as a place for locals offering everything you can think of!
2. Kenya Comfort Hotel
Located in downtown Nairobi, The Kenya Comfort Hotel is a great place to stay with easy access to all of the sights. Rooms are clean, and offer mosquito nets; a breakfast buffet is also available.
3. Cuba Libre, Mombasa
Located in Mombasa, Cuba Libre is a restaurant with a fun atmosphere during the day, and a hoppin night club in the evening. Offering various evening entertainment, Cuba Libre is a great place for a casual meal, a light bite, or a night of dancing!
4. New Stanley Hotel
A 5 star hotel in Nairobi, the New Stanley hotel is part of a Western Africa and Kenyan chain known as the Sarova Hotels. Opened in 1902, this hotel has hosted various royalties from all over the world.
5. Chomazone, Mombasa
Located near the Mombasa airport, Chomazone is a great place to stop before you fly out! Said to have the best nyama and kuku choma in town, stop by for a quick bite, or join them late in the evening for live music!
6. About Thyme
If you are interested in an intimate setting, About Thyme is the place for you! A secluded restaurant, About Thyme is located in a secluded area of Westlands in Nairobi and has a variety of dishes.
7. Planet Yogurt – The Junction Ngong Road
Hungry for a quick snack? Stop by Planet Yogurt and grab some frozen yogurt to go! It’s self-serve; choose your own flavors and toppings, cost in per weight.
8. Sankara Hotel
Nairobi’s new luxury hotel, Sankara is a great place to hold a meeting, and has a spa and fitness center. The hotel also has a pool and club lounge which is designed for business travelers to get some work done.
9. Karen Country Lodge
A beautiful lodge is Karen, the Karen Country Lodge has various bars, lounges and restaurants to satisfy your hunger. The lodge is also a great place to hold business meetings or any type of event for your company.
10. Brew Bistro
The Brew Bistro is a great place to eat or entertain when visiting Nairobi. Bring business associates here and enjoy a nice meal in either a public or private setting.
Photo: Kenya Lion via Flickr Son of Groucho
Top 10 Hotspots in Kenya >>
Friday, August 3rd, 2012
Annie Livingston, Marketing
Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom has recently launched a free Wi-Fi network for all guests. With tens of thousands of guests traveling in and out of the park each day, the park is going to need a strong network with sufficient bandwidth to handle all of the traffic. Now, you may be thinking, who needs to connect to Wi-Fi while at the happiest place on earth?
Well, a recent iPass Mobile Workforce Report states that 30% of mobile workers connect 2 to 5 times a day on vacation, and a CNET article stated that 52% of employees PLAN on working during their vacation. Not much of a vacation, huh?
As a matter of fact, Disney World set up the Wi-Fi connection for guests that need to work in order to go on vacation. This way, they have access to their email while in the park, unlike before when signal strength was hard to find and it was common for guests to leave the park periodically to access the internet.
Will there ever be a time when we completely disconnect from technology? How do you feel about the Magic Kingdom having free Wi-Fi? Let us know your thoughts.
Free Wi-Fi at the happiest place on earth >>
Thursday, August 2nd, 2012
Annie Livingston, Marketing
Recently, J.D. Power published a press release regarding hotel satisfaction, and its significant downfall. Why? Additional charges for Internet access—more than 50% of guests use the internet, and no one wants to pay for it.
The study finds that 55% of hotel guests use the Internet during their hotel stay, an increase from 20% in 2006 and 87% use Wi-Fi to connect.
With free Internet in some cafes, restaurants, and some airports, hotel customers, particularly business travelers, are upset having to pay for Internet, and they have every right to be. Why pay for something that you can get for free elsewhere?
The percentage of hotel guests using Wi-Fi has increased 35% in the past six years, and will only increase. If hotels want to keep their loyal customers, they are going to have to change their ways.
The J.D. Power report states that hotels charging for Internet are “perceived” as taking advantage of guests, mainly because so many other places offer this service for free.
What do you think? Are you willing to pay for hotel Wi-Fi? Tell us what you think!
To read the entire J.D. Powers press release >>
Hotel guests dissatisfied with paying for Wi-Fi >>
Tuesday, July 17th, 2012
Annie Livingston, Marketing
Microsoft recently announced the upcoming release of a new tablet, Microsoft Surface. Businessweek’s Ashlee Vance stated that the tablet is going to be big competition for not only Apple’s iPad, but for PC companies as well, including HP, Dell, and Acer. The new tablet comes with a kickstand and cover, that is also a keyboard when opened. The tablet will be the first to have Microsoft Office running—and all of its software and hardware are Microsoft-made.
John P. Mello Jr. from PC World states that the Surface may cause confusion. While the iPad only has one operating system, the two Surface tablet versions have two operating systems designed for different processors (and use cases). Microsoft is setting the bar high for other companies to try and compete with in terms of design sensibility and the vision of hardware and software working together.
While the end user point of view is important, we also what to know how enterprise-ready the Surface is.
According to ZDNet, CIO’s predict it’s going to do well. While some CIO’s admitted Microsoft still has some work to do, overall the predictions are positive. Because the iPad has yet to have a true competitor, ZDNet claims that the buzz around the Surface is true competition. One of the CIO’s interviewed by ZDNet’s Steve Ranger claimed that the tablet has such a large chance of success because of its integration with other Microsoft products.
However, Randall Kennedy from betanews disagrees with ZDNet’s claims and thinks that IT will completely disregard the new tablet. While Kennedy thinks the Surface has a lot to offer, Microsoft has yet to prove itself in the world of tablets, and therefore will not perform well among enterprises. People are so used to the iPad that they will be unwilling to switch and try something new that hasn’t already be tested by other enterprises or end users. It doesn’t have the same track record.
A recent article by Tim Greene lists the ups and downs of the new tablet, listing significantly more downs than ups. He claims that the apps are both a positive and negative feature for the tablet as some of the apps only run on the tablet, and other apps for a laptop are not available on the Surface. While it is untested in the corporate world, the tablet does have four Office applications making them much more user friendly in the office.
Rob Enderle at CIO.com, thinks that IT might nudge users towards the Nvidia version as the future of BYOD, although the Intel version is more compatible with legacy systems.
We will have a more in-depth, critical look at Microsoft Surface later today. Check back!
Check out the cool features on the new Surface here, they’re pretty incredible!
Reviews on Microsoft’s Surface >>
