Andre Merzky of Amsterdam, Holland, takes advantage of a wireless Internet connection at Hilton Hawaiian Village to complete a programming project. More guest rooms are also being equipped with high-speed Internet connections. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

Merzky is one of the reasons Hawai'i's tourism and business leaders are pushing to keep pace with advancing technology so travelers can get quick access to the Internet and use up-to-date modes of communication during their stay.

At a time when cell phones and laptop computers make it easier for travelers to stay in touch with the office and family back home, many tourists and business travelers expect nothing less than to get online when they come to Hawai'i.

"It's now becoming very important for Hawai'i to be able to provide those amenities to our guests to be able to compete," said Marsha Wienert, Gov. Linda Lingle's tourism liaison. Many visitors think of high-speed Internet connectivity as "an amenity like the soap that you have in the bathroom," she said.

Hotels in Hawai'i are in various stages of fully serving the technology needs of their guests. Some provide business centers with computers, others basic Internet connections in rooms. The most wired offer high-speed Internet or wireless access in rooms and public areas such as lobbies and bars.

Many top Mainland business travel destinations are further ahead than Hawai'i. Several small towns such as Hermiston, Ore., offer complete wireless Internet access coverage, according to Newsweek magazine. So does Auckland, New Zealand.

"We're probably not as connected as you have in some of the larger cities, where they have a large business component to the traveler base — the New Yorks, the Chicagos, the San Franciscos of the world," said Murray Towill, Hawai'i Hotel & Lodging Association president.

"I know a lot of people are looking at it and trying to figure out what to do. As the technology changes, it's hard to keep up."

Honolulu ranked 13th among 100 metropolitan areas for wireless Internet accessibility, according to a survey released in April by Intel Corp., so it is well-positioned to compete for the tech-savvy traveler.

"My feeling is we're catching up with some other places," said Debbie Weil-Manuma, president of destination management firm Weil & Associates.

She said keeping up technologically is important, because while Hawai'i is a place to relax, some people can't get away from work unless they can communicate over the Internet.

Tourism, government and business leaders want eventually to set up a "Wireless Waikiki" to allow visitors to use the Internet throughout the resort district.

The corridor could even stretch to Honolulu International Airport, allowing travelers to stay wired from the airplane to their hotel room to the beach.

What visitors want

Ximena Erwin, chief concierge at Hilton Hawaiian Village, uses a "Xybernauts" wireless device that allows certain guests to bypass long lines at the registration desk to check in and out. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

Among Hawai'i hotels, "I don't think all of us are connected," said Rex Johnson, Hawai'i Tourism Authority executive director.

Those that are wired find they have a competitive advantage.

Tom Fraher, Hilton Hawaiian ViIlage's director of the front office, said guests "seek out hotels that have high-speed Internet service."

Technological amenities also help to attract large conferences, he said.

Tara Rieck, a college student visiting Hawai'i from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was enjoying the sunny weather last week, but also needed to use the Internet for her next class assignment. She planned to use a connection at her Waikiki hotel.

A wireless Internet access zone throughout Waikiki "would be great for tourists," Rieck said. She thinks having Internet access is becoming more important, for business travelers and vacationers.

Michael Troy, director of customer relationship management and online marketing for Starwood, agrees.

"Leisure travelers are doing everything from sending back digital images to sending instant messages," he said.

At the Four Seasons Resort on Maui, guests can get high-speed Internet access in rooms for a fee as well as wireless access in meeting rooms.

"We have quite a lot of California guests, including from Silicon Valley, of course, and it's just out of the question that they would stay in a hotel that doesn't have Wi-Fi, especially when they're paying $500 for a room," said Mark Simon, Four Seasons Resort Maui marketing director.

A few years ago, there was a push within the visitor industry to install wireless access throughout resort areas, but relatively very few tourists were asking for it back then, Towill said.

The demand has increased as more travelers bring laptops on their visits.

"We're going on the right path, but it just needs to continue," said Mike Murray, Hawai'i Visitors & Convention Bureau director of sales for corporate meetings and incentives.

Visitors are clamoring for more than just fast Internet connections.

The bureau recently added interactive maps for tourists on a Web site. "It's endless because technology just continues to evolve," Murray said.

Progress evident

"Probably as recently as a year ago I would have said we're running behind, but I know that many properties are getting up to speed," he said.

Most major hotels offer some form of Internet access, although in many cases it's a simple dataport connection.

The best offering is both high-speed wired access and wireless access because some visitors prefer the security with wired connections while others want the greater mobility of wireless connections.

Many hotels impose fees for access, but they can vary widely. Some hotels charge $6.95 per day for wireless access and $12.95 a day for high-speed Internet access.

They may also add on rental charges for a Wi-Fi or Ethernet network card or offer phone and Internet packages.

But not all locations in Hawai'i lend themselves to full-service connections.

For historic hotels such as the Royal Hawaiian and the Sheraton Moana Surfrider, setting up new technology including wireless access presents such challenges as connecting through extra-thick reinforced walls.

"The foresight of what's happened today wasn't there" when those hotels were built, Starwood's Troy said.

In some areas such as Lana'i and Princeville and Kapalua on Maui, there are dead spots for wireless access. And while O'ahu and Maui have made many improvements in the past few years, "I think Kaua'i and the Big Island have a ways to go," Troy said.

At some hotels, technology upgrades aren't the top priority. About a fourth of the Outrigger Enterprises Inc. hotels in Hawai'i have Internet access and the chain plans to expand that. But Alan White, vice president of operations, notes the chain is not leading the industry in tech offerings.

"We're more interested in getting guests out to enjoy Hawai'i," White said. "It's an experience to be here, not sit around the guest room."

State offers incentive

To encourage hotels to upgrade, the state has been offering a 4 percent tax credit for technology-related infrastructure projects.

"There haven't been a lot of people who have taken advantage of that," Wienert said. One reason may be that hotels have the choice of taking the technology tax break or another hotel tax credit and chose the latter. But Wienert also said they may not know about the tech credit and the state wants to get the word out.

While interest in the tax credit is limited, the desire to build up Hawai'i's tech prowess seems to be spreading.

At Hawai'i Pacific University, a MBA class plans to begin developing a business plan for a "Wireless Waikiki" this summer. The class will finish the blueprint by late September, said Dolly Samson, HPU's program chair for computer science and computer information systems.

"Part of my goal is to raise the awareness of the importance of having wireless connectivity," Samson said. "We're certainly not a leader in this."

Troy said a wireless Waikiki "would be a great way to market us as being on the cutting edge of technology." But, he warned: "The worst thing would be putting something up that would not work well and have people be disappointed about it."

Still, not everyone wants to get on the Internet or check e-mail while they're on vacation.

Larry Yang, 25, came to Hawai'i from North Carolina and thought about checking his e-mail here. He decided against it when he found his hotel charged for access.

"I figure I'm on vacation. It don't matter."