Your heritage hotel is your pride. Original Victorian timber, heritage-listed architecture, rooms that guests book specifically because they want authentic character. You’re not competing on shiny newness. You’re competing on authenticity and history.
But here’s the tension: your guests also expect the Wi-Fi to work, the phone system to be reliable, and when they call the front desk, they don’t want to wait on hold listening to dial tones from 1987. Your building’s beauty is at odds with infrastructure requirements that modern hospitality demands.
Upgrading communications technology in a heritage building isn’t straightforward. You can’t run network cabling through 150-year-old stone walls without heritage approvals. You can’t install base stations for wireless systems everywhere because visible antennae don’t match a heritage aesthetic. Your budget is tight because heritage maintenance is already expensive. And your contractors either don’t understand heritage restrictions or won’t work on listed buildings at all.
The challenge is real. But it’s very doable.
Why Heritage Buildings Struggle with Modern Technology
Before we solve it, understand why heritage buildings present unique challenges that don’t exist in standard commercial properties.
Thick walls and dense materials. Historic buildings often have stone, brick, or solid timber walls that block wireless signals. A modern hotel can install a base station on each floor and get consistent coverage. A heritage building with 60-centimeter stone walls? That same base station might not reach across the building. Wireless signals simply can’t penetrate thick heritage masonry.
Limited cable routing options. Modern buildings have conduits built into walls for network cabling. Heritage buildings don’t. Running Category 6 (Cat6) cables through historic fabric means drilling holes, running cables externally (which looks terrible), or getting creative with cable management that doesn’t damage the building. Each option creates complexity and cost.
Heritage restrictions on visible infrastructure. Modifications to heritage-listed buildings, whether mounting antennae, running external cabling, or installing equipment boxes, typically require heritage approval. What’s permitted varies dramatically depending on your building’s specific heritage listing and your local authority’s requirements. Some buildings allow external infrastructure with approval; others don’t. This uncertainty means infrastructure placement is limited and requires early consultation with your heritage planning officer.
Limited power outlets and infrastructure. Heritage buildings weren’t designed for technology load. You might have insufficient power circuits to support modern communications equipment, servers, and charging infrastructure. Upgrading power requires electricians, potential building rewiring, and heritage approvals if the work touches heritage elements.
Budget constraints. Heritage maintenance is expensive. Roof repairs, timber restoration, compliance upgrades, the budget gets stretched. Technology upgrades feel like a luxury when you’re managing structural and statutory requirements.
Understanding What You Actually Need
Clarify what technology your property actually requires. Not all heritage hotels need the same infrastructure.
A small heritage boutique property (20–40 rooms) has different needs than a 120-room heritage complex. A building with guest rooms in converted townhouses has different challenges than a converted mansion on one site.
Essential: Reliable phone system for front desk and staff coordination. This is non-negotiable. Guests call the hotel. Your team needs to communicate internally.
Essential: Internet connectivity for front desk operations (PMS access, email, reservations).
Important: Guest Wi-Fi access. Modern guests expect this, even in heritage settings.
Important: Staff mobility (housekeeping and maintenance coordination). This improves efficiency but can be solved with limited wireless coverage.
Nice-to-have: Full building coverage, multiple base stations, redundancy. These are benefits, but smaller heritage properties can operate effectively with less comprehensive infrastructure.
Start by identifying what’s essential for your property, then build from there. Don’t assume you need enterprise infrastructure if a scaled solution serves your needs and respects heritage constraints.
Technical Solutions That Work in Heritage Buildings
The good news: modern technology is increasingly wireless and flexible, which actually suits heritage properties better than older infrastructure.
Wireless systems with strategic placement. Instead of one base station per floor, position fewer, more powerful base stations strategically, often in service areas, corridors, or behind walls where they’re not visible. For heritage buildings with thick walls, this requires site surveys to identify optimal placement. A Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) survey by your tech vendor should show exactly where signals reach and where dead zones exist.
Mesh networking. Instead of relying on one central base station, mesh networks use multiple access points that work together to provide coverage. They’re more expensive upfront but flexible for complex building layouts. In heritage buildings with odd room configurations and thick walls, mesh networks often outperform traditional single-point coverage.
Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) for staff communication. DECT handsets operate on dedicated frequencies that penetrate walls better than standard Wi-Fi. For housekeeping and maintenance staff coordination, DECT often works better than Wi-Fi in heritage buildings, even with challenging wall materials.
External cabling solutions. If internal cabling isn’t feasible, external cable management exists that doesn’t look terrible. Conduits, cable trays, and careful routing can run cabling along building exteriors or within existing ducts without violating heritage integrity. It requires more planning but avoids invasive drilling.
Hybrid phone systems. Rather than ripping out existing phone infrastructure completely, hybrid systems let you keep legacy equipment in place while adding modern capabilities gradually. This spreads cost over time and maintains service continuity while upgrading.
Budget Realities and Phased Implementation
Heritage hotel technology upgrades typically cost more than equivalent projects in standard buildings due to heritage compliance, specialist contractors, and longer timelines. Budget and consult with heritage-qualified vendors for your specific building to get accurate cost projections.
But you don’t have to upgrade everything at once.
Phase 1: Staff mobility. Most heritage hotels already have a phone system and internet connectivity. What’s often missing is reliable staff communication, DECT handsets for housekeeping and maintenance coordination. This phase adds wireless coordination without requiring major infrastructure changes and typically gets heritage approval because it’s isolated from heritage elements.
Phase 2: System integration. Add middleware (like TigerTMS’s iLink Service Bus) to connect your communications platform with your Property Management System (PMS). This doesn’t require additional infrastructure; it’s a software layer that improves efficiency by making your existing systems talk to each other.
Phase 3: Guest experience upgrades. Guest Wi-Fi upgrades or integrated messaging platforms come after core operational needs are met. By this point, you’ve proven the earlier phases work and have operational data showing return on investment.
Phased implementation spreads costs and lets you prove ROI before committing to the next upgrade. Each phase builds on the previous one instead of everything happening at once.
The Reality of Heritage Hotels and Technology
Heritage buildings and modern technology don’t have to be at odds. It requires more planning, slightly higher cost, and genuine respect for heritage constraints. But the result is a property that retains its character while offering the infrastructure modern guests expect.
You’re not turning your heritage hotel into a chain property. You’re making your beautiful, rustic property functionally modern. That’s smart hospitality.
Ready to modernise your hotel communications? Speak with one of our team members today.
