Anchor Wireless
By Neil Zacharjewicz
LITTLE CURRENT - In their constant quest to provide their customers to the latest in amenities, the Anchor Inn Bar & Grill has gone wireless.
The idea came about after owner Bruce O'Hare received an email last winter, discussing the idea of Y-Fi, or Internet "hot spots." Mr. O'Hare did some investigating, and discovered that many hospitality industry businesses were becoming wireless, Internet access points. He pointed out that both the Four Seasons and the Delta Chelsea offer these services to their customers, with some limitations.
The Internet has always been a big part of the Anchor Inn's marketing, so taking the next step and becoming an Internet access point seemed only logical. "This was something new," Mr. O'Hare suggested. Chris Varey was hired and put in charge of installing the new system, and so far things have been sailing along merrily.
"The wireless has been remarkably successful. For us, it is just part of our marketing. We may be attracting customers we couldn't get before," Mr. O'Hare said. "Even though the boating season hasn't really started yet, we are getting about 10 customers a day (who utilize the service)."
Mr. O'Hare said that one customer, a member of the Great Lakes Cruising Club, said the Anchor Inn was one of the first places he had visited that offered the service in Canada. Boaters, however, have been tuned in to the advances in information technology for some time now, Mr. O'Hare said, pointing out that many of them use laptop computers for navigation purposes. Furthermore, he noted that most notebook computers now come with a card built in which allows them to connect to the Internet.
"We didn't really see a downside to this," Mr. O'Hare said. "We think it will be a great service for the boaters."