By: Paul Hiebing, RCDD, Director of Technology Design| EXP
I was recently on a cruise, finding my seat in a meticulously decorated dining room. The setting sun colored the wood-finished walls a golden pecan — my eye followed the millwork up to the ceiling, lined with matching panels accented with hanging clouds and impressive light fixtures, until it landed on something the interior designer never planned to be there. My eyes locked on a large white square with a blue LED blinking its active status.
The afterthought wireless access point had struck again.
Invisible infrastructure
In our connected world, access to the internet must be powerful yet nearly invisible. The challenge in high-end environments, from luxury resorts to themed entertainment venues, is not just delivering robust wireless coverage, but doing so without disrupting the aesthetic experience. The key to delivering this balance consistently and across a variety of projects is blending technical precision with creative design, borrowing lessons other markets where visual harmony is critical to the guest experience.
By integrating our cross-market expertise, we’ve developed a strategy that allows wireless access points (WAPs) to disappear into their surroundings while maintaining top-tier performance. This approach was honed through our partnership with some of the most recognizable and successful entertainment clients in the world. We collaborated with these clients’ wireless architecture teams to engineer wireless solutions that seamlessly match their highly themed environments. EXP’s Technology Design team brings that same level of detail and discretion to luxury hospitality spaces, where guests expect uninterrupted connectivity without seeing the technology behind it — because in premium environments, every detail counts.
Evidence lies in what cannot be seen
The design of exterior spaces considers both aesthetic appeal and functional performance. At the Alys Beach Clubhouse, EXP implemented exterior bollard mounts to safeguard hardware from environmental conditions and discreetly integrate wireless access points into the surrounding landscape.
Clients are encouraged to determine the desired visibility of technology within their spaces. At Walt Disney World Swan Reserve, EXP collaborated extensively with the architect, Gensler, and owner to strategically position wireless access points, concealing them in discreet locations or leaving them visible as appropriate for each area of the project.
Photo by: © John Muggenborg
Clients in the luxury hospitality market invest heavily in ambiance, brand identity and the guest experience. Visible technology, no matter how essential, can disrupt the visual narrative. These aesthetics clash with the guest’s expectation of constant, high-speed wireless access for work, entertainment and smart room controls — unless the approach is thoughtfully designed.
To achieve invisible infrastructure with incredible performance, our team designs a network backbone that reaches all sections of the project, while leaving room for future expansion. This means that no matter where connectivity is needed, it can be reached without compromise.
Working in the hospitality, sports and themed entertainment market, we have multiple methods to strategically place wireless access points, sometimes utilizing external antennas, to ensure complete coverage with minimal visibility. Whether it’s hiding WAPs behind bookcases, embedding them in architectural features or designing custom mounts that match interior finishes, each approach obscures the equipment without reducing its performance. Through modeling software, we can validate the design to ensure the custom layout will deliver a high-speed signal as expected.
This cross-pollination of ideas, taking what works in one market and refining it for another, is what sets EXP apart. It’s not just about solving today’s problem — it’s about building a deep well of strategies that evolve with our clients’ needs.
Technology should elevate the environment, not intrude upon it. By blending technical excellence with design sensitivity, we create wireless networks that are as elegant as they are effective.
Connect with me to learn how EXP can leverage unique technological strategies to meet your project’s needs and be part of its success story.