That was the challenge facing the Ice Hotel, which has guest accommodations and a bar made entirely of blocks of sculpted ice and snow. Located 125 miles north of the Arctic Circle near the village of Jukkasjärvi, Sweden, the Ice Hotel starts to melt when temperatures rise in mid-April. By June, all that's left is a puddle. The following October work begins on the next winter's structure.
After dismissing a wired networking solution, says operations manager Monica Wollmen, the Ice Hotel this past winter conducted a successful trial run of a wireless network from Frontec AB, a Swedish company, and Symbol Technologies.
These vendors adapted existing hardware, software, and networking technology to build a network able to function in extremely cold weather. Bar staff now use handheld computers broadcasting over a microwave-frequency channel to upload point-of-sale information to the hotel's guest billing system.
The Ice Hotel has benefited from a smoother billing process and has begun to integrate the bar's stovepipe sales operations into its administration processes. The pilot project has been so successful, says Wollmen, that the hotel may expand its wireless network so the handhelds can conduct transactions in other shops throughout the complex.
