Wilderness Resort boosts WiFi and bandwidth to enhance guest experience

“Because of the nature of Wisconsin winters and the high occupancy rates we have over the summer, we needed a partner committed to making installations happen quickly and effectively across our 600 acres. Spectrum Enterprise really stepped up to the plate to deliver.” 

Joe Eck, Chief Operating Officer, Wilderness Resort

Since 1995, Wilderness Resort in the Wisconsin Dells has been drawing families and other vacationers from across the country. Whether seeking escape from the summer heat or frosty winter, they enjoy its four indoor and four outdoor waterparks, 18-hole golf course, swim-up bars, arcades and five on-premises restaurants.

In just ten years, Wilderness Resort has seen a tripling of its peak WiFi activity, from 4,000 to 12,000 daily users. Today’s guests expect to use their devices from any resort location, whether at a pool, on a ride, in their room or dining out.

“We know how to provide customer service to our guests, but we’re also smart enough to know what we don’t know,” says Joe Eck, Chief Operating Officer, Wilderness Resort. “We aren’t able to be your help desk when you are logging into WiFi. We’re not able to know if a router is down or if there is an issue.”

Eck launched a technology partnership with Spectrum Enterprise in 2021. Within three years, this collaboration has resulted in one of the largest Managed WiFi installations in the United States. Today a resort guest can walk through the entire 600-acre site while staying on the same WiFi network.

The WiFi system includes 1,363 access points strategically located across the site. Each access point is managed and updated by Spectrum Enterprise with full 24/7/365 support as part of a Managed WiFi package. “Being able to provide our guests with five-star WiFi service is huge for us,” Eck notes.

To power the new WiFi system, Wilderness Resort needed a major bandwidth boost. Spectrum Enterprise addressed this by upgrading its main fiber circuit.

“Spectrum Enterprise definitely stepped up to the plate to make sure we had what we needed,” Eck recalls. “They were everywhere onsite and worked with us to schedule installations. Because of our high occupancy rate through the summer, and the difficulty of outdoor work in winter, we needed a strong service commitment. It was a team effort, and Spectrum Enterprise was part of our team. They understood we see every guest as a return customer and want their stay to be free of inconvenience.”