Many businesses today are realizing the benefits of implementing IP telephony systems. Using IP phones, businesses can connect everyone in the office through an Internet-based phone service. Among its many improvements to traditional landlines, IP telephony offers employees the freedom to work from just about anywhere while still being able to connect with their company’s phone system via VoIP. This is great for businesspeople on the go—and now many establishments around the world are doing their part to make VoIP services available in more places.

A hotel company called glh, the London subsidiary of Singapore-based GuocoLeisureGroup, and telecommunications firm BT (News - Alert) announced that they have struck a new agreement. Already a user of BT, glh has become the firm’s biggest customer in its quest to make Internet access fast and free for as many customers as possible. The latest deal is meant to ensure that BT’s services will be readily available in glh locations worldwide. Under the agreement, Wi-Fi will soon be implemented and upgraded in bedrooms, lobby areas and meeting rooms at many of glh's hotels.

This is a smart move for glh, as free and quality Internet services are a big draw for business travelers using VoIP. And considering how widespread VoIP has become in the business world, offering BT’s Wi-Fi to customers globally makes even more sense. Using VoIP solutions, businesspeople are able to stay in touch with their bosses, colleagues and clients while they are away from the office, and keep everyone in the loop on business trips. Workers can even remain a part of business meetings back home, with VoIP conferencing, and employees back home can stay in the loop with coworkers on the road at tradeshows, conferences and more.

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"Investing in cutting edge BT technology to ensure that anyone visiting our hotels has access to free, fast, and one-click to connect Wi-Fi is a long-term investment in customer loyalty,” said Mike DeNoma, chief executive officer at glh. “Strong, unlimited Wi-Fi across our properties is what keeps our customers connected."

With BYOD policies and overall mobile device use on the rise, making free Wi-Fi available to hotel guests will better enable patrons to use not only their laptops for work, but also their smartphones, tablets and more. Erick Raphael, director of BT Wi-Fi, expects that people will want to be in a position where they can access the Internet from anywhere—and this deal will help ensure it happens.