Is the hotel-room telephone obsolete?  Readers: How often do you
use that traditional telephone set in your hotel room these
days?  With so many travelers glued to their cell phones, some
hotels are exploring the idea of doing away with the guestroom
phone.    As cell phones become more widespread among the
traveling population, some believe hotels can replace the
guestroom phone with a red "panic" button that when pressed
would connect the guest to the front desk via a wired, intercom
system, Ingle says. Yet he doubts this option will take off
because it may not be perceived as reassuring enough to guests.
Another complicating factor: Hotels still can't guarantee wi-fi
or cell signal coverage in all rooms and public spaces, he says,
which means that even if everyone did have a cell phone, they
won't be 100% reliable.  Improvements in technology should
eventually change the equation, Inge says.  Cell phone makers,
for instance, are working on barometric pressure change sensing
capability that can estimate wh