We’re living in a time where, the first thing a guest tries, before your quality breakfast or your comfortable bed, is the quality of your Wi-Fi. In most cases, this is the first impression your hotel makes on your guest. This is especially true for business travelers who need to be able to check their emails and take online conference calls, while leisure travelers are eager to use the internet to connect with friends, consume their personal content, discover local attractions or share photos and videos they take along their trip.

In 2015, TripAdvisor’s TripBarometer revealed that Wi-Fi is the most important in-room amenity to today’s travelers

The number one concern of Hotel Wi-Fi users is the speed of the Internet service. Guests not only use their internet connections for reading and browsing the web. They are also using streaming video services such as Netflix to unwind after a long day of travel, chat with their family and friends via Skype, or share time sensitive documents with their office and work colleagues.

With public awareness of identity theft and personal data on the rise, reviewers are mentioning security and privacy concerns more frequently. If the hotel Wi-Fi network is insecure, their browsing could be jeopardized, video calls could be monitored and most importantly, their financial information could be compromised while making online purchases.

The reliability of an Internet connection also tops the list of major concerns to hotel guests and reviewers. While light Internet use (email, web browsing) is possible on an intermittent connection, heavier internet user such as video and music streaming services require a strong, consistent connection. Moreover, business travelers depend on cloud software and storage uploads (Salesforce, Marketo, Google Drive, etc) and VPNs (GotoMeeting, join.me) that require a dependable always-on connection; intermittent connections can make business travel disastrous. Mix these various internet usage trends with events and conferences that may occur at any given time at your hotel, and you can easily understand why WiFi reliability is to be taken very seriously.

One of the most frequent problems hotels face with their current internet solution is the lack sufficient wireless access points or failing to position them intelligently through the hotel, such that they cover the entire property. Another common issue is that during times of high occupancy, or industry events, high Internet use can cause dips in performance. These operational shortcomings leave many guests feeling less than satisfied while having to wander in search of a strong Internet signal.

All of features mentioned above play a vital role in enhancing the reputation of a hotel.  Technology innovations and upgrades have started impacting guest satisfaction in countless ways. Gone are the days when hotels used to charge for Wifi. And if you take away one thing from this post, let it be this – It is imperative to have seamless and fast connectivity and there should be no technical glitch as guests expect to get their devices connected with Wi-Fi from the moment they step in, to the last moments before they check out. Hassle free Wi-Fi connectivity should never be treated always as a bonus, but part of the overall guest experience.

Want to find out more about how your hotel can offer fast wireless internet, and give your guests the 5 start Wi-Fi access they expect? Contact us today. We’d love to talk.