Running a successful hotel is no mean feat, especially in the current climate. Hoteliers face increasing competition not only from other hotels, but also from a fresh wave of alternative accommodation providers – think Airbnb and the countless similar short-term rental platforms.
Keeping up with the rest of the industry, then, is imperative, and connectivity has a huge part to play. It cannot be considered a luxury anymore – hotel owners must put it alongside the traditional ‘essentials’ like fresh bedding and tea-making facilities. WiFi really is just as important.
Still have doubts? Below are five big reasons to invest in connectivity sooner rather than later.
Meeting customer expectations
The key to long-term success is keeping customers happy, and to achieve that, you must be able to give them what they want. WiFi goes beyond desire, though: it’s expected.
According to a survey carried out by hotels.com, free WiFi is the biggest priority for both business and leisure travellers when it comes to choosing somewhere to stay. It actually comes before breakfast, parking and even location in many instances.
What that tells us is, hotels can have the longest list of conveniences out there, but unless there’s a decent level of internet access, they’re missing out on business.
Marketing potential
Connectivity should be seen as more than just a crowd-pleasing feature to draw people in – it’s also a powerful marketing tool.
First and foremost, you have an opportunity to reach users through landing pages and the login process, especially if the WiFi you’re providing is free. Using data, which we’ll come onto next, you’re able to present targeted ads for your own services or those of a paying third party. Even if they don’t bite, the user will see your upsell attempts as a small price to pay for free connectivity.
Keeping your guests connected is also a great way to boost word of mouth promotion. It’s common for people to ‘check in’ to their hotels on social media, and by doing so, they put your name in front of their followers and friends who may not have seen it otherwise. Without decent connectivity, this isn’t possible.
Valuable data harvesting
Having guests connected to your Wi-Fi service as opposed to their own mobile data networks will allow you access to a wealth of valuable data. You’ll have the personal information they submit when registering, for example, as well as the times at which they log on.
As mentioned above, this data can be used to influence your marketing activity – dictating which adverts are seen by which users – but it can also help you enhance your guests’ experiences. If you find certain groups tend to browse the web at particular times, you’re able to highlight particular services that may be of interest: room service or wake up calls, for instance.
More than this, behavioural patterns picked up through Wi-Fi usage can help to refine all sorts of other operational processes: housekeeping schedules may need to be altered, or restaurant opening hours extended.
Maximising operational efficiency
The benefits of connectivity extend beyond your guests’ immediate experience during their stay to cover behind-the-scenes processes too. With the power of Wi-Fi, your whole team becomes more productive and more efficient. Staff can communicate easily and cost-effectively through web-powered messaging systems and VoIP systems, while everyday processes become seamless if not automated completely.
The result is reduced costs for the business as a whole and improved profit margins. With budget freed up, you also have an opportunity to dedicate more to other areas of the hotel, potentially enhancing customer experience indirectly.
Truth told, we can’t think of any reason not to invest in connectivity if you run a hotel. The cost of doing so properly may be enough to discourage if budgets are tight, but the long-term returns more than justify the initial outlay, especially if you partner with the right provider.
About the author
Graeme is a technology writer working on behalf of Arqiva, a communications infrastructure ad media services company. Based on England’s sunny south coast, he’s written about business and consumer tech for a number of major publications and businesses, covering everything from laptops and 3D printing to big data and the Internet of Things.
