Wi fi battle
It seems to me that some hotel chains need to be hit over the head to make them understand a few things. Those that charge for Wi Fi have succeeded in sending their customers to the curb. Major cities are installing Wi Fi stations in their parks, downtown, and social centers, and it is FREE. Imagine that! You would think that hotels that still charge for this service would wake up and find a way to keep those customers in their own respective social centers.
You think it will happen? Probably not.
Some of those chains are too blind to see. New York City is providing free Wi Fi, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles too.
Now, weather permitting you can enjoy a nice day while surfing the internet. Of course in Las Vegas a nice day is 105 degree weather under a hot sun, so maybe then indoor might be better.
The other alternative is in your air cooled car parked in the Wi Fi area. Hotels have had a free ride with the Wi Fi charges, it is time for them to say thank you, but as a valued customer we will now offer the service free of charge. Good idea if you ask me, then the die-hard’s will wonder why their customer base is leaving.
Starbucks started out charging for connecting to a hotspot, but in the end they realized that it was more beneficial to offer the service free. I do not like to pay for internet service at a hotel, the tab is around $12.00 per 24 hour slot. Now suppose that I need to be at this hotel for 7 days, and I need to be on the internet.
That bill can get quite high. So the first thing I will look for is a free Wi Fi location near or far from the hotel. There is always a Starbucks nearby people.
Hotels are you paying attention?
I am glad that these cities are taking the lead in providing this valuable service to their citizens.
Again it all comes down to service to the customer. Customer service can and should extend beyond the front door of the hotel. In the end all hotels, like it or not, will offer free Wi Fi service, it is just a matter of when it will be done. The competition will start soon, and as the hotels drop the charge, those that don’t will lose to those that do.
Remember you are dealing with a new generation of techies, and Wi Fi is a must, you could remove the soap, and they would not care, but Wi Fi is another matter. So get on board and get with the program. Charging for Wi Fi is not worth losing customers over.
Hoteliers can always find some other benefit that they can charge for, go ahead look around I am sure that there must be something you can gouge your customers with.
About the Author
Alan Campbell has been in Las Vegas for over 30 years and has worked for the major strip hotels. He has spent some time in California, Los Angeles where he worked for the Radisson and Sheraton hotels. Alan considers the hospitality industry the best job in the world – it is the only place that both king's and Paupers will visit you.
The Hotel Guy
