Hotel owners should invest in Wi-Fi infrastructure to ensure guests are able to get online during their stay, one expert has claimed.
Jonathan Hallatt, a regional director at networking specialist Netgear, made the comments after his company’s latest study found that one third of British holidaymakers will stay away from a hotel if they’ve experienced a slow or unreliable internet connection.
The firm questioned 2,000 travellers as part of its survey, with many of the respondents saying they have wandered through corridors and lobbies in the early hours in the hope of finding a better Wi-Fi signal.
Mr Hallatt said to mob76outlook.com: “Hotels must wake up to this fact and take action. Guests should be allowed to choose for themselves whether or not to connect, not to have that decision made for them by the hotel.”
Interestingly, Netgear’s researchers found that many hoteliers are yet to realise how much importance their guests place on convenient connectivity. More than three quarters of the venue managers questioned think their customers value quality of service over technology. Just less than half (43 per cent) also think their guests see overall value as being more important.
In terms of reasons for use, many holidaymakers expect Wi-Fi in their rooms so they can keep up with work, recombu.com reports.
