Business Internet Providers

Hotel WiFi Mistakes & Internet Solutions

The Importance of Reliable WiFi in Hotels

Reliable hotel WiFi is essential for a positive guest experience in hotels. Guests expect to be able to stay connected to the internet for a variety of reasons, including:

Work: Business travelers rely on hotel WiFi to stay productive and connected with their work.
Entertainment: Guests want to be able to stream movies and TV shows, listen to music, and play games on their devices.
Social media: Guests want to be able to stay connected with their friends and family on social media.
Planning activities: Guests want to be able to research and book local attractions and activities.
Staying informed: Guests want to be able to check the news, read emails, and stay up-to-date on current events.

A reliable hotel WiFi network should be able to provide reliable coverage throughout the property. Including guest rooms, public spaces, and meeting rooms. It should also be easy for guests to connect to and use, and it should be secure to protect guest data. Hotels that offer reliable internet have a number of advantages over those that don’t. Guests who are satisfied with the hotel’s internet are more likely to return and recommend the hotel to others. They are also more likely to spend money at the hotel. For example, guests who are able to stay connected to the internet are more likely to order food and drinks from the hotel restaurant, book spa treatments, or purchase souvenirs from the hotel gift shop. In addition, reliable internet can help hotels to attract and retain business travelers. Business travelers need to be able to stay connected to the internet in order to be productive. Hotels that offer reliable internet are more likely to attract and retain business travelers. Overall, reliable internet is essential for a positive guest experience and a successful hotel business.

Benefits of Reliable Hotel WiFi

Reliable hotel WiFi has a number of benefits for both guests and hotels.

Benefits for guests:

Improved guest satisfaction: Reliable internet is a key factor in guest satisfaction. Guests who have a positive experience with the hotel’s WiFi network are more likely to return and recommend the hotel to others.
Increased convenience: Reliable internet makes it easy for guests to stay connected with work, family, and friends. Guests can also use the internet to access entertainment, such as streaming movies and TV shows, or to plan their activities.
Improved productivity: Business travelers rely on reliable internet to stay productive while on the road. With reliable internet, business travelers can access work documents, attend video conferences, and communicate with colleagues.

Benefits for hotels:

Increased revenue: Guests who are able to stay connected to the internet are more likely to spend money at the hotel. For example, guests may be more likely to order food and drinks from the hotel restaurant, book spa treatments, or purchase souvenirs from the hotel gift shop.
Enhanced brand reputation: Hotels that offer reliable internet are seen as more modern and forward-thinking. This can help to enhance the hotel’s brand reputation and attract more guests.
Improved employee productivity: Hotel employees also rely on the Internet to stay productive. With reliable internet, employees can access work documents, communicate with colleagues, and provide better service to guests.

Overall, a reliable hotel WiFi network has a number of benefits for both guests and hotels. Hotels that invest in reliable internet can expect to see improved guest satisfaction, increased revenue, and an enhanced brand reputation.

Mistakes Hotels Make with WiFi & Internet Solutions

Reliable hotel WiFi is essential for a positive guest experience. But many hotels make common mistakes that can impact the quality of their internet service. To improve WiFi quality, hotels should consider investing in modern routers and access points, conducting regular network audits, and implementing bandwidth management tools. Guests bring on average three mobile devices when checking into a hotel. They expect all of those devices to connect quickly and work extremely well whether they are responding to emails, streaming movies, or video chatting. If that connectivity is slow, spotty, or nonexistent, guest satisfaction is guaranteed to take a nose-dive. We asked the connectivity experts and here are six mistakes that hotels make when it comes to the internet on their property. Here are some of the most common mistakes:

Insufficient Access Points (APs / WiFi Units)

This is perhaps the biggest problem that the experts agreed on. Enough APs are needed to sustain high bandwidth applications, such as over-the-top video. The reason is often budgetary WiFi access points are the most expensive component of the guest internet infrastructure upgrade. Installing too few results in gaps in coverage, as well as a lack of bandwidth for apps like Netflix. The quantity and placement of wireless access points is the most obvious aspect of reactionary design. Those budget constraints result in a wireless fabric permeated with signal issues. Unfortunately, issues such as coverage gaps are left to hotel guests to discover. Investing now today to future-proof the property. Working with a skilled provider like Cronus can help design a network that balances cost and coverage and will ensure strong guest satisfaction.

Purchasing Cheaper Products

Due to many users with high needs, the capacity needs to be there. A conference space in a hotel can hold in excess of 200 concurrent users. Higher-end access points are designed to handle this type of load, hence the reason they are significantly more expensive than ones that are bought at a local electronic store. Plus, these types of APs allow for roaming and signal changing to help optimize load balancing and minimize interference.

Not having Enough Internet / Bandwidth

Hotels can have the best design and best hardware, but if there isn’t enough bandwidth to service the entire property, it will be a bad guest internet experience. In some locations getting bandwidth in is a problem, so bandwidth-shaping techniques must be used to help overcome the lack of speed. Limit speeds per device to help alleviate this problem.

Lack of Data Analytics and Guest Insights

As property owners know, WiFi can be the No. 1 reason that guests don’t return to a property, directly impacting revenue per available room. Brands, owners, and property managers should view WiFi as a platform for guest insights and analytics for marketing opportunities versus only a cost.

Not using a firewall

A firewall can help to protect the hotel’s WiFi network from unauthorized access and cyberattacks. If the hotel does not use a firewall, guest data could be at risk.

Not having a good security policy

The hotel should have a good security policy in place to protect the hotel’s WiFi network and guest data. This policy should include things like requiring strong passwords and using WPA2 encryption. The impact of these mistakes can be significant. Guests who experience slow speeds, dropped connections, or poor coverage are likely to be frustrated and dissatisfied. This can lead to negative reviews and lost revenue for the hotel. Additionally, if the hotel’s WiFi network is not secure, guest data could be at risk, which could also damage the hotel’s reputation.

Hotels can avoid these mistakes by working with a qualified internet provider to design and implement a reliable and secure WiFi network. A qualified internet provider can assess the hotel’s needs and recommend the best equipment and configuration for the property. They can also help the hotel to implement security measures and develop a good security policy. By investing in a reliable and secure WiFi network. Hotels can improve the guest experience, increase revenue, and protect their reputation.

The Cost of Poor WiFi for Hotels

Poor hotel WiFi can have a significant cost for hotels. Here are some of the ways in which poor WiFi can impact hotels:

Reduced guest satisfaction: Guests who experience poor internet are likely to be frustrated and dissatisfied. This can lead to negative reviews and lost revenue for the hotel.
Fewer bookings: Guests are more likely to book hotels that offer reliable internet. Hotels with poor internet may lose bookings to competitors with better internet.
Lost revenue: Guests who are not able to connect to the internet are less likely to spend money at the hotel. For example, they may be less likely to order food and drinks from the hotel restaurant, book spa treatments, or purchase souvenirs from the hotel gift shop.
Reduced employee productivity: Hotel employees also rely on the internet to stay productive. If the hotel’s internet is poor, employees may not be able to access work documents, communicate with colleagues, or provide good service to guests.
Damage to reputation: Hotels with poor WiFi are seen as less modern and forward-thinking. This can damage the hotel’s reputation and make it more difficult to attract guests.

The cost of poor WiFi for hotels can be significant. A study by J.D. Power found that hotels with poor WiFi experience a 25% drop in customer satisfaction. Hotels can avoid the cost of poor WiFi by investing in a reliable and secure WiFi network. A reliable WiFi network will provide guests with fast and reliable speeds, even during peak usage times. A secure WiFi network will protect guest data from unauthorized access and cyberattacks. Hotels that invest in a reliable and secure WiFi network can expect to see improved guest satisfaction, increased revenue, and a protected reputation.

Upgrading Hotel WiFi: Key Considerations

When upgrading hotel WiFi, there are a number of key considerations that should be taken into account. These include:

Bandwidth: Hotels need to have enough bandwidth to support the number of guests and devices that are connected to their WiFi network. The amount of bandwidth needed will depend on the size of the hotel, the number of guests, and the types of devices that guests are using.
Coverage: Hotels need to ensure that there is good WiFi coverage in all areas of the property, including guest rooms, public spaces, and meeting rooms. This can be achieved by using a combination of access points and wired connections.
Security: Hotels need to implement security measures to protect their WiFi network and guest data. This includes using strong passwords, WPA2 encryption, and a firewall.
Scalability: Hotels need to choose a WiFi solution that can be scaled to meet their growing needs. This means choosing a solution that can handle more bandwidth and more users as needed.
Budget: The cost of upgrading hotel WiFi can vary depending on the size of the property and the features that are desired. Hotels should work with a qualified WiFi provider to get an accurate estimate of the cost.

Additional Key Considerations For Your Hotel Wifi

Hotels should also think about the following when upgrading their WiFi:

User experience: Hotels should choose a WiFi solution that is easy for guests to connect to and use. This includes having a simple login process and providing clear instructions to guests.
Guest support: Hotels should have a plan in place to provide support to guests who are having trouble with the WiFi network. This may involve having a dedicated staff member who can help guests with their WiFi problems.
Analytics: Hotels should collect data on how guests are using the WiFi network. This data can be used to improve the WiFi network and to better understand the needs of guests.

By taking these key considerations into account. Hotels can ensure that they are upgrading to a WiFi solution that will meet their needs and the needs of their guests.

Future Proofing – Not Planning for Regular Technology Upgrades

Hotels should look at WiFi network investments as a four- to five-year life cycle from a technology obsolescence point of view. The explosion of bandwidth utilization and number of devices continues unabated, and new standards and technology grow to meet that demand. Hotel should consult with Cronus to determine capital planning and upgrade needs.

Cloud Solutions to Manage WiFi

Guests want a homelike WiFi experience where they are instantly logged onto WiFi upon arrival without cumbersome logins. Brands need to deliver a consistent, high performance WiFi but the challenge is that WiFi has historically been managed in a decentralized way with each property selecting its own hardware and internet service providers. selecting its own hardware and service providers. This made it virtually impossible to deliver consistent WiFi and a single way to authenticate from one property to the next. Today’s cloud WiFi management solutions serve as middleware between the hotel network and other guest information systems like the property-management and customer-relationship-management systems and make it easy to deliver a great guest experience. Real-time dashboards allow for greater visibility and control across all properties.