How High-Speed Internet Helps You Get More Hotel Bookings
Imagine a high-profile guest checking into your hotel. It’s a huge honor for you to have them as a guest, and you want to do your best to impress him so that all his future bookings are done with you. You instruct the staff to be on standby to ensure that every request made by the guest is completed as soon as possible. You send up a complimentary bottle of champagne to make the guest feel comfortable and personally visit them to assure them they will have complete privacy. Things are going pretty well when someone from your guest’s security detail tells you that the Wi-Fi is not working. You immediately get in touch with the IT department and are informed that the problem is being fixed. After a few hours, the Wi-Fi is back but it’s too slow to load anything, let alone browse. Hours go by, and the Wi-Fi still isn’t fixed. You come up with excuses after excuses and feel embarrassed but the truth is that there’s nothing you can do.
You probably know what happens next. The high-profile guest, as well as other guests, start complaining about the internet. Later, the review section on TripAdvisor and other websites is filled with negative reviews about your hotel claiming you have poor service. Now, the guest you were bent on making a loyal customer is no longer interested in staying at your hotel and checks out early.
According to a report by Statista, the most important service that guests look for in a hotel is Wi-Fi. Other services that guests look for are:
Wi-Fi: 80%
Accessible Rooms: 52%
Room Service: 45%
Car Parking: 42%
Wake-Up Call: 29%
Laundry Service: 25%
Spa: 25%
Pay TV: 24%
Pet Policy: 22%
Luggage Services: 18%
Medical Service: 16%
Overnight Shoeshine: 5%
The question now is, “how does high-speed internet help in increasing hotel bookings?”
As you can see from above, internet connectivity is of high importance to guests, which means they are bound to leave a glowing review about your hotel. When people browse websites such as TripAdvisor, Booking.com, Hotels.com, and Expedia to know about your hotel, they will see the reviews and consider you in their options. The rest of the job can be done by your brand’s website in convincing them why you are the right choice. Not only will this boost your bookings but also bring in more direct bookings.
Now that you have your answer, let’s look at the importance of high-speed internet:
Why Does High-Speed Internet Matters
Whether a customer is coming to stay at your hotel for a vacation or business trip, the very first thing they will do is check reviews to find out what people are saying about you. The bedsheet count and how many stars the hotel has are of little importance to them. Of course, location takes precedence over Wi-Fi but that’s a whole other factor that is less scalable.
Not every guest carries a router with them. So, to get more loyal customers, you need to make sure the internet is working properly and fast. Think of high-speed Wi-Fi as critical as electricity and plumbing.
Every year, the number of internet-connected devices people carry with them is increasing. From a mobile phone to streaming devices, laptops, and tablets, a family of four has at least 8 to 10 devices. Since it’s critical for business travelers to stay connected, they need a speedy internet for file sharing apps, productivity software, teleconferencing, and more.
With leisure travelers, access to social media websites and streaming websites is important. The moment they check-in, guests connect to the Wi-Fi and then stay connected for their entire stay. Many visitors connecting to the WiFi can impact the connection, and the links become oversaturate. As a result, guests get spotty bandwidth performance.
High-Speed Internet Access (HSIA)
Two of the biggest benefits of HSIA are that it creates guest loyalty and increases bookings, both impact the bottom line positively and increase revenue. Savvy hoteliers know the value of the high-performance solution as it is efficient, flexible, and reliable.
As demands for real-time communications without any glitches grow, the hospitality industry needs to rise to the occasion. You need to look for solutions that meet your guests’ needs and provide you with a differentiator that makes your hotel stand out from the competition.
To manage your hospitability business successfully, you need to build a loyal customer base, and we’ve already told you how ― with high-speed internet. Providing HSIA does not mean you get expensive internet service and then charge your guests a steep price at checkout. According to a report by Fox News, 86% of guests expect to receive free Wi-Fi, and not having one can put a damper on their entire experience.
The problem is that many hotels can’t calculate how much bandwidth their hotel needs. Internet at home is fast because fewer people are using it. In a hotel, you have hundreds of guests, including employees who use the internet 24/7.
What Bandwidth Should the Internet Connection in My Hotel Have?
The speed of your internet connection depends on how much bandwidth you have. To find out the bandwidth your hotel needs, consider the services your guests are more likely to use. According to industry experts, video services require 2 Mbps for streaming and another 2 Mbps for online activities. So, you need a total of 4 Mbps/room. Now, let’s assume you have approximately 200 rooms in your hotel. Based on this, you need at least 800 Mbps bandwidth. To be on the safe side, increase it to 1 Gbps so you can make up for additional guests, such as families staying in a single room.
It’s unlikely that guests will use this much bandwidth, but with a fiber infrastructure, you will be safeguarded from the surge of online traffic. Such a high bandwidth is necessary even when guests use Wi-Fi sparingly for their mobile phones and streaming devices because you will need the speed more for business operation, such as online booking system, email, and cloud services.
Benefits of HSIA
Guests don’t just want free Wi-Fi. They want the same level of dependability, speed, and convenience they get at home. When video buffers slowly, they will think about the internet back at home.
Nowadays, HSIA is considered the biggest differentiator, and people ask for it when booking a hotel. In the future, hotels will need to increase their bandwidth from Mbps to Gbps so they can satisfy leisure travelers and business travelers.
The ability to offer consistent bandwidth ensures repeat visits thanks to guests’ satisfaction. Hence, a strong cabling infrastructure is necessary. You can know more about it by reading our blog post, “Is Your Hotel Ready for Internet-Savvy Travelers?”
Here’s how a solid cabling infrastructure helps deliver HSIA to guests:
It supports technologies like VoIP, wireless internet access, and IPTV
Provides scalability to increase the bandwidth
Ensures guests are connected to the internet 24/7. It also helps implement wired and wireless connections to provide 100% connectivity
Along with guests, the hotel management also gets to reap the rewards, such as handling support issues promptly and enriching customer experience
It also helps eliminate potential issues, such as:
Losing repeat business
Poor customer reviews
General dissatisfaction
Room switches
If you set aside guest experience, you are left with other important factors, such as security systems cloud-based Property Management Systems, security systems, environmental controls, and Point of Sale Systems. These systems rely on robust Wi-Fi and boost the hotel’s bottom line.
Apart from an increase in hotel bookings, below are a couple more benefits that HSIA offers:
Promotes Customer Loyalty
A great way to convince your guests to visit you again is to provide them with great Wi-Fi. Speed is the only that matters to customers, and they will remember it once they are home. You could advertise on your website and send emails to loyal guests that you have upgraded your system and are now offering an even faster connection for leisure and business needs.
Customers love it when you care about them by offering them a service they need. Don’t forget to add in rewards to sweeten the return deal.
Reinforces the Bond Between Your Guests and Your Company
Implement a plan that gives business guests access to their own personal Wi-Fi. For example, this connection will only be used to conduct business meetings. This will make them feel special, and you will be able to attract a different target market. This ease of access will make a lasting impression on your guests.
Enhances Browsing Experience
The one thing guests love to do when they have access to free Wi-Fi is to browse the internet. This is your golden chance to get feedback from your customers. For this, you will have to create a feedback form that will pop up as soon as they login into your network.
Make sure it requires less information and gets straight to the point of asking for customer feedback. This information will prove quite valuable in making the customer’s experience more memorable the next time they join you.
We all know how important customer feedback is in improving any service. You can also use the information on the spot and then ask the customer if they noticed the change. Confirming with the guests will let them know you did this specifically for them.
Equipment
Once you buy the right bandwidth, address the needs of your network. Check your equipment. Make sure to use quality, enterprise-grade routers as well as switches from companies, such as Cisco, Ruckus, and Juniper Networks.
A network plan that hits all the marks includes access points that are well-placed and appropriate channels with adjusted band settings. Don’t just pick a central floor location to install the omnidirectional antennae. The higher the number of walls, the weaker the signal will get. For example, if your hotel has 10 floors, the guests residing on the top floors will have slow connectivity. This is why the antennae should be placed strategically throughout the hotel.
Final Thoughts
So, now you know that the biggest benefit of having high-speed internet is plain and simple ― glowing reviews. As mentioned earlier, 80% of the guests that check-in into a hotel think that Wi-Fi is of utmost importance.
HISA helps stop any damage that negative reviews make. Since technology continues to evolve, hoteliers need to keep up with the pace and ensure flexibility through a sound and speedy network infrastructure.
The thought of installing a cabling infrastructure on such a huge level can be overwhelming for hotel owners. However, if you factor in negative feedback and dissatisfied guests, your hesitation will diminish quickly.
Hoteliers need to understand that it’s the guests who have the power to make and break their business. Then, there’s the power of social media that spreads words faster than wildfire. So, why give your guests the chance to write scathing reviews about you when everything can be fixed with high-speed internet!
Does your high-speed internet feel constrained? Attract more business travelers who are always on the look for a hotel that offers the latest technological solutions by implementing VoIP. Visit the Motion VOIP website to find out how our service can make you a premium hotel not just on your block but in the city. Our staff specializes in making hotels and resorts technology savvy, whether it’s a small B&B or a 5-star hotel.
Your hotel thrives on guests so it’s time to upgrade your network and ensure a loyal bevy of customers.