Lose Loyalty Over Lacking Wi-Fi

To assume that travelers will settle for a lousy connection or no connection at all is a monumental mistake. Honeywell recently put out a report that looked at U.S. travelers and their need for connectivity speed for in-flight Wi-Fi. If this is how desperate travelers are when they fly, just imagine what they want by the time they reach the hotel!

Based on a survey of 1,045 passengers (dissected by Skift), the following was discovered:

• 29% would swap their ticket to fly standby on a plane with Wi-Fi as fast as their home connection.
• 45% would go through airport security twice in exchange for fast Wi-Fi.
• 37% would be disappointed to not have Wi-Fi while only 35% would be upset about no meal or beverage service.
• 54% could not stand being stuck on a flight longer than 5 hours without Wi-Fi access.
• Inflight Wi-Fi influences 66% of passenger’s airline decision.
• 22% have paid more for a flight with Wi-Fi.

And perhaps, most important:

• 17% have switched from their preferred airline because another carrier had better Wi-Fi offerings.

Loyalty means nothing if you don’t offer Wi-Fi at a decent speed. While this report specifically surveyed fliers, you can bet that the traveler’s expectations for fast Wi-Fi at the hotel is just as high, if not higher. As a hotel, this doesn’t mean you need to offer free Wi-Fi, just make sure it is available and strong. By being upfront with your product offerings both on property (for example, offering tiered bandwidth), and on your website, you can be sure to attract these connectivity hungry travelers. Keep in mind, 19% said they would use the Wi-Fi to research their next trip. It doesn’t take a survey to figure out which hotel they will be looking into first!

What lengths will your guests go for Wi-Fi?