A recent study conducted in Spain, found that 66% of guests would pay for mobile Wi-Fi. Patrick Mayock, editor-in-chief of HotelNewsNow, participated in the study and wrote about it in this article. The study, done as a pilot project, allowed guests staying at ME Madrid Reina Victoria Hotel and Hospes Madrid Hotel to try a portable router device which allowed guests to have a 4G connection, the fastest speed available in Spain. Maycock said his Wi-Fi experience during the study was the best he’d ever had. The overall results reveal other interesting guest behaviors highlighted below:
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97% of guests used their portable router to access the Internet
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87% used the router throughout their stay
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80% connected via a smartphone, while only 42% connected with tablets, and 26% preferred their laptops
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57% checked email and 51% connected to social networks
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47% researched leisure activities in their destination
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44% viewed tourist information about the city
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37% looked for local guides and map apps
Data collected suggests that hotels have several opportunities to develop value-added services for travelers, including communication with guests in a more direct and personal manner, utilizing social networks, and cross-selling local services and activities.
While 34% of guests said they were not willing to pay for mobile Wi-Fi connection, their reason was “mainly because they understand it should be included in the room rate, and this means hotels could increase their rates as long as they offer a service like this,” said Fabian Gonzalez, New Technologies Project Manager at Instituto Tecnológico Hotelero (ITH). Although the study was conducted using portable routers, we find that many more guests prefer to upgrade their Internet speed and bandwidth even if they have to pay for it. See more in our recent post Free Wi-Fi Isn’t One Size Fits All and the results of the study and let us know what you think.
How much would you pay for better bandwidth and Internet access? How would that differ for work or for personal use?