The 2012 HotelChatter Hotel Wi-Fi Report

The hospitality industry has come a long way in the last eight years, especially in terms of Internet technology. Looking back at HotelChatter’s first annual Hotel Wi-Fi report from 2004 when Eleven was one of a handful of Wi-Fi providers, the only concern was which hotels offered Wi-Fi in guest rooms or lobbies, and of the few that did, which hotels provided it for free.

Back then, a hotel offering Wi-Fi at all was cutting edge, and if they offered it for free, that was a major competitive differentiator. Hotels have come a long way in the last eight years, and these days Wi-Fi is a key requirement, not something that wows guests anymore. Unfortunately many of the same problems the hotel industry faced eight years ago still remain; Wi-Fi is not always free and it is not always reliable because networks and available bandwidth cannot handle the proliferation of multiple devices (smartphones, tablets and laptops) and the fast growing bandwidth demands of guests.

In HotelChatter’s recently released 2012 Hotel WiFi Report, they discuss many of these issues and provide keen insight into innovative ways that hoteliers can provide high-quality Wi-Fi to guests and still generate money. One suggestion is a tiered payment plan, where basic internet that guests can use to email and surf the web is free, but if guests want to use more bandwidth to download or stream something on Netflix, they have to pay extra. To find out more, click here to read HotelChatter’s 2012 Hotel Wi-Fi Report.