Let’s talk about internet speed, Wi-Fi, connectivity, streaming devices… at HOTELS.

Have we got your attention? Are you thinking about all the stories and reviews travelers have about dealing with a bad connection while staying at a hotel? We bet there are numerous reviews for hotel stories that mention the quality of internet connectivity. Business people who travel for work often have the most to say in this regard. As of now, internet speeds at some hotels are terrible, and the hotels without internet connectivity are not even within the traveler’s consideration set of places to stay.

We might come off a little extreme, but low internet speed is unacceptable. One might even say offering bad internet connectivity is a cardinal sin on the part of hoteliers. Here’s why:

Free Wi-Fi in a hotel is no longer considered a luxury now. Guests now expect it to be offered no matter the hotel’s size; they even expect good internet connectivity at a BnB. Hence, guest satisfaction is linked directly to high-speed internet.  

Why Free Wi-Fi Has Become a Necessity

There was a time when customers begrudgingly purchased Wi-Fi wherever they went. It was a necessity and continues to be so. Recent stats from a Roomzzz Survey indicate that Wi-Fi is the first thing guests check when they enter a hotel, with 65% getting online the minute they check-in. On the wish list of “Top 3 Most Wanted Things at a Hotel,” Wi-Fi takes second place. The only thing that can top it is free room upgrades.

According to a study by J.D. Power, free Wi-Fi, free parking, and complimentary breakfast are the three things that guests look forward to when they enter a hotel. The survey’s results revealed that 71% of guests received free Wi-Fi, and half of them received complimentary breakfast.

People traveling for business used to be the only ones who wanted free Wi-Fi when booking a hotel room. Now, every guest from the age of 5-year-old to an older adult has to have Wi-Fi to use instant messaging and social media. Of course, travelers would want to post their pictures online and share their adventures. The Roomzzz Survey reported that 61% of the participants said they felt “lonely, bored, and cut off from the real world” without Wi-Fi. 10% of the respondents said that they would go into full panic mode if they couldn’t connect to Wi-Fi.

Let’s come to the in-room experience. The findings of the Roomzzz Survey revealed that a quarter of the participants ignored the television in their room and streamed on their devices instead. Watching what they liked was important to guests, and they didn’t want to stray from their routine. Lastly, free Wi-Fi was used most to check the weather condition in the city.

Let’s talk about a few more stats, and we will move on to the good parts.

Another study by Research + Data Insights published in the South Florida Business Journal revealed that 7 out of 10 guests and travelers rated a reliable Wi-Fi connection as their number one priority over complimentary breakfast, parking, and a hotel’s location. As to the cost of the room, free Wi-Fi came in second place; 80% of the travelers said that high Wi-Fi speed is worth spending a few dollars more on a luxury hotel.

Hoteliers are investing in a good internet connection because it promises high guest satisfaction. Plus, there are huge benefits for the hotel, too, such as VoIP and business-critical functions. Check out our blog post, “How Hotels Can Win Guest Loyalty with Technology” to learn more about this.

The Importance of High Internet Speed

Now that the basics are out of the way let us tell you a short story of a businessman staying at a hotel due to its high ratings and having the worst internet experience imaginable. We have changed all names for privacy.

David’s first trip to LA was a dream come true. He was attending his first solo business meeting with a big investor after his promotion. David was keen on proving to the boss why he was the right man for the job. The office had given him carte blanche on where to stay, and his other expenses were also covered. After an hour of searching online and reading customer reviews, David found the perfect hotel. It had a 4.7 rating, and the services and pictures on the website spoke of luxury. After booking his suite, David started packing his bags. The next day when he entered the hotel, he was greeted with a warm welcome. The staff took him up to his room, and after tipping the bellboy, David explored his accommodations. He made a few phone calls from his mobile phone and confirmed the meeting’s timing with the office. The first meeting would be held in the hotel’s on-site restaurant, and the second was on Zoom. The former went smoothly, and David could tell he impressed the clients. When the time came for the latter, that’s when the real trouble began. After David connected his laptop to the hotel’s Wi-Fi, he found that the connection did stay steady for long. After tinkering a little bit with the settings, he finally entered the Zoom meeting that had already started. That was strike 1 ― making the client wait. The strikes then kept increasing. A few minutes into the introduction, and the connection went out again. When the connection was made the third time, the screen froze. Then, the voice line wasn’t clear at all. There were many other problems, and David ended up rescheduling the meeting, which was a big setback.

Alright, readers. It’s trivia time!

What’s the first mistake that David made?

A.     Reading customer reviews before booking the hotel

B.      Not preparing for internet problems that could have occurred during the meeting

C.      Choosing a hotel that did not cater to business travelers

The answer is C.

Why should David have called in advance at the hotel?

A.     Ask about the free breakfast

B.      Confirm his booking

C.      Ask about the free Wi-Fi and if there was a business center on sight

The answer is C.

What should David have done after the bad connection to save his meeting?

A.     Call the manager and be a Karen

B.      Run to the nearest coffee shop or a modern internet café to start his meeting again

C.      Threaten the manager that you will give a bad review

The answer is B.

So, being a Karen wouldn’t have accomplished anything, but the manager would have known what guests like business people and leisure travelers value most.

So, after reading this, let us ask you something: What’s the solution?

Buying more bandwidth? That could be one. However, we have something better in mind.

Installing fiber optic internet connection.

It’s time for hotels to cut the cable because there’s something new, bigger, and better in the world of connectivity. This connection is fast, streams video content with no buffering, and allows making international calls with no connection problems.

What Is Fiber Optic Internet?

Fiber optic internet refers to a data connection carried by none other than a cable, one that’s filled with plastic fibers or thin glass. Data travels through it as a beam of light in a pulsing pattern. Compared to regular cable, fiber optic internet is 20 times faster. This cable is superior as it does not contain any copper that might clog the network.

In simple words, when cable internet sends signals through the copper wires, the metal gets hot, and this weakens the signal.

How It Works

Even though this should be of no concern to you and is more for the IT department, let’s sort the wires.

Fiber optic internet splits received files into data packets of ones and zeroes. A laser flashes this code into the glass filament’s end. A sheath called “cladding” houses the light. The light bounces for 60 miles and then pops out from the other end. This light is decoded by a modem into a form that can be used by your computer.

Why Is Fiber Optic Internet Good for Your Hotel?

Travelers now bring multiple streaming devices with them everywhere they go. For them, the most desirable thing is free Wi-Fi that can handle their iPad, mobile phone, and multiple laptops.

Hence, we present to you the solution “Fiber to the Room.” This will help hoteliers ensure that they fit into the “desirable” category and avoid complaints on their sites. This internet connection offers many benefits. Firstly, there’s the glass fiber wire, second is high connectivity limits, and third is low maintenance.

Let’s take a detailed look at the benefits offered by fiber optic internet:

Benefits of Fiber Optic Internet

Keeping guests satisfied should be at the top of every hotel’s to-do list. They are bound to return in the future if they are happy, especially with the internet. Here’s why your hotel should change your standard cable:

Speed

The speed of fiber optic internet is 1Gbps. Compared to the 100Mbps cable, this is 20 times speedier. Let’s take downloading a movie as an example. Many guests pass their time by watching movies online. Those who don’t have a streaming account do this by downloading it. Here’s how the download time differs from connection to connection:

Downloading a 2-Hour Movie

·         Fiber Optic Internet (1Gbps): 40 seconds

·         Cable Internet (100Mbps): 7 minutes

·         DSL (25Mbps): 30 minutes

·         4G LTE (35Mbps): 25 minutes

No Throttling (Power Cuts)

Does your AC suddenly stop working sometimes in the summer? This is because everyone with the same connection uses huge amounts of electricity; as a result, the power lines overload, and your equipment trips.

Your cable trips in the same manner, but this is done intentionally. Internet providers refer to this as “throttling.” At peak times, the cable speed is lowered so that it can be rationed. For example, if you have bought 100Mbps, your ISP will reduce it to 20Mbps during peak times. Since fiber optic intent does not get overloaded, hoteliers don’t need to worry about throttling. This brings us to the third benefit:

Reliability

A slow internet connection is a real mood killer. Imagine a guest vacationing with their kids. When they get an important phone call from work, they unlock their streaming device and hand it over to their kid to watch cartoons to not cause any disturbance. After a few minutes, the kid tugs at their parent’s shirt to tell them, “The movie got stuck.”

This is where fiber optic internet comes in. This connection is very reliable. From watching HD videos to uploading tour pictures and showing the spectacular view from the hotel room via live video, guests at hotels get to do it all.

Safety

A glitchy connection can be quite dangerous for your hotel. Imagine a fire broke out in your hotel. For some reason, the automatic alarm didn’t sound, and now you have to call the first responders yourself. But wait a minute, your copper wires are now frying in heat, and you have to make sure that all the guests are aware of what’s happening.

With fiber optic internet, you don’t have to worry about this. According to the National Broadband Plan made in 2010, public safety is reliable on a robust national network. The faster the internet speed, the faster you can call emergency services.

Final Thoughts

We know what you are thinking ― the financial aspect of fiber optic internet, right? It’s not the cheapest internet option out there, but it offers plenty of benefits that make the expense worth it. The cable’s primary installation will be a little expensive, but you will reap the rewards with glowing guest reviews and repeat customers.

So, are you ready to change your hotel’s image with high-speed internet? Then connect with one of the Motion VOIP Internet experts for a free 10-minute discovery call at 217-331-6670. We have an expert staff specializing in making hotels, resorts, assisted living, and apartment complexes tech-savvy. We offer quality solutions that will deliver results well into the future.