Skift Take
Traveler demand for, and use of, Internet connection services is soaring, creating a dilemma for travel brands that must walk a precarious tightrope between charging for access and risking customer anger over unreliable free service.
Recently we launched a new report in our Skift Trends Reports service, The State of Wi-Fi for Travelers in 2016.
Below is an extract. Get the full report here to stay ahead of this trend.
In contrast to the challenges of other travel sectors, where Internet providers must deliver service aboard moving boats and airplanes, the hotel industry would seem to have it relatively easy when it comes to Wi-Fi. Connection options at the major hotel chains are improving significantly, with basically-free Internet service at virtually every major chain.
But given this perception that providing Internet service is easier for hotels to provide, customers are much more likely to get angry when that service doesn’t work as expected or costs too much money. According to a recent survey of most requested hotel amenities by Resonance Consultancy, 66% of travelers ranked free Internet access as either “extremely important” or “very important,” higher than any other amenity that was mentioned.
Many of the major hotel chains have responded to this v
