Wi-Fi networks for hotels

Hotels can be like nations within nations. The largest chains are such that you could be anywhere in the world and receive the same level of service.

But as times have changed, so have our expectations of hotel facilities. A kettle, hair-dryer, and some complimentary mini toiletries no longer cut it. It’s unusual these days to find a hotel that doesn’t offer some form of Wi-Fi; whether that’s as a paid-for extra or free as part of the booking.

And it’s no longer an imperative solely for business travellers either. Families, holidaymakers, hen parties… all want 24/7 access to their favourite apps, social media sites and search engines. Hoteliers have cottoned on to this fact, and how fulfilling these wants could boost repeat business, explains Nick Watson, VP EMEA at Ruckus Wireless.

“There’s now an absolute necessity for Wi-Fi. You might not choose a hotel on whether it has good Wi-Fi, but you certainly won’t return to a hotel that lets you down on [it],” he says. “We’re seeing a trend where it’s not [just] the five-star hotels offering this as a fundamental, all hotels now are moving [towards asking if their] Wi-Fi enables guests to do what they want to do.