4 reasons why hotels should offer free guest Wi-Fi

In this post, we will discuss the 4 main benefits free guest Wi-Fi brings to hospitality venues, such as hotels, B&Bs, and holiday resorts.

Nowadays, free Wi-Fi has become the most-wanted hotel amenity among tourists, who firstly check its availability before booking a holiday accommodation. Hotel guests, indeed, prioritise in-room free internet access to connect their WiFi-enabled devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops and leverage it for leisure or business purposes. Accordingly, if hoteliers want to attract and retain travellers in an effective way, they should invest in a reliable Wi-Fi infrastructure and include free guest Wi-Fi in their offerings.

What are the main advantages of providing guests with free hotel Wi-Fi?

1. Increased bookings

Providing free guest Wi-Fi access is a great incentive to make travelers choose your facility. Indeed, according to Hotel Chatter, 94% of people consider Wi-Fi as the most important hotel amenity. Tourists value free internet access to stay in contact with their families and friends while on vacation, while business travelers leverage free Wi-Fi connection for their work. Also, according to Aviva’s Holiday Report, 40% of young holidaymakers aged 16-24 cite free Wi-Fi as the most crucial factor when opting for a holiday venue. What’s more, they give free Wi-Fi more importance compared to price (38%), swimming pool (32%) and walking distance to shops and bars (28%). Accordingly, offering free guest Wi-Fi is a smart strategy to attract more travelers and make them choose your hospitality venue again.

2. Improved login experience

An effective way to improve your hotel guest experience is to make things simple from the beginning of your guests’ stay: a way to do so is to allow travelers to access your network through an immediate and easy authentication process. Instead of opting for time-consuming login methods based on long passwords, keep up with the latest trends and offer social-savvy login methods. For instance, Tanaza features social login, the authentication process that allows users to log into a Wi-Fi network using their social networks accounts: with one simple and fast click, they will connect through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Interestingly, according to the Daily Mail Online, Facebook and Twitter are the most widely used social networks when people travel abroad, which makes free Wi-Fi access through social login further useful.

3. Enhanced brand image

Social Wi-Fi is key to boost your brand image and increase your bookings quickly. According to Aviva’s Holiday Report, 90% of millennials post updates to social media, and almost a third of the interviewed young travelers post pictures and selfies on their social media walls during their holiday. Also, according to The Independent, 40.1% of the millennial generation choose a holiday venue depending on its “Instagrammability”. Hoteliers should take advantage of social shareability and ask guests to like their Facebook pages or share their location when they access their free Wi-Fi network. Through this “viral word of mouth”, you can quickly increase your brand visibility and benefit from positive guest comments and reviews on platforms like TripAdvisor. Thanks to the customizable login page offered by Tanaza, you can add both “Facebook Likes” and “Facebook Check-ins” in a simple way. Also, you can build your login page in more than 60 languages, making your guest experience even further personalized!

4. Improved guest experience

Free Wi-Fi is a powerful tool to better understand your guest’s needs and improve your services accordingly, as well. Indeed, user data collected during the guest login flow is full of useful information, such as gender, age, country, interests, etc. Thanks to the Tanaza Analytics Dashboard, you can access this data in real-time and leverage it to run statistics, to create tailored marketing campaigns, or to offer customized offers to your guests. For instance, you can send personalized emails to offer room upgrades to your most loyal customers at a discounted rate, or you can promote your new spa treatments to your female guests. Through free guest Wi-Fi, hotels can segment and know better travelers, dividing new from returning guests, and innovate their offerings based on their expectations.