What does Captive WiFi Portal mean to the hotel industry?

One of the most important technologies in the hotel is WiFi, both for the guest and the employees. It has been proved that nowadays, connection to the network can also be an asset from a sales and marketing perspective since it makes it possible to compile, store and manage highly valuable guest data, AKA Hotel Data.

A knowledge that helps to produce optimisable sales and marketing campaigns that not only help to attract new customers but also to turn them into loyal repeat guests.

But, why is WiFi connectivity so crucial for a hotel?

We must consider that, in the last few years, mobile devices or smartphones have become a key element in our everyday lives. You’ve probably noticed yourself that most of your customers can’t live without them. For example, business travellers need to be connected in case they receive an important email, to browse the Internet or get in touch with clients or colleagues.

When it comes to pleasure and leisure travel, even if guests come to take a break, most of them use their mobile devices to share their experience on their social media profiles. And this is crucial for your hotel since, when they share with their friends what their holidays are like, they are also sharing promotional content about your brand.

And since in both cases connection to the Internet is a must, all guests expect to have a WiFi network available in all hotel areas. Hence, the expectations of today’s travellers include an interest to use the Internet during their stay, whether for business or pleasure.

With a rise of this consumption habits, as expected, specific technological applications have been developed to cater to the needs and preferences of these consumers while helping you to know your guests more by capturing relevant data during their stay. This is possible thanks to systems such as the Captive WiFi Portal.

What is Captive WiFi Portañ?

Captive WiFi Portal is the guest data collection system through the WiFi connection. This new system makes it possible for hotel properties to boost their business while making the most of new technologies, allowing that, when the guest logs in to the property’s WiFi network, their browsing data start to be collected and registered on the hotel’s database.

Remember that, by analysing the browsing behaviour of a user on the Internet, it is possible to create more specific profiles of potential customers as well as to analyse their satisfaction indexes. This will make it possible to optimise your sales and marketing strategies gaining more customers while improving your repeat guests’ loyalty strategies.

This WiFi marketing software is a new communication channel designed to attract more customers and retain loyal customers.

How is it possible to collect this data?

Previously, when a hotel offered complimentary WiFi to its guests, either it wasn’t available in all hotel areas or it didn’t have the right infrastructure to obtain quality data. Nowadays, with a Captive WiFi Portal system, it is indeed possible.

Traditionally, the WiFi networks available in hotels required that guests entered a user and password to connect. With the technology of this captive WiFi portal system, guests can connect easier to the property’s network through a web form. This implies that it is not necessary for guests to log in through a new user and password, which may slow the data obtention process down.

Once the guest has connected to the hotel’s WiFi network, it is possible to start obtaining validated and verified data in real-time, in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Obviously, this system must guarantee a safe connection from all the areas in the hotel and ensure that the criteria of the new European law on the use and storage of data are met.

The truth is that contact data are fundamental for the correct practice of all sales, marketing and revenue actions. Without them, it would be impossible to know customers and optimise strategies. Therefore, it would also be possible to complement the contact database with information obtained through the PMS. In this way, it would be possible to develop even more complete guest profiles, that could be used to create accurate segments, which are extremely useful for all strategies and operations.

Summarising, what can Captive WiFi Portal contribute to in your hotel?

1. Building a database verified in real-time.

The email of your guest and the details that are registered during their connection to your WiFi network are verified in real-time; the process meets GDPR policies at all times. It is an opportunity to build your own database and increase your current customers’ data.

2. Being closer to the guest.

Captive WiFi Portal helps to study the behaviour and preferences of your guests. This makes it possible to analyse which is their level of satisfaction and to check which services it is necessary to improve in order to improve the quality of the experience.

3. Personalising the guest experience.

Make the WiFi browsing experience stand out from your competitors’. You can prepare a personalised captive portal for your hotel or even offer a reward to your guests when connecting to the WiFi network (that they can exchange during their stay or in a future reservation).

4. Improving online reputation.

Due to the effective direct communication that this tool offers, it is possible to perform satisfaction surveys during the stay, taking it as a preventive measure so that any kind of dissatisfaction can be addressed promptly to generate positive comments on online reputation platforms.

5. Improving your strategic actions.

With the new database that the Captive Wifi Portal enables to create, you can make the most of the information to develop strategies that are more effective both to capture new guests and to turn current ones into loyal customers. This is why it is key that the Captive Wifi Portal system of your choice is suited to hotels, so that data that may benefit your property is not missed.