How does WiFi quality affect a hotel’s online reputation?

Experiences that are created not only in the hotel itself, but also those connected to the brand as a whole also have to be taken care of as much as possible, because they influence guests’ opinions. In turn, these opinions greatly affect customer loyalty and the ability to attract new guests, and consequently, this can all have an effect on the hotel’s income.

WiFi is one of the most greatly valued services in a hotel and is a key expectation when it comes to guest satisfaction. Correctly functioning hotel WiFi is therefore essential nowadays. Guests see WiFi as a primordial necessity while they are on holiday, and if it is not working properly, the hotel can receive numerous complaints and could even lose brand perception quality and suffer a consequent decrease in the hotel’s global score.

According to a study carried out in 2019 by the prestigious journal Hospitality Technology (1), the main technologies which have an impact on a guest’s decision to book a hotel or not are free WiFi (84%), an easy and intuitive booking procedure (79%), photos and videos of the property (75%), and positive reviews of the property (71%).

Each of these technologies significantly exceeds belonging to a hotel loyalty programme, which was cited by 46% of those questioned as an important factor. Guests’ testimonials are a critical factor in decision making, much more than the incentives that a loyalty programme could offer them, however tempting these might be.

This same study revealed that three quarters of those questioned stated that hotel technology is a primordial factor affecting their loyalty and likelihood of them returning to a property. When they were asked whether they would be prepared to pay slightly higher fees for better technological experiences, two thirds of them said that they would, and one third said that they would pay at least ten dollars more.

This shows that a hotel that is technologically well-equipped, with equipment that makes the guest’s experience more positive, not only influences guest satisfaction but also growth and profit for the company.

Which WiFi features do guests value most and why?

In an interview with the journal Hospitality Technology, Donna Cobb from American telecommunications company Comcast shared her vision on the role that network technology, and WiFi in particular, plays more and more when it comes to gaining customer loyalty. “Often hospitality businesses overlook the number of devices that are accessing the WiFi, and the impact on responsiveness. Most guests are carrying three connected devices, so it is essential to provide adequate bandwidth for a great experience. In hotels, as an example, a guest’s stay is not confined to the hotel room. There needs to be seamless access in all public areas as well”.

A correctly functioning network is now more important than ever because guests expect the hotel’s Internet to be as quick and reliable as the network that they use in their own homes. They want a hassle-free experience throughout the property, and on any device from the moment they connect it, regardless of whether they are using a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or wearable.

We must bear in mind that the guest profile has evolved in the last few years and as a result, how the average guest uses the hotel’s services, including the WiFi, has also changed. For example, connection quality is vital for digital nomads, because it is fundamental for them to be able to use their mobile phones, tablets, and computers to make video-calls, to work and to stay connected. Internet is therefore now a critical service for both remote working and leisure.

A study carried out by Temple University in the USA (2) analysed the relationship between guest satisfaction and hotel WiFi, revealing that the aspects that the guests valued the most were having a network that is easy to connect to, secure, quick, and free of charge. Specifically, it became obvious that there is a positive correlation between these aspects and the guests’ intention to return to the hotel, likelihood that they would recommend the hotel to family or friends and eWOM, and their general satisfaction.

Having a quick and reliable network can therefore be a distinguishing element for a property, which is necessary if they are to become more competitive in a setting where potential guests demand more and more quality technological services.

How to get a quick and secure network

In order to be able to offer a good connection at all times, it is important to carry out an audit of the infrastructure and its functioning. To do this, you must check the entire system, (routers, switches, access points, firewalls, servers etc,) to know what state they are in and to see whether any adjustments or changes are needed, and to analyse and detect performance, capacity, or wireless signal coverage deficiencies.

In fact, one of the main reasons why a property does not have a good connection is often because they do not have an adequate system. To offer WiFi coverage in all areas of the hotel: rooms, shared areas, dining room, restaurants, bar, pool and everywhere else, it is necessary to think carefully about location of the cables and antennae.

However, despite having an optimum system and each component apparently working correctly, one-off network errors may occur. Normally when these incidents occur, swift action can be taken to resolve them and mitigate any inconvenience caused to guests which might change their perception of the service.

On most occasions these incidents can be resolved there and then without the need for an IT technician. For these cases, we have developed a system called WiFiBot which automatically resolves these Internet connection problems.

How does WiFiBot help to improve a hotel’s Internet connection?

WiFiBot is a tool which connects to all the different devices of the hotel’s WiFi in a way that allows it to monitor the state of the system and any element connected to the network at all times, regardless of the manufacturer.

At the same time, it will proactively monitor the network to detect performance problems and continuously evaluate the components to maintain and optimise its availability and therefore avoid inactivity time or network errors.

When WiFiBot detects a problem, it can resolve it itself remotely. If there is no remote solution to the error, it is able to indicate the origin of a problem.

In addition, it analyses all the relevant information derived from guests’ use of the WiFi, which can be viewed from a dashboard that both hotel staff and the technicians can access.

WiFiBot success stories

One example of improved reputation after implementing this advanced solution is BLUESEA. Thanks to WiFiBot, several hotels in their chain have improved their global score for WiFi on Booking, and consequently, their guests’ satisfaction has improved:

As we can see, WiFi plays a key role in guest satisfaction. The quality of the service received is a determining factor because it affects the score that the guest gives the property and has an impact on their online reputation. To achieve good results, it is fundamental to efficiently manage WiFi networks, optimize them, monitor them, and take advantage of them.

(1)  Annual Customer Engagement Technology Study – Hospitality Technology (2019).

(2)  The Influence of WiFi Service on Hotel Customer Satisfaction – School of Tourism & Hospitality Management, Temple University (2017).