Challenge

While providing free Wi-Fi services as expected by today’s guests, Hotels leadership understood that to actually achieve satisfaction and not risk the property’s reputation, free Wi-Fi must come with the ability to offer a fast and uninterrupted online experience. With a majority of guests now attempting to connect multiple high-powered personal devices, the property realized that its existing network infrastructure could no longer cope with the demands placed on it. The Hotels therefore sought out an upgrade that could guarantee high-performance online connectivity throughout all on-site areas regardless of the number of devices attempting to connect at any one time.

In deciding to partner with Activeprism Technology, The Hotels was able to achieve this goal throughout the property by leveraging the company’s leading expertise and access to the latest in network infrastructure technology. By installing advanced Activeprism's access points in strategic areas for example, Activeprism Technology could ensure that guest devices would receive a strong, consistent and fast Wi-Fi signal regardless of their location within the hotel. Also vital was HIS’ ability to implement a network that could accommodate a multitude of devices attempting to connect at any one time, guaranteeing that each device obtains a sufficient level of bandwidth to operate online seamlessly.

To further ensure that guests are able to receive only the highest quality in Wi-Fi connectivity, Activeprism Technology also provides The Hotels with Net4Guest Guest WiFi Management software, the ability to monitor network health in real time as well as the ability to maintain direct control over usage at all times. Additional features include the ability to analyze the number of users online as well as the option to open tickets with 24/7 support, minimizing the risk that any arising issue will adversely affect guest satisfaction levels.

Project Requirements

Implement a Wi-Fi network upgrade able to accommodate a multitude of guest devices and capable of providing high-speed connectivity throughout all hotel areas.
Ensure ongoing high-quality performance of the network to prevent any reduction in guest satisfaction.

Solution

Utilize Activeprism Technology expertise and use of the latest in network technology to install advanced Activeprism's access point hardware within strategic areas, ensuring a fast, strong and consistent signal for all guest devices.
Provide hotel staff with the ability to monitor network health in real-time along with the ability to receive immediate customer support on a 24/7 basis..

oday, great Wi-Fi is seems to be more about just connecting devices,but actually it is about connecting people with your brand. People spend more than 50% of their time on Wi-Fi. Your guest network must be able to not only handle this growing traffic, but also to identify and engage your most loyal guests.A growing segment of hotel guests, called Silent Travellers by  Skift , rely more on technology than human interaction and connecting with this group can be difficult. By leveraging the Wi-Fi, you not only add value to their stay, you open up countless doors for guest engagement.

Below we outline The Top 5 Hotel WI-FI Hurdles And How To Overcome with NET4GUEST:

1. Just offering Wi-Fi isn’t good enough, it has to be great

It used to be that hotel Wi-Fi was all about speeds and feeds. Local hotel IT managers solved slow Internet performance by throwing more bandwidth at the problem. Today, with the proliferation of mobile devices and bandwidth-hogging applications, hotels need to constantly upgrade their infrastructure to keep up with the voracious demand.At the same time, infrastructure needs (and therefore costs) have gone up, guest's willingness to pay for Wi-Fi has plummeted. According to Hotel Management, most business travellers would book directly if they got free Wi-Fi. Additionally, more than half of all travellers read online reviews before booking a stay. If your online reviews reflect any negativity towards your Wi-Fi, you are sure to lose some of those direct bookings and potentially loyal guests.

2. Bandwidth is just the beginning of great Wi-Fi

Having a big enough bandwidth pipe to support your guest Internet needs is important, but it’s really just the beginning of delivering great guest Wi-Fi. Hotels need to think beyond just a bigger pipe to solve their Wi-Fi performance issues.Throwing more bandwidth at the problem isn’t always the answer. In fact, many hotels have plenty of bandwidth. They just have no way of managing or even seeing how that bandwidth is utilised across the property.

3. Disparate systems and providers make Wi-Fi hard to manage

Property-level networking is a tricky business. Historically, guest Wi-Fi was something that was managed at the property level with local information technology or general managers selecting the hardware and service provider to manage the experience. This practice resulted in different experiences at each location within a brand. From inconsistent login pages and processes to varying prices, the guest Wi-Fi experience left a lot to be desired.A central authentication platform should make it easy to deliver high-performance Wi-Fi across all devices, locations, and providers. Dynamic authentication options, from short-form to Passpoint™ to social authentication, allow you to deliver a Wi-Fi experience that guest loves.A robust central authentication platform (like Eleven) streamlines the delivery of great guest Wi-Fi.

4. Wi-Fi is a commodity that’s hard to monetise

It’s important that we have started to shift the way we think about Wi-Fi. It’s no longer just an IT function; it is a true business asset. Investing in Wi-Fi should be a crucial part of your loyalty strategy. It’s important that you, your staff and meeting planners have control over the Internet service offered to various audiences, including hotel guests, conference attendees, and loyalty members. Not only is it valuable for guests to be able to choose their own plan, you can also recoup some of your network costs this way. In fact a recent study of ours showed that 17% of guests chose a higher tier of Internet service when given the option.

5. Managing guest Wi-Fi is too expensive

Delivering and maintaining a great guest Wi-Fi experience is an investment in guest loyalty, but it doesn’t have to be too expensive. In fact, this final hurdle isn’t really a hurdle after all. For the same cost as stocking your guest rooms with shampoo, you can deliver killer guest Wi-Fi. You won’t lose loyalty over some lousy shampoo, but you will over poor Wi-Fi.

overcome all the wi-fi hurdles in your hotel by just choosing a solution with https://www.activeprism.net/net4guest.html