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Does Wi-Fi influence our travel decisions?

by eva.katona@yahoo.com

Millennials are up to date with all things digital and it can influence how they make life choices. When it comes to travelling, more people seem to be jetting off, and what once was seen as a luxury has now become a necessity for the younger generation.

The mindset of a traveller

With travelling around the world becoming more common, people have higher expectations which has led to companies intertwined with booking a vacation adjusting their marketing methods. A lot of people travels for work too these days. Read this good story of a London SEO expert success. When it comes to the millennial demographic, 46% book travel through a smartphone which means websites must be optimised and responsive to fit customer needs. To validate how much digital perks have impacted the way we travel, 87% look to popular social media platform, Facebook, for travel inspiration, meaning that they are using the internet before they lay down any solid foundations for booking a holiday.

Research presented by Statista acknowledged that a Wi-Fi connection is important to both people travelling on business and those travelling to relax. But what were the statistics surrounding these types of travellers? 

Travelling on business

Almost half (49%) of business travellers required a free Wi-Fi connection above other necessities. This was followed by free breakfast, which came at a poor 14%, proximity to mass transit, transportation and shops all at 11%, and a small 6% with regard to having a comfortable work chair and a desk in a room — which comes as a surprise due to the purpose of their trip. 

As you would expect, business travellers require a hotspot connection to keep on top of business calls and messages. Some internet providers have hotspots around the place that are free to use for customers. Xfinity is one such provider, and they have over 8 million hotspots so those who are not yet customers may wish to take a look at these xfinity internet deals to see if they can switch to an Xfinity plan in order to make use of these hotspots. When travelling, a businessperson must be responsive to clients and other colleagues, meaning that communication is vital and this has made more hotels become more compliant with business needs.

Travelling for leisure

However, when we looked at those taking a holiday to relax, only 25% looked for free Wi-Fi. What’s more, 22% required a free breakfast after their night’s stay, 15% had free parking at the forefront of their minds and 10% needed a hotel with a swimming pool included before booking.

It’s important to understand the impact an internet connection can have on a consumer and how we’ve became so reliant on the world wide web — it’s known that 65% of guests connect within the first seven minutes of their check-in.

Hotels adapting for consumer appreciation

What should be an easy question to answer, a London hotel asked what was more important — geographical presence of the hotel or an internet connection. When guests were asked, 67% said Wi-Fi was the deciding factor on whether they chose a hotel or not, topping 65% of people who said they would decide purely on geographic location. This could be due to the fact that transport has become more efficient around the country, with most services also introducing free Wi-Fi connection to commuters.

After looking at the figures around an internet connection, we were surprised to find that only 58% of travellers cared about a good night’s sleep. But what can hoteliers do to work with what customers are demanding?

56% of hotels said that they were heightening their budget for technology within the hotel, as the implementation of Wi-Fi in rooms is essential to capture the greater market. This was because, on average, short-term guests will bring up to three devices and guests that are staying for longer periods tend to bring more — showing that hotels must start to meet the demands of their consumers to stay on top and highlighting the importance of making bold movements within the accommodation industry.

KBR, business WiFi providers, created this article to highlight the importance of Wi-Fi for the consumer.

Source:

https://web.iceportal.com/8-statistics-millennial-travel-trends/

https://systemagic.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Final-Draft-Hospitality-Report-2017-March.pdf

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-2860465/Fast-free-WiFi-important-consideration-booking-hotel.html

https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2015/08/03/most-travelers-consider-free-wi-fi-the-most-important-factor-in-choosing-a-hotel-infographic/#1857529235cb

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