We all expect wireless everywhere - from hotel rooms and the lobby to uninterrupted connectivity at that trade conference, in the meeting room or during breakout sessions. However, the days of just checking emails and surfing the web are long gone. Today, people want to stream videos, check emails on the move, video chat and access secure applications and services whenever and wherever they want. And this is where so many hospitality institutions are failing.Wi-Fi is the most requested guest amenity in today's hospitality world. It has to be pervasive and consistent, and it has to support the multitude of devices that guests and staff bring onto the propertyYes, the majority have Wi-Fi, but connectivity is poor, inconsistent and not secure. Take for example my recent family staycation over the Easter holidays in a very well-known woodland setting. Wireless was available in the main communal areas - useful, but not in the accommodation itself. It is here that you are most likely to use the Wi-Fi to stream movies and check those work emails when the children are in bed so I was astounded that Wi-Fi was not available. After all, at the core of the hospitality industry is customer satisfaction, so why not offer it as a way to keep customers happy and use it as a way promote re-bookings - generating additional revenue for their business.With billions of devices being shipped every year, the hospitality industry needs to keep up with this explosion and use connectivity as a way to engage with guests and to provide revenue generating opportunities. Today, Wi-Fi is the utility that customers have come to expect - good connectivity will bring you repeat business whereas a poor wireless experience will result in the loss of future business. You can't just offer Wi-Fi - it needs to be implemented correctly to guarantee the staying power of your customers.
