CLEARWATER, FL—Hotel Internet Services (HIS), a full-service provider of internet services and solutions for the hospitality industry, has published a survey conducted on more than 670 guests and 200 hoteliers in order to demonstrate how advances in technology and increasing guest expectations have placed a higher strain on hotel WiFi networks than ever before. Following a similar study published in 2015, the full report provides a detailed analysis of how the presence of high-powered smart devices have skyrocketed in the last four years.
Significant findings from the survey include the fact that more than 90% of hoteliers frequently encounter guests seeking to connect more than one device, demonstrating a 30% increase since 2015’s survey results. Of further note is the growing diversity of device types. Smart watches, for example, have risen in guest adoption numbers by more than 16%. Yet just as significant is the rise in demand for bandwidth-consuming services such as content streaming and casting, with guests seeking the ability to cast from personal devices onto guestroom televisions growing to a new height of 65% since 2015.
Additionally, more than 90% of guest respondents indicated that the ability to access a hotel’s WiFi is “very important,” while another 58% disclosed WiFi service quality as being “highly likely” to impact their booking decisions.
Other noteworthy survey findings demonstrate that while the vast majority of hotelier respondents recognize the importance of WiFi service quality, more than 80% of guest respondents revealed that they continue to encounter an unsatisfactory experience. Survey feedback also indicates that guests are increasingly concerned over the issue of data security, with more than 90% of respondents indicating such a concern. This stands in contrast to the more than 60% of hoteliers who felt that security improvements could still be made to their existing networks.
