When I stay at the hotel, the first thing I do is plop on the bed. Then I log into the hotel’s Wi-Fi network.
I am not alone.
A survey released today, Sept. 17, by mobile services provider iPass (News - Alert) showed that business travelers value Wi-Fi second only to a comfortable bed when it comes to factors that matter most about a hotel. Wi-Fi is a “must-have” for most mobile workers, trumping hotel restaurants, in-room mini-bars and gym facilities.
Unfortunately, most mobile workers also feel that hotel Wi-Fi is not up to snuff.
Roughly 81 percent of those surveyed had experiences with sub-par hotel Wi-Fi within the past year, and almost the same number said that they feel hotel Wi-Fi is limited, slow and unreliable.
Hotels need to take note of the importance of this sentiment, too, because 74 percent said a bad Wi-Fi experience in a hotel would prevent a return visit. While I personally can be swayed by a nice pool, evidently most travelers are quite serious about having reliable Internet access.
Image courtesy Shutterstock
This is not only when workers travel on business, either. The study found that vacation time is connected time for most workers.
“The majority of mobile workers log onto the Internet for business while on holiday, and they’re logging in more often than ever before,” said iPass in a statement.
Five times a day is how many times roughly a third of respondents check their e-mail while on vacation. This is up from 20 percent last year, proving that the smartphone and tablet revolution has accelerated mobile connectivity. The number that log in more than five times a day grew from six percent a year ago to 13 percent today, the study also found.
Wi-Fi on flights is also swaying the mobile professional, a tip that maybe there is something even more valuable than true lie-flat seating. Close to a third of those surveyed by iPass said Wi-Fi is a consideration when choosing a flight.
Part of the reason why Wi-Fi is still so valued even as cellular data access becomes ubiquitous is the perceived cost of using such connectivity while on the road.
Four out of five respondents said they believe that the cost of mobile data roaming is either “too high” or “way too high.” Even if the business travel has a mobile data hotspot, the statistics show, they would rather be connected via Wi-Fi due to cost.
“Wi-Fi is a disruptive technology; it changes the way we work,” said Evan Kaplan, CEO of iPass. He noted that bandwidth-hungry business applications such as cloud apps, video conferencing and other unified communication tools demand quality Internet that Wi-Fi is best able to deliver.
Hotels and other places that offer hotspots should take note.
Edited by Rory J. Thompson