Delivering High-Speed Wi-Fi to Hotel Guests: The Right Infrastructure and Network Design
It is no secret that Wi-Fi access is a must-have for hotels of all sizes. Bandwidth, bandwidth, bandwidth. There is never enough. With numerous devices in tow, hotels are having trouble keeping up with the growing bandwidth demands. Blanket Wi-Fi coverage has become necessary in all hotels to support more than just guest devices.
Travellers today expect to be able to access the Internet in their hotel room just as they do at home or at the office. This puts a lot of pressure on hoteliers to deliver high-speed Wi-Fi that meets the needs of all guests, from busy families travelling together to business travellers needing to stay in touch with the home office. The good news is that with the right infrastructure and network design, it is possible to deliver Wi-Fi speeds that will keep everyone happy.
One of the most important factors in delivering Wi-Fi that meets the needs of all guests is having enough bandwidth. Bandwidth is the amount of data that can be transmitted over a network at one time, and it is essential to have enough of it to support all of the activities that guests want to do online.
How much bandwidth does a hotel need?
To calculate how much bandwidth a hotel needs, consider the services guests are likely to use. Of course, it’s unlikely that your guests will use all that bandwidth at the same time. But with infrastructure like Leased Line that can handle that level of traffic, you're safeguarded against the possibility. Also, the infrastructure needs to support hotel business operations like email, online booking systems, and cloud services.
The high number of guest devices, the applications those devices are using (such as surfing, streaming, videoconferencing, file sharing, gaming), Internet of things and the smart hotel room, and back-of-the-house operations all contribute to bandwidth usage.
The amount of bandwidth required varies considerably based on the hotel's goals, the hotel's environment, and its guests' usage patterns at any one moment.
According to a study conducted by Statista, 89% of hotel guests considered free and seamless internet access essential. According to Hotels.com's most recent poll, 56% of corporate travellers consider free and fast Internet to be the most important aspect while selecting a hotel. Furthermore, negative guest reviews regarding poor Wi-Fi connection have been shown to result in cancellations for both premium and budget hotels.
Having a solid Wi-Fi infrastructure and strategy
Hotel Wi-Fi hotspots are a type of wireless network access point that extends the range of an established network. As such, it is important to have various hotel Wi-Fi access points strategically located throughout your hotel. They expand the number of users that may connect to a network without affecting internet speeds. The number of devices that one access point can handle is generally between 20 and 100, with the average person owning over 3 gadgets, such as a smartphone, laptop and tablet.
Why bandwidth is key to building your brands guest experience
As a hotelier, your goal is to provide a one-of-a-kind, outstanding, and seamless guest experience in order to increase guest loyalty.
To elevate your brand and differentiate yourself from your competitors you need to deliver exceptional services in every aspect of the guest journey. As a result, by delivering a quality and consistent hotel Wi-Fi experience, you can earn pleased and loyal consumers who would be interested in making future reservations.
Hotel Wi-Fi offers hoteliers many upsell opportunities to help drive engagement and revenue.
Position services or products to guests with QR codes and NFC.
Customers may also leave comments on your Facebook and Instagram posts, which will be shown to other users in their feeds. You can also ask your customers for additional feedback using popular booking sites like Tripadvisor, Expedia and Google Reviews.
When your visitors log on to your hotel's Wi-Fi, you may utilize this portal by getting guests to download your hotel app or promote discounts or products and services available.
Digital Key Door Access Control can be used to provide a streamlined and convenient guest experience, by eliminating the need for guests to carry around physical keys or cards.
Ensure your hotel's operations run like clockwork
Hotels all across the world are counting on smooth operations to provide exceptional guest experiences. Slow networks may have a detrimental influence on the speed and efficiency of your hotel's activities, which will undoubtedly impact your guests' experiences.
Here's a short rundown of technologies that may be reliant on the speed and capability of your hotel's Wi-Fi access points, each of which needs fast internet connectivity:
CCTV
PMS
Payment Card machines (PDQs)
Tablets & Laptops
Web-based platforms
Housekeeping
Remote check-in
Concierge service
Door Access Control
In-Room Entertainment
How to start building an effective Bandwidth and Wi-Fi strategy
Plan your network effectively, covering all areas of your hotel by firstly establishing strong and consistent wireless coverage throughout your hotel by deploying technological solutions that are capable of handling the needs of your network.
Siemlus works with you to gather the requirements of your network and design your network to implement wireless solutions that deliver maximum coverage, high-speed connectivity with enhanced levels of flexibility. Wi-Fi has very much become the heart of how technology is distributed to the masses.
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