Would you stay in a hotel without Wi-Fi?

Would you stay in a hotel without Wi-Fi? Could you survive without connecting your phone, tablet or laptop? For some, a weekend break, a two-week holiday or even just a single night away, is time away from a busy office environment.  But for others, the office has to go with them and become a mobile operations centre. More commonly, small business owners cannot disappear for prolonged periods of time without being able to communicate with their office or clients, and therefore the need for Wi-Fi Internet access is a must.

So what would happen when you arrive at the hotel, only to find your Wi-Fi connection picks up nothing? We rely so heavily on being able to connect to the cloud wherever we are, be it at the office, a shopping centre, a train, a taxi or even a plane these days. But to find a business such as a hotel without Wi-Fi is extraordinary, and for many, Wi-Fi is an essential part of our basic need to be able to communicate.

Not only does it affect the consumer but also the hotel, many guests choose their hotel by the amenities the hotel has to offer. For example; swimming pool, gym, fitness centre and room service to name a few. But the percentage of people now choosing their hotel due to Wi-Fi and Internet access has become colossal.  Many guests will choose an alternative hotel even if the hotel has Wi-Fi, even if they charge for it. However, if you are paying for a hotel and the amenities are available to you, should the Wi-Fi not also be free? And not only free but high-speed and offer coverage in all the main areas of the hotel; rooms, restaurants, and even by the pool and bar areas? 

And how can you leave that great review without free Internet access? Yes, you can wait until you get home but aren't you more likely to do it when you actually have time whilst on holiday? How can you tweet or post about your stay and make all your friends and work colleagues jealous? Upload pictures to Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram of the great view? Who doesn't check Trip Advisor or social networks before they book their hotel for the real reviews of the place? Hotels can live and die by a review and rating, having Wi-Fi to enable customers to do this, should be essential.

Yes, we can connect using our mobile data plan but for anyone who has tried to check his or her Facebook account whilst abroad, only to come home to an extortionate mobile bill knows, Wi-Fi is the only way to go. By not offering a connection, you’re forcing your clientèle to leave your hotel in search of an alternative venue that supplies Wi-Fi connectivity. Why stay in the hotel bar or restaurant and order that coffee when you are unable to connect to the internet, when across the street the local coffee house will let you connect for free.

So the questions are, could you stay in a hotel without Wi-Fi or more importantly, why should you? Furthermore, how can a hotel survive without offering its clientèle this simple service, of free Wi-Fi access?