PHG Research Says Free Wi-Fi Numbers Rising

PHG Research released a survey revealing that 87.5 percent of hospitality respondents make Wi-Fi available in all public spaces of their properties, while 70.8 percent make Wi-Fi available in all guest rooms. Additionally, the survey indicates 70.8 percent of these venues provide the service for free in meeting and public spaces, while 60.9 percent provide free Wi-Fi in guest rooms. These numbers are expected to rise.

The survey was compiled and tabulated in mid-March 2014 by PHG Research, which is a division of Pompan Hospitality Global Inc., a strategic consulting firm for conference centers, resorts and hotels.

The survey reveals that technology advances at an aggressive pace, and businesses must keep up by adapting to those advances in ways that satisfy not just customers’ immediate needs but also their broader expectations. And based on a survey completed by executives at 26 dedicated conference facilities in the United States and Canada, this segment is rapidly adapting how it provides and charges for wireless connectivity during meetings and events. (Properties were defined as conference centers because at least two-thirds of their total business comes from meeting and conference groups).

“One of the foundations of the conference center concept is that the learning environment consists of the entire property,” says Tom Cappucci, vice president, Pompan Hospitality Global Inc. “Conference rooms must be equipped to support the present and emerging learning needs of the attendees. But public spaces such as lobbies, prefunction areas, foyers, nooks, and patios are frequently used as venues for additional formal and informal information exchange. As a result, these spaces need the same Wi-Fi support as traditional conference spaces. The use of phones and tablets — easily carried by attendees and easily utilized in ways that can boost a conference’s effectiveness — virtually require easy connectivity as well. Even guest rooms are designed to be a continuation of a property’s learning environment. With these notions in mind, most conference center operators acknowledge that wireless service provided to attendees should be not only consistent in quality, but without additional charges.”

In fact, conference attendees are likely to expect this scenario at conference properties even more in the coming year, as various other public areas they pass through in the course of their business travel provide free Wi-Fi service. For instance, more than 90 percent of the 150 largest U.S. airports were offering free or “freemium” Internet connections by the end of 2013, according to wireless software company Devicescape.

The survey and results are available on the PHG website: http://bit.ly/1hhZRBM

www.pompanhospitality.com