Hotel Wi-Fi access not good enough

Travellers are abandoning their hotel rooms to seek out cheaper Wi-Fi access in local bars and coffee shops, according to a study.

The high prices charged by some hotels for Wi-Fi access means that customers often shun the facilities, choosing instead to take their business to nearby outlets that offer the same service for less, or even for free.

The average charge for Wi-Fi access in a hotel was £10 per day, according to the research. Travellers would often get stung for twice as much if they used the Wi-Fi facilities in the morning and again in the evening, as the cut-off point for charges would be in the middle of the day.

“Our research shows that Wi-Fi is one of the most important and most requested facilities in hotels for business travellers, ahead of leisure and even parking facilities,” said Tony Walsh, development director at LateRooms.com, the company that carried out the research.

Walsh advised people looking for hotels with Wi-Fi access to find out about minimum charges, bandwidth limits and the security of the Wi-Fi network before booking.

“The UK hotel industry is missing a trick as fast internet access is becoming one of the key differentiators for hotels looking to attract valuable business guests,” said Walsh.

http://www.laterooms.com/

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