Hotel Confidential: The Electronic Divide (Boomers Confused)

Once upon a time in hotel-motel land.  A good hotel had a color TV, air conditioning  and a pool.  The remotes had eight buttons, the air conditioner had controls right on the unit  or if it where an upscale hotel it had a thermostat on the wall.  A thermostat much like one would have at home.

Today,a poor Wi Fi connection  cost hotel guests.  New hotels are being designed around the new world order.  Millions is being spent updating older properties.    In some hotels a single remote controls the Television, thermostats and lighting.  Universal phone chargers can be found at many upscale hotels and guest can connect PC to room televisions.

Research on internet usage at hotels

• 95 percent of business travelers care if there is Wi-Fi or a wired connection in a hotel
• 63 percent of business travelers confirm, prior to booking, whether a hotel has Internet, 24 percent assume a hotel has guest Internet connections
• A poor hotel Wi-Fi experience influences 36 percent of business travelers on whether they re-book that specific hotel in the future
• Business travelers aged 35-44 are more likely to post complaints on travel websites, followed by 45-54 year olds.
• 79 percent of business travelers return to the same locations on business trips – 22 percent do this frequently
• 17 percent of business travel hotel guests don’t inform the hotel when they have a poor Wi-Fi experience
• 22-34 year-old business travelers are more forgiving with a poor hotel Wi-Fi service with only 25 percent stating it influences whether they book that specific hotel in the future

Reliable WiFi an essential hotel amenity

J.D Power & Associates indicated that Wi-Fi was a “top five ‘must-have’” amenity for hotel guests in a report earlier this year. “With hotels constantly reviewing their repeat hotel occupancy, it is increasingly important to ensure that internet connectivity for hotel guests works consistently,” said Marcio Avillez, vice president of supply management at iPass. “The business traveler needs high-quality internet connectivity at hotels, whether it’s an additional service fee, or free. Hotels cannot afford to overlook Wi-Fi quality as nearly 80 percent of business travelers return to the same destination. A bad Wi-Fi experience impacts half of the business traveler’s decision to re-book at the same hotel or hotel chain.”

Source:http://www.hotelmarketingstrategies.com

Young executives are embracing these changes, however older executives are finding it difficult to connect.

A Visual 

Next time your in a hotel, or at the airport or a coffee house.  Look at the PC’s and their users.  The size and type of his PC can often tell you the age and  status of the user.    With the exception of Netbooks, the smaller the screen the higher the price. The 15 inch is the entry level laptop universally used,however weighing  anywhere from 6 to 9 pounds these beasts can wear down a shoulder at airports.   If your under 35, its about speed, function and portability.  If its status, their looking for it has a piece of fruit on the back, as those small laptops are never on sale and start about 1100.   The user of the huge 17 inch laptops is usually over 5o

The boomers struggle with the technology….Front desk representatives report say most of the people struggling to get online are older guest.      Many hotels have gatekeepers. Requiring the user to user to go through a portal and then use a pass code.     Unfortunately this isn’t uniform, as various chains with the same name use different companies.