A hotel that does not offer internet service in the room is no longer conceived; whether paid or free, this element has become the key that opens the doors to loyalty, preference and customer satisfaction.
by María Cecilia Hernández Ocampo
Connection and communication 24 hours a day, seven days a week, is one of the greatest demands of all types of guests, without paying attention to the objective of their trip. Whether for business or pleasure, travelers are clear about their needs and conditions when choosing the hotel where they will stay: Internet enters the list.
The decisive factors to take one or another hotel, depends largely on the type of guest, although the gap is getting narrower.
"If we talk about a holiday tourist, he will surely look for large social spaces and recreational events for his family. The issue of the economy and proximity to tourist spots are important issues for this style of guest," explained Juan Leonardo Correa, National President of the Colombian Association of Hotels and Tourism (Cotelco).
The official clarifies that "if we talk about a corporate tourist, he will surely look for specialized service, good internet connection, proximity to points where his event is held or where he has meetings. It will also seek ease to exchange currencies and restaurants that offer food according to their needs of immediacy, "
However, as far as Internet connection is concerned, there seems to be no distinction, everyone wants, at least once a day, to check their emails, communicate with their friends or family or, in short, be connected to their world, work or personal.
As Jorge Barahona, general manager of the boutique hotel Monterilla, located in Viña del Mar, Chile, points out, "being everywhere through the network today is vital. Today guests come at least with their notebooks, but the growing normal is that they also access from their smartphones or other devices and demand more bandwidth and quality."
Why do the big chains charge it?
Nowadays it becomes unimaginable that there is a hotel that does not have Internet service, even many travelers consider it inappropriate for the hotel to charge this service independently, especially when it comes to hotels categorized as five stars or large global hotel chains.
Even so, and with all the dissatisfaction expressed by guests for this situation, many of the large chains continue to charge this service separately and the internet seems to be a territory conquered only by medium and small establishments.
Why this difference in the way the service is offered? In Barahona's consideration "The Internet is like water, it must be yes or yes in the basic services of any hotel. Can you imagine if at the time of charging you in the account you were charged the daily water consumption? Absurd! This service should be embedded in the final price as a lower cost."
For his part, José Caro Cohen, Director – Business Development of the Hilton Ponce Golf & Casino Resort in Puerto Rico, explains that "for chain hotels, which generally have greater inventory, the service requires greater bandwidth and higher installation and maintenance costs, since the client expects to receive a standardized level of service regardless of the location of the Hotel, and in several languages. In addition, it affects a higher cost of technical support, which is not free, either provided by own or outsourced personnel. "
Another explanation is offered by Thierry Baurez, Director of Marketing and Sales of Trump Ocean Club International Hotel & Tower, in Panama: "In some large hotels the installation of the internet is very expensive and in order to guarantee a good service you have to invest large sums of money monthly. It is for this reason that some hotels have to charge a certain share to guests. Another reason is that luxury hotels generally have more elaborate design and architecture, with walls and finishes that hinder the good reception of the signal and that is why you have to invest in expensive receivers."
Baurez added that in the simplest hotels it is easier for the signal to be good without having to install too many receivers. "Finally, the fixed costs of a hotel with three or fewer stars are less than a five-star hotel and therefore can more easily absorb the cost of the internet."
It's not a luxury, it's a necessity
In some countries, the provision of this service has been standardized, as if it were a basic service such as energy or water.
In the case of Colombia, the president of Cotelco informs that "it is the obligation of the hotels, from Law 1558, to include and discriminate the total of the specified and specified expenses, as well as the costs thereof. Although many hotels include the cost of internet within the rate, the total cost and scope of the service must be announced in all advertising issued by the hotel, as well as the detail of the service must be explained to the guest before making the registration with which he will be aware of what he is buying. "
For Jose Pinto, Director of Information Technology Mexico & Latin America at InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), "The Internet has become a basic service that hotels must offer and guests expect to receive. Today, this service is considered a fundamental necessity and not a luxury. So it is essential that today's hotels provide this service in their rooms, such as the water coming out of the tap. It is also important that the internet connection is perceived as reliable and secure."
No one doubts the importance that information technologies have acquired, precisely for this reason, when designing the Internet offer model and effectively offering the service, it is necessary to be clear about some aspects, such as the quality of the service, the capacity, the technical conditions of the establishment, the philosophy of the hotel, whether it will be free or for payment and one more factor: who will be its users. Although this condition is gradually forgotten since being connected became a general need.
Laura Malone, from the Riu Hotels chain, points out that "today the Internet has become an indispensable service for the client. It is their means of communication with the family while they are traveling, their source of information and their way of being connected to their jobs if they wish. Our chain has been purely vacation for more than 50 years and while the internet was considered a work tool it was a service that we do not provide in our hotels, but now we have been providing this service in our hotels for years because even vacation travelers demand it. "
A service for all types of guests
Precisely, on the subject of the profile of guests who request as a necessity the Internet service Malone emphasizes that "all guests demand internet. It has become an essential means of communication. An example of this is that telephone spending in hotels has dropped significantly."
José Pinto, for his part, clarifies that although there is no difference in the use or not of the internet, there is in the objective of that use: "The difference is in the frequency and type of use. Some guests such as business travelers may require a high-speed connection that is quite reliable and secure. But in essence all guests expect to receive this service, even those who plan to visit resort hotels and who are on vacation."
His opinion is shared by José Caro, who said that although the business traveler is still the leader in the use of the internet, the expectation of leisure customers to have this service is growing, "to have the option to use social media and share their travel experiences at the moment, given the already massive use of Smartphones and Tablets at a particular level".
"I believe that in this sense Latin American hotels and especially those in countries such as Peru, Argentina and Colombia, have made a commitment to integrate the internet into all their services. There is no doubt that there is still much to advance in this regard, but progress is beginning to be seen in the region, "concludes the president of Cotelco.
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