Following the results of the Which? survey earlier last week which highlighted a big difference in hotel Wi-Fi fees, Premier Inn is the latest hotel chain to cut its charges, offering 24 hours of connectivity for £3.
Mark Fells, marketing director for Premier Inn, said: “We are always looking at ways to go the extra mile for our guests, and with the rise of smart phones and the demand for mobile internet access we wanted to provide guests with the opportunity to always feels connected.”
Free Wi-Fi initiatives
The 30 minutes of free Wi-Fi lasts for the duration of a stay with metered time, meaning the minutes are only used when guests are actually online. Longer stay guests can also benefit from the new initiative, with unlimited Wi-Fi for one week for just £10.
The new initiative comes in addition to the free service already provided across Whitbread restaurants, Brewers Fayre, Beefeater Grill, Table Table and Taybarns where guests can connect for free at the restaurant or bar.
Rival budget hotel chain Travelodge launched an initiative of their own last year , offering customers free Wi-Fi across its Bar Cafes.
The free hotel Wi-Fi debate is one that has accentuated within the hospitality industry over the past year. A survey of hoteliers in November last year revealed a majority believed free Wi-Fi was the priority for their business travellers, while a separate report earlier in the year discovered that a decent Wi-Fi connection would encourage punters to visit pubs more often.
So, what do you think? Facebook poll…
Should Wi-Fi be offered free by hospitality businesses for unlimited usage by customers? Is Premier Inn’s decision to offer free Wi-Fi for a limited time the best idea? Or perhaps you believe customers should always be charged for their Wi-Fi usage.
Let us know what you think by voting on BigHospitality’s new poll on our Facebook page: 'How should hospitality businesses offer Wi-Fi to their customers?'
Watch this space for the results…
1 comment (Comments are now closed)
Free? Er, well, sort of!
Free Wi-Fi sounds attractive until you realise that it's free for 30 minutes only: so short a time it's probably not worth bothering with!
Most independant hotels, guest houses and B&Bs in our area (and ourselves included) offer free Wi-Fi. And by 'free' we really mean free; free Wi-Fi 24/7! In a highly competitive market it's great to be able to identify yet another area where we beat the big boys!
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Posted by Caroline
11 January 2012 | 17h33