Now that technology is becoming more advanced day by day, present generations are sitting with the digital world at their fingertips.

For a traveler who wants to choose the best place to spend his holidays, he does not only lookout for fun places to travel with friends or/and family, and nice vacation spots near him but also thinks of the city with many social amenities and infrastructures, including free internet connection

We’ve partnered with KBR, business WiFi provider, to investigate whether a free internet connection is now one of the main factors travelers consider before searching and booking a hotel room during traveling.

Even though this is debatable, tourists do like places with free internet and places where pocket WiFi routers can be gotten and subscription to MIFI rental service.

However, Europe is generally a preferred destination to most tourists probably because of connectivity, not just in terms of a network as Japan is also well advanced in mobile connection on the go.

The New trend of Booking a Holiday

Travelers have high expectations from travel agents and airlines when booking a trip away, making such companies to have rethink their marketing strategies.

When it comes to the millennial demographic, 46% book travel using their mobile device, which means websites must be optimized, easy to navigate, mobile-friendly, load very fast, and responsive to fit customer needs.

There are also more travel booking apps than before; some of the apps are built by travel agencies and airlines while some are built by independent companies and individuals for tips on travel destinations, reviews of travel-related services, and for users to interact in a community created on the apps.

To prove how much technology has impacted the way we travel, a survey shows that 87% look to popular social media platforms, like Facebook, for travel inspiration, meaning that they are using the internet before they make a sound decision for booking a holiday.

Research suggests that a free internet connection is a deciding factor for those traveling for business purposes and also those traveling for leisure. But what were the statistics surrounding these types of travelers?

Traveling for Business

49% of those who traveled to have business said that free Wi-Fi was more important to them than anything else.

This was followed by free breakfast that came at a poor 14%, proximity to mass transit, transportation, and shops all at 11%, and a small 6% about having a comfortable work chair and a desk in a room which comes as a surprise due to the purpose of their trip.

For a businessperson, a free internet connection is essential to ensure that work gets done on their trip, and being able to communicate with people from around the world is vital to ensure that client demands are met.

Traveling for Leisure

When leisure travelers were contacted, only 25% of them placed priority on internet hotspots.

What’s more, 22% required a free breakfast after their night’s stay, 15% had free parking at the forefront of their minds and 10% needed a hotel with a swimming pool included before booking.

According to research, 65% of people log on to guest Wi-Fi in under ten minutes of arrival, showing the significance of an internet connection in our lives in this digital age.

Hoteliers Understanding Traveler trends

A question commonly asked is what is more important, is it the location of the hotel or an internet connection?

When hotel guests were asked, 67% said Wi-Fi connection was the deciding factor on whether they chose a hotel or not, topping 65% of people who said they would decide purely on geographic location.

This could be because transport has become more efficient around the country, with most services also introducing free Wi-Fi connection to commuters.

When asked, 58% of guests in a hotel also said that they cared about a good night’s sleep, surprising after looking at the Wi-Fi statistics. But what can hoteliers do to work with what customers are demanding?

According to a report, 56% of hoteliers have assigned larger budgets to create technological advancements within their hotels.

This was because, on average, short-term guests will bring up to three devices and guests that are staying for longer periods tend to bring more, showing that hotels must start to meet the demands of their consumers to stay on top.

It is now important to make the bold step towards creating better values if you’re having business in the hospitality industry.