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• Cheryl Clarke of evential 15/11/2011
  

  As an events business we work with hotels of all sizes throughout the world. It is a definite advantage when hotels offer free Wi-Fi to guests, particularly when we have an ever increasing number of clients requesting internet access for presentations, online demonstrations and social media tools including Facebook, Twitter and Skype.
  
  As an innovative business we offer our clients technologically advanced booking systems available 24/7 which all require internet access. If we have to pay for Wi-Fi the additional costs have to be passed on to the client. This has meant that hotels with free Wi-Fi are more cost effective and therefore a more appealing option, particularly when some clients require two or three day conference facilities with internet access both during the delegate sessions and within the hotel rooms that they are staying.
  
  Roaming charges for international delegates are a very real and common problem, which can be avoided by offering free Wi-Fi access. During difficult times, clients are conscious of every last penny that they are paying and when some hotels can be charging in excess of £5 per hour for Wi-Fi or £20 per connection they become unfeasible as an option.
  
  It is essential that hotel groups work with their Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to renegotiate agreements and contracts. We come across groups who have fixed agreements in place, which mean they have no choice but to pass costs back to customers. This simply isn’t going to be acceptable moving forward and will result in companies, such as our own, going elsewhere.
  
  We are supporting the campaign launched by the Association of British Professional Conference Organisers (ABPCO), which is seeking to encourage all UK-based hotels to provide free Wi-Fi access for delegates. The purpose of the campaign, which is called Conference Cloud, is to encourage more overseas business to the UK. Although some people may dismiss Wi-Fi as a consideration for visitors, we know that it is taken into account and that people rely on the fact that they can have free internet access as standard.
  
  Cloud computing is becoming increasingly popular, allowing business men and women to access their files via the internet at any time of the day or night and from any location with Wi-Fi. On that basis alone it makes commercial sense to encourage delegates to stay in hotels which will provide free access, allowing them to work as and when they want too – rather than having to rely on hourly charges or day rates.
  
  A further point raised by ABPCO is that there is no standardisation of charges, which leaves delegates unsure of what they should expect to pay, if anything. As many cities throughout the world now have free Wi-Fi on offer, it goes without saying that the UK has to maintain a competitive position and create revenue models that work for them, as well as their guests.
  
  Those hotels that want to attract business should be focusing on the bigger picture. They should be attracting guests and delegates with free internet access and offering this as an added value service. Longer term, these are the establishments, in my opinion, which will be more profitable and will entice repeat business.
  
  Cheryl Clarke
  MD
  evential

http://www.theconferencecloud.co.uk