If you are in the hospitality sector and not offering ‘Guest WiFi’ you may be missing a trick. Many are seeing the value and benefits as guests and customers nowadays increasingly expect and return to establishments that offer a reliable WiFi connection – allowing access the internet ‘on the go.’ Whether you are in retail, run a restaurant, hotel, bar or guesthouse guests now invariably expect free WiFi connectivity.
Guest WiFi is a separate WiFi network that is available exclusively to visitors to your business, as opposed to your employees. Technically, a guest WiFi network is a separate access point on your business broadband router.
It connects guests to a different point from your internal network, meaning they will have quicker internet access whilst protecting access to all of your business data or files.
Businesses that provide Guest WiFi to their customers offer an essential value-added service that keeps the guests coming back. It’s not just about providing access to the internet but ensuring that the connection is secure. Securing a guest WiFi for your visitors protects you and your customers from risks such as phishing, malware, and ransomware
In summary, installing Guest WiFi for your hospitality business provides the ultimate internet experience for everyone using the network; employees, partners and customers.
Do I need Guest WiFi for my business?
If you operate in the hospitality sector, providing Guest WiFi for your customers is vital. In today’s fast paced world, access to the internet to work, surf or stream is now expected as the norm. It can turn a customer around at your front door and leave for a competitor business if it is not freely available. As importantly, customers may be more likely to return to businesses that have free WiFi.
Businesses need to be continually adapting in order to meet the demands and expectations of customers – and good Guest WiFi with greater speed, security and reliability can offer this.
Things to consider when setting up guest WiFi at your business
There are a number of considerations to think about when setting up this service – how you would like to set it up, how fast your connection needs, the number of anticipated users you are likely to have, security requirements (both for your business and customers), risks, and ultimately how much you are prepared to pay.
Other security measures you might want to have in place for a Guest WiFi network can include:
- installing additional firewalls;
- keeping the router out of sight to avoid any security breaches;
- adjusting your WiFi signal strength so it only covers the immediate vicinity of your business premises.
What are the security risks associated with guest WiFi?
To avoid compromising your business always ensure that your Guest WiFi is separate to your primary business internet network. Best practice is to have two separate wireless access points – one for your Guest WiFi service and the other dedicated solely to your business. The most crucial factor to consider is how to negate the risk of guests having access to any of your business information. Your service provide will be able to configure the settings to ensure that your guest and business WiFi are separate and that at no point can guests be able to access any of your business data or information. Always ensure that you avail of the highest security features to mitigate the risk of breach of data. Businesses are extremely aware of the requirements of GDPR and the consequence of compromising customer data held – as well as the commercial risks of financial information being accessed fraudulently.
Benefits for your hospitality business
There are additional benefits to your business by offering guest WiFi which can include:
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Brand Awareness
The ability to customise the welcome page with your brand is a true benefit. Immediately your customer will see your logo, specific brand colours and key brand messages. Why not deploy a simple digital onboarding process that creates a good user experience while also generating business value?
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Targeted Offers
The opportunity to put dedicated offers on the welcome page can encourage repeat business i.e. discount on a stay, 2for1 offers on meals by signing up to a newsletter to avail of a code and/or specific welcome messages for returning guests.
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Increased Revenue
An opportunity exists to extend the Guest WiFi and offer additional data or packages for say hotel residents that need the service for work as part of a ‘pay for’ service.
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Commercial Insights
Setting up a Guest WiFi for your business is a fantastic way to gain valuable user insights that can be used for commercial decision-making. Nearly all your customers come in with a device that needs a wireless connection and as they sign in to the WiFi, you can use it to collect vital user analytics. Data can be collected on the number of customers, demographics, what times are busiest, how much bandwidth is consumed, traffic patterns, and the number of devices connected to the network. All of this information can help a business make informed commercial decisions to help drive revenue. Data could also be gathered on contact details (bearing in mind the point on GDPR above) and this information could be used to design and distribute future marketing programs and communicate effectively with customers based on their preferences.
Contact Us for Any Guest WiFi Needs
We are an experienced team of WiFi specialists offering a fully managed solution for both business and Guest WiFi based on your business needs and budget to deliver an enhanced customer experience. Contact us today for more information.