Investing in the
CONNECTED GUEST
GENERATION
Forget Gen X & Baby
Boomers, the Connected
Guest Generation is poised
to make the industry’s
biggest impact ever.
ARE YOU READY?
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
AND

Page 2
We’re experiencing a part of hospitality history.
Today’s mobile traveler is carrying an average of 3
devices and is consuming an average of 2GB/month
in mobile data! Hotel guests expect a fluid connection
anywhere and everywhere across the hotel. Constant
connectivity is transforming how we connect with guests
and how we keep them connected, providing access to more
touch points than ever before. The opportunities are boundless,
and though they come with some challenges, one thing’s for sure:
the Connected Guest Generation is here and hotels need to
continuously invest in infrastructure to keep up with their voracious
demand for bandwidth.
Free Wi-Fi remains the #1 demanded amenity from travelers today. Whether
they’re attending a virtual meeting in your lobby, printing theater tickets in the
business center, or posting an Instagram photo of their lunch in your restaurant,
guests expect a seamless experience from device to device, for both leisure and
business. Hotels need to continually invest in their infrastructure to keep up with
rising demand for bandwidth. At the same time, there is increased pressure in the
industry to offer high performance Wi-Fi for free.
CONSTANT
CONNECTIVITY
2GB346minutes US adults
spend with digital
media each day 2
40%of hotel guests travel with
three or more devices
while 45% travel with two 3 average mobile data
used by US users
each month 4
 - via HotelExecutive.com1
Wi-Fi is no longer [just] a way for guests to stay connected;
it’s an opportunity for hotels to connect with guests.
That’s nearly
25% of our day
spent consuming
online media!
We’re consuming
2 times more mobile
bandwidth now versus
12 months ago!



Page 3
KEY
TRENDS
Mobile devices have become an integral part of the way we connect for work and for play, and smartphones, tablets, and
laptops each have their place. In fact, 66% of the “Digital Elite” do not see them as interchangeable. The Digital Elite, as
defined by MMGY Global, is a group of primarily 18-49 year-olds who own and frequently use at least two different mobile
devices while travelling.5
These uber-connected guests travel more, spend more, and are growing in numbers.
RISE OF THE “DIGITAL ELITE” IN TRAVEL
59%
of guests
would use self-
service check-
in if it saved
them time 6

Tech-savvy individuals are
far more likely to travel, and
hoteliers who do a better job
connecting with them will see
greater returns.
- via Travel Brands in a Multi-Screen
World, a Report from Skift & Adobe 6
1

4.8average number of
vacations taken in 2014
by the Digital Elite,
while less connected
travelers took only 3.8
trips on average 5
We’ve identified 4 key trends that have spurred the
connectivity evolution. Guests are bringing more devices
and consuming more content, and they expect more
personalized interactions with your hotel. Meetings and
conferences are becoming more virtual and attendees
expect high performance throughout your space.
4
BRING YOUR OWN CONTENT 2.0
2
Guests are also
becoming increasingly
reliant on their own
devices for services
that previously were
provided by the
hotel, like check-in
and entertainment.
Connecting with
this group through
multiple channels
and devices will be
imperative to gaining
their loyalty.
Travellers have been bringing their own content via mobile
devices for some time now, but the demand to support their
streaming habits has reached an all-time high. Guests want a
seamless, content-rich experience wherever they go - just like they
get at home. More than half of guests report being very likely to
book a hotel based on availability of mobile content and services.7

81%
of hotel guests
want access to
mobile video
content 7

- via HotelExecutive.com8
“Keeping up with technology can be
difficult as a hotelier, but by including a
system that utilizes existing TVs and
allows access to the Internet, [hotels]
can stay ahead of the curve and
adapt as technology shifts.”

Page 4



Hospitality is not one size fits all. Not only do Connected
Guests expect more personalized services and custom
experiences throughout their stay, they are also
notoriously hard to reach; 84 percent of millennials
don’t trust traditional advertising.9
Wi-Fi will not only serve as a gateway to
information, it will allow hotels to better
connect with each guest individually.
The entire hotel experience can be
changed as guests feel like the hotel is
anticipating their needs. As each guest is
unique, Wi-Fi will allow the hotel to draw
off of past behaviors to provide the best
experience possible. - via HotelExecutive.com 1
Chances are, most hotels have the data they need to
offer some level of personalization. The trick is getting
into an accessible and usable format. Tracking guest
preferences, behaviors, and other unique data points is
imperative to success in hospitality today.
EXPECTATION OF PERSONALIZED EXPERIENCE
3
EVOLUTION OF THE CONNECTED CONFERENCE
4

Timothy Traveler
Age: 34 Stays: 7
Kids: No Email: Yes
Reward Level: Gold
123 Main St. | Houston, TX 45678
VISA **** **** **** 9876
  
78% of consumers expressed a desire for
some kind of personalization 10
“Fluid Connectivity” is the #1 trend
for the future of conferences and
conventions and mobile event apps are
evolving into a knowledge hub. “Event
apps will evolve from a re-creation of the
event’s print guide to a fully developed
knowledge sharing hub, delivering a
branded social media-style experience,”
via Skift Future of Conventions Report. 11 

63%
of planners currently
offer a mobile app for
meetings/events 12
Democratizing technology helps empower planners to
deliver the connectivity demanded by attendees. They
want to be able to manage the basics without having
to involve IT staff for each small detail. “With constant
activity happening within the event application, the
organizer can keep a finger on the pulse of their
event, allowing them to be proactive in identifying
and addressing problems as they arise. By taking a
proactive approach to ensure attendee satisfaction,
planners can have more confidence that attendees will
return each year,” via MPI’s State of Event Apps. 12

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KEY
CHALLENGES
Providing the tools guests need to stay
connected will increase guest satisfaction
and loyalty. However, there are some key
challenges posed by the demands of the
Connected Guest Generation.
4Explosive, Unwavering
Bandwidth Consumption
Technology is Coming
Between You & Your Guests
The Hidden Costs of Poor
Guest Wi-Fi
Hospitality’s Collective
Shift to Free Wi-Fi
As evidenced by our first two trends, guests are
using more bandwidth than ever before and expect
the same high-performance service they experience
at home. “Mom, Dad and all the kids have their own
devices. It’s getting harder and harder to keep up
with the demand for fast, quality connections at
peak times,” - Nick Patel, CFO of Naman Hotels13
As guests become more device and entertainment
autonomous and conventional guest touchpoints
evolve (i.e. mobile check-in in lieu of the
front desk), hotels are losing control over the
traditional guest experience.
Just as you can’t run a hotel without electricity,
you can’t stay relevant without investing in a high-
quality guest network. The cost of not delivering
reliable Wi-Fi, is far higher than the initial
investment. Negative online reviews citing poor
Wi-Fi lead to lost bookings; roughly 50% of global
travelers do not book a room until they’ve read
peer reviews online. 16
Nearly 9 out of 10 hotel guests want free Wi-Fi.3
With free Wi-Fi topping the list of desired amenities
year after year, it’s no surprise to see nearly all of
the major brands are now offering some level of
free Wi-Fi to at least reward loyalty members.

- via Mindtree’s “Insights into consumer
engagement in hospitality” 15
The consumer leads the
technology adoption curve
and the enterprise follows,
trying to play catch up.
60%
of travelers said they
have experienced poor
hotel downloading
transmissions because
the system was too slow 14
80%
of guests will not
return to hotels in
which they have a
poor technology
experience 14
Hotel Brand Non-Members Loyalty Members
Four Seasons 2 Devices Free 2 Devices Free
Hilton Not Free Free for Gold & Diamond
Hyatt Free Free
IHG Not Free Free
Marriott Not Free Free
Starwood Not Free Free if Booked Direct
$120K
estimated lost
revenue due to poor
guest wi-fi 17
$25K
average cost of a
state-of-the-art hotel
wi-fi network 17
These challenges pose a lot of questions: How much bandwidth do you need? How do you
prioritize it? Are there ways to recoup the costs of new infrastructure? And how do you make it all
seamless and consistent for guests, while maintaining your place in the driver’s seat?

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The time to invest in the Connected Guest
Generation is now; don’t get left behind. The
opportunities are far greater than any of the
challenges - more authentic experiences,
better guest engagement, and ultimately,
increased brand loyalty.
EVOLVE
& INVEST
TO GAIN
GUEST
LOYALTY

- via Lodging Magazine18
Accommodating the Internet demands of guests and group
business is one of the trickiest things for hoteliers to do
right now. Yet, properly allocating bandwidth across a property
has become absolutely essential to good hotel operations.

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PREPARING FOR THE
CONNECTED GUEST GENERATION
As hotels make sizable investments in their network infrastructure, the need to help offset those
costs, and more importantly, enhance the guest experience is more critical than ever. We’ve
identified these best practices to help you win over the Connected Guest Generation.
DELIVER A HIGH-PERFORMANCE, ENGAGING EXPERIENCE
BRANDED
As more and more guests
opt for online check-in and
mobile room keys, your
guest Internet portal is
replacing the front desk
as your first guest touch
point. Add your logo, brand
colors, custom property
photos, as well as relevant,
local information. Give
guests easy access to travel
favorites like restaurant
recommendations, links
to local attractions, and
weather updates. You can’t
afford to overlook this
dynamic guest touch point.
MOBILE-READY
Today’s guests carry an
average of 2.9 connected
devices, 19
so ensuring your
guest Wi-Fi is optimized
for mobile is also key
to enhancing the guest
Internet experience. Your
portal should be responsive
so that connecting via
smart phones and tablets
is seamless and easy. The
ability to recognize user
devices and automatically
connect them throughout
their stay will ensure you
are meeting guest demand
to be always-on.
PERSONALIZED
A great way to deliver a
relevant and customized
guest experience is by
identifying them via social
media. With services like
Voyat, a guest retention
platform for hotels, you can
offer guests the option to
authenticate via Facebook,
Twitter, and LinkedIn. Not
only is this a convenient
option for guests, it
also gives you access to
important information for
use in tailored promotions
to increase the chance of
re-booking ten-fold. 20
INTELLIGENT
Is your lobby area buzzing
with business suits and
smartphones in the late
afternoon? Allocate more
bandwidth to that area
during those hours. Does
your front desk get barraged
with printing requests? Offer
a mobile printing solution
in your lobby or business
center. Bandwidth usage
reports will help you identify
imbalances and give you the
insight you need to adjust
and improve the guest
Internet experience across
the hotel based on analytics.

Page 8
 
OPTIMIZE YOUR BANDWIDTH
1to 3
Mbps
3to 5
Mbps
85
Mbps
recommended for
checking email, surfing
the web, and streaming
standard-definition video
recommended for
streaming high-definition
video, online meetings,
VOIP, etc.
the average amount
of bandwidth used
for large events at
hotels 21
PROVISION SERVICE FOR INDIVIDUALS & GROUPS
It’s important that you, your staff, and meeting planners have control over the Internet service you offer to your
various audiences - hotel guests, conference attendees, loyalty members, etc. With a cloud-based guest Internet
management platform, managers can easily change concurrent device limits, edit plan details, and monitor real-time
usage. If you have conference space, it’s also important to give the event planner special access to these features for
their event only. They’ll appreciate the ability to easily build portals and landing pages, see bandwidth utilization by
device and user, and review conference details in a post-event summary.
UNDER-PROMISE & OVER-DELIVER
Once you have your service plans in place, one of the most important things you can do is to manage guest
expectations. It used to be that hotels defined their Internet plans using speeds and feeds. Today, guests benefit most
when they understand the incremental value of what they can do at each tier. In other words, a basic plan may be
appropriate for email and web surfing, whereas, a premium plan may be better for video-conferencing and streaming
movies. Value can also be added by limiting the number of devices supported in the lower tiers and adding more
devices in the higher tiers. Defining the service upfront will greatly minimize guest complaints and refund requests.
STRATEGICALLY PRIORITIZE BANDWIDTH
There are several ways you can define who gets first dibs on your precious bandwidth - location in the hotel, loyalty
membership, VIP status, etc. For example, you may want to give high-revenue groups and conferences priority over
individual guest room access to ensure the satisfaction of your most profitable customers.

- David Doiron, VP of Blueport Wireless
Guests are travelling with more devices, streaming more content, and
expect to be connected from check-in to check-out. Managing the guest
experience across all those touch points is becoming increasingly more
challenging. Utilizing an Internet management platform to package
Internet service, manage multiple devices, and view usage reports
is essential to delivering a connected guest experience.

Page 9
SHIFT FROM COST CENTER TO REVENUE CENTER
PROVIDE TIERED
INTERNET PLANS
Even as the industry shifts towards free Wi-Fi service, guests have demonstrated a willingness to pay for higher levels
of performance needed for more complex applications, like streaming movies or video conferencing In fact, a recent
study of Eleven customers found that 17% of guests chose a higher tier of Internet service when given the option.
By creating real value between tiers, guests receive the level of service they need, and hotels create opportunities to
recoup infrastructure costs.
PROMOTE YOUR
ONSITE AMENITIES
Don’t miss out an opportunity to promote your revenue-
generating services from the welcome screen. Offer business
center users a drink coupon to drive them to the bar after
they finish their work or add one-click spa reservations for
easy booking. Guests appreciate the added-value and you
can increase RevPAR by promoting onsite amenities.
ADVERTISE LOCAL AREA
INFORMATION & SERVICES
Hotel guests are often first time visitors to a city. Your guest
Internet portal is host to a captive audience - monetize
those eyeballs and give guests access to the services they
need. With third-parties like TKOUT, a food carry-out and
delivery distribution network, guests can easily order virtual
room service from local restaurants, and hotels can create
monetization opportunities from shared revenues.
ENGAGE LOYALTY
MEMBERS & GROUPS
Show your loyalty members some love by offering special
pricing on Wi-Fi and bundled services. Segment your offers
based on loyalty tier or give discounts to groups. Your most
valuable guests and groups will appreciate the added value
it brings to their stay or event and you will continue to build
loyalty with this profitable segment.
OFFER IN-ROOM
ENTERTAINMENT BUNDLES
By combining other services with your guest Wi-Fi, you will
make the Connected Guest Experience more seamless.
For instance, you could set up “double play” package that
gives guests instant access to TV and Internet for in-room
entertainment. The add-on services increase perceived
value to the guest Wi-Fi utility. The move to a single platform
simplifies maintenance and administration as well.

- via HotelExecutive.com1
Properties could provide unique content specific to a property.
Staying at a certain hotel in Miami? A night club could provide VIP
access to their club for elite guests who use the network on the
property. Are you in Denver and staying downtown? The Broncos could
partner with hotels that are near the stadium to provide those guests
who use the network with a seat upgrade when they head to the game.

 


Page 10
Installing a high-performance guest
network is just the start. Leveraging a
cloud-based solution for guest Internet
management is crucial to making it seamless,
personalized, and accessible. From
authentication on guest mobile devices to the
public computers in your business center, choose
a platform that allows you to ensure a reliable,
high performance guest Internet experience
throughout your entire hotel.
THE
POWER
OF THE
PLATFORM

- via HotelExecutive.com1
In most hotels, they have one vendor for TV,
another for the mini-bar, another for Wi-Fi, another
for HVAC controls, etc. When considering an option
to manage the technology portion of the hotel,
having one wireless platform can eliminate
many of the inefficiencies.

Page 11
1. http://hotelexecutive.com/business_review/4277/checking-in-how-wi-fi-is-transforming-the-hospitality-industry
2. http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Mobile-Continues-Steal-Share-of-US-Adults-Daily-Time-Spent-with-Media/1010782
3. http://www.tnooz.com/article/hotel-technology-trends-erevmax
4. https://deviceatlas.com/blog/us-mobile-users-download-2gb-month-average
5. http://ehotelier.com/news/2014/11/18/digital-elite-travelers-growing-fast-spending-more?
6. http://skift.com/2015/04/21/rethinking-hotel-communications-for-a-multi-screen-world/
7. http://skift.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Hospitality-Survey-2013-Infographic.jpg
8. http://hotelexecutive.com/business_review/2304/what-to-expect-from-the-in-room-entertainment-industry-in-the-next-
year
9. http://www.clickz.com/clickz/news/2397648/84-percent-of-millennials-don-t-trust-traditional-advertising
10. https://www.revinate.com/blog/2014/11/hotels-need-personalize-guest-experience
11. http://products.skift.com/trend/the-future-of-conventions/
12. http://info.doubledutch.me/rs/doubledutch/images/mpi-research-state-of-event-apps.pdf
13. http://www.ibtimes.com/why-do-expensive-hotels-charge-wi-fi-when-cheaper-hotels-dont-1705568
14. http://hotelexecutive.com/business_review/3046/hotel-wi-fi-balancing-budget-bandwidth
15. http://www.mindtree.com/sites/default/files/mindtree-thought-posts-white-paper-insights-into-consumer-engagement-in-
hospitality.pdf
16. http://hospitality.cvent.com/blog/cvb-internet-marketing-2/how-online-hotel-reviews-affect-booking-decisions-the-
research-stats-viewpoints-strategies
17. http://www.moonblink.com/does-your-hotel-wifi-suck-infographic
18. http://lodgingmagazine.com/how-much-bandwidth-does-your-property-need/
19. http://www.statista.com/statistics/333861/connected-devices-per-person-in-selected-countries/
20. Voyat Study, May 2015: http://www.voyat.com/
21. http://www.pcma.org/convene-content/convene-article/2013/01/01/working-smarter-banding-together#.VGWbWWTF95I
SOURCES

A full-service network systems
integrator, Wanaport can install
a reliable guest network and
Wi-Fi system that will earn your
property rave reviews with US
based, 24x7 technical guest
support.
WWW.WANAPORT.COM
 +1 (877) 501-9262  sales@wanaport.com
ARE YOU READY FOR
THE CONNECTED
GUEST GENERATION?
WE CAN HELP.
CONNECT WITH US FOR YOUR FREE
GUEST WI-FI CONSULTATION TODAY.
Eleven’s cloud-based guest
Internet management platform
enables centralized control
and actionable insight into the
connected guest experience
across all Internet touchpoints
throughout multiple properties.
WWW.ELEVENWIRELESS.COM