Does Wi-Fi in a hotel really make that big a difference to computer users? You bet it does! John Tilak explains how hotels that offer sloppy wireless service have found that they actually loose their clientele over the long haul.

Most travellers would not return to a hotel where the wi-fi internet service was unsatisfactory, according to a survey of regular hotel users across North America. The survey, conducted by Jupiter Research for British telco BT, reveals a hotel’s brand reputation is at stake when guests experience an unreliable high speed wireless internet service during their stay. Nearly half of all guests surveyed attributed their levels of satisfaction with onsite wi-fi internet access to the hotel group or brand and 44 per cent blamed the hotel they were staying in at the time for any problems, highlighting the damage a poor wi-fi internet service can cause to a hotel’s reputation.