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Andrew Davidson 
Susan Menke 
Susan Wolfe 
Lisa Hronek Travel/Leisure
In-Flight Wi-Fi
Have you experienced in-flight Wi-Fi yet? If not, and you’re a frequent traveler, it won’t be long before you do. The presence of in-flight Wi-Fi is picking up steam. Just this month, Delta announced that it is rolling out Wi-Fi on all of its regional jets, and plans to include other Delta Connection Jets by early next year. Other carriers such as Virgin America, American Airlines, United Airlines, and Southwest have also boosted their in-flight connectivity capabilities to meet the growing consumer demand, although not necessarily on every aircraft yet.
According to in-flight provider Gogo (the product name for Aircell’s in-flight internet), Wi-Fi connectivity is used more for in-flight entertainment than work purposes. In a study that Gogo conducted, only 6% of passengers used in-flight Wi-Fi for work purposes, compared to 27% who said they used it to play games, watch movies, or both. With Gogo, customers can “buy before you fly.” The company offers two choices, a 24-hour pass for $12.95 or the unlimited plan for $39.95 per month. Air Tran and Delta are even putting mention of their Wi-Fi capabilities in the bottom of confirmation emails sent to passengers with their flight information.
Gogo is the brand behind Delta and eight other carriers’ on board connectivity, but another in-flight Wi-Fi provider is also starting to make a name for itself, called Row 44. This Wi-Fi entertainment platform has already rolled out on a number of Southwest planes, and plans to have all of Southwest’s fleet equipped by 2013. Through Row 44, Southwest charges a $5 flat fee for in-flight Wi-Fi. Here’s the major difference. Aircell is a land-antenna-based system while Row 44 is a satellite-based system. Row 44 also aims to create an in-flight entertainment experience that’s distinct for each individual airline, whereas Aircell’s Gogo provides internet access on board, without other entertainment options. Regardless who the provider is, I anticipate that in-flight Wi-Fi will soon become a means for airlines to differentiate themselves from one another, and direct marketing channels will be used to promote this new and enhanced service as it continues to grow.
Hotels and Facebook – Would You “Like” It?
Leave it to the tech-savvy, super-social, party-going Spaniards to find a way to make Facebook an integral part of the hotel experience. Ushuaia Ibiza Beach Hotel, located on the party island of Ibiza, which is off the East coast of Spain, has given its patrons more to “like.” According to a recent article on USA Today, this party hotel has elevated the social experience for its guests, providing them with wristbands that keep them constantly connected to the social networking site. Using RFID technology, these wristbands can be swiped at various locations throughout the hotel, synchronizing that location so guests can check-in, update their status or upload photos. Did you enjoy those pinchos (tapas) at the restaurant? How was the Sangria? Update your status and tell everyone what you had, or better yet, upload pictures of all the tasty food and comment on your favorite dishes.
I was particularly excited to hear that this innovative strategy was conceived in the country that I spent two whole years exploring and studying. Spain’s culture is based upon building strong relationships between family, friends and even co-workers, so it’s no surprise that social networking should also be a part of the vacation and hotel experience. According to the article, the end goal behind this new idea, besides appealing to guests who want to stay connected to their virtual worlds at all times, is to create a sense of community within the hotel. People come to this kind of hotel to party, make new friends and become immersed in the culture. By encouraging guests to upload pictures or tag themselves in group shots, guests can share their communal hotel experience with each other, or with friends and family back home.
While this atmosphere won’t fly at every hotel or with every consumer, it’s a unique approach that could really elevate a guest’s overall experience. This is also something that will be most effective with a younger demographic looking for more of a party experience in their hotel stay. If this is as successful as I think it will be, what could be next? Amusement parks? Cruises? I think there are potentially many other ways to appeal to young, social consumers who want to incorporate their virtual networks into all aspects of their travel experience.
Wonderful World of Wi-Fi in Hotels
My wife and I recently went away for a weekend and we stayed at the luxurious American Club in Kohler, Wisconsin – for which we got a room at a good rate. Having my smart phone, I wanted to check out directions to Whistling Straits, their award-winning golf course. Not to play the course, but just look at the scenery. At my level of golf I can’t justify the $350 green fees for the privilege of playing one of America’s great golf courses. Perhaps if I played better… Regardless, when I was about to use my phone for directions to the golf course, I thought to check to see if Wi-Fi was available in the hotel. I was pleasantly surprised, not only was Wi-Fi available, it was available free of charge to all guests on the property! This got me thinking what other hotels offer free Wi-Fi and which do not.
When I searched Comperemedia, I observed a few examples of hotels that advertised free Wi-Fi to consumers. A print advertisement for the Best Western in Bloomington, Minnesota offered “complimentary Wi-Fi, iPhone, and iPod charger.” An online ad for the Residence Inn answered “Free Wi-Fi” to the question of “What’s included with my stay?” Holiday Inn, in a direct mail piece, showcased “100% free Wi-Fi in every room.”
When looking online for hotels that offer Wi-Fi access, I found two guides, which were located on TravelPost (http://www.travelpost.com/hotel-internet-access.aspx) and HotelChatter (http://www.hotelchatter.com/Hotel-Wifi-Report/2011). The results of who charges for Wi-Fi – and who offers free Wi-Fi were surprising. Less expensive hotels, such as Comfort Inn, Days Inn, Holiday Inn, Howard Johnson, and Super 8, all offered free high-speed internet access. However, expensive hotels, such as Four Seasons, InterContinental, Ritz-Carlton, and W Hotels charged various fees for internet access for their guests. Personally, as a consumer, I do not like or want to be charged to connect to the internet. Why should I get nickeled and dimed for Wi-Fi that is offered for free by McDonalds and Starbucks? What is next for these higher-end hotels? Paying for the number of towels that you use? The higher-end hotels can charge up to $600 a night, but then you have to pay an extra ten or twenty dollars just to connect to the web. That just seems wrong to me. I feel that Wi-Fi should be included free of charge in all hotels.
I find it interesting you can get free Wi-Fi at Holiday Inn, but the InterContinental will charge you costly fees for connecting to WiFi. This is even stranger considering that the InterContinental Hotels Group owns both Holiday Inn and InterContinental. My only guess to why hotels charge for Wi-Fi access is that the more expensive hotels tend to cater to business travelers and the hotel likely assumes that the business traveler can expense the Wi-Fi access back to their employers. Regardless of the reasoning, I hope the remaining hotels that do not offer free Wi-Fi eventually get on the bandwagon of offering free and reliable internet access for all guests. (And hopefully soon!) But for now, at least some high end hotels, like the American Club, are doing the right thing by offering free Wi-Fi for its guests.
Kayak Explore – A New Way to Search for Travel Online
I always look for new travel deals and new places to travel, especially to Europe. I also like new technology that helps me with my travel plans – especially when it can also save me money. I recently came across a new tool that helps me save money and plan a future travel trip to Europe. It’s called Kayak Explore, which is available online and is a part of Kayak HD (a free iPad app).
Kayak Explore allows you to put in a departure city, such as my hometown of Chicago, and the season, or month, you want to travel. The website then displays all of the results for the viewer to see. You can filter by region, such as Europe (or even the Caribbean, which would be a nice escape from a cold Chicago winter). It even allows you to filter on types of activities, such as beach, gambling (poker anyone?), golf, or skiing, and weather, ranging from freezing to hot (or perhaps something in between like “cool,” which my wife would like). You can shift the map to different parts of the globe and even zoom in and out for pricing on airfares in different locations.
Once you identify a location, you then click the location, which brings up the departure and return date functionality of Kayak’s search engine. Once you enter the dates and the number of travelers (solo to Vegas for the World Series of Poker or perhaps my wife and I off to romantic Prague?), the search results display in a new window for the viewer.
This is a great new feature on the web and a great new travel app for the iPad. I believe consumers will find its functionality useful and helpful for planning future travel excursions, both domestically and abroad. I know I will utilize it for my next trip when I am undecided where to go and want to find a good deal on airfare. Now this gets me to thinking, where to go on my next travel adventure…