The decision from the UK’s largest privately-owned hotel groups comes as a direct response to BDRC Continental’s 2013 Hotel Guest Survey, which revealed that free Wi-Fi in hotels is now seen as the top functional product and service priority for business travellers.
“More and more guests see free, reliable internet access as a crucial part of their hotel visit,” said Macdonald’s chief executive David Guile. “Whether that’s using social media to share holiday updates, business travellers who want to catch up on emails or access documents remotely or conference organisers who need to enable delegates full access to the internet as part of their training, presentation or workshop.
“To provide our guests with the service they expect, we need to offer Wi-Fi that enables them to get online quickly and easily. This is a free, unlimited service, meaning people can spend as long as necessary online to ensure they get the most out of their stay.”
The deal with The Cloud is the latest development by the hotel group as part of a £6m on-going hotel and ‘back-office’ investment programme.