No Wifi.....a good thing?

[Big Sis..]

Hi All,

We dont have Wifi in the houses, and I must admit I quite like it, I pop in the local cafe bars usually every day.
But Ive always considered it possibly a bad thing in relation to bookings, as I know that most people wouldnt consider booking anywhere without wifi.
Having said that, I do well for bookings and I do wonder if some people have an urge to be away from constant 'gettability'.

I had an email from someone whose just booked for the end of the month.Heres the conversation.........
.....................................................................................
'' Hi Ros
Sorry, but is there wifi access at all?
Thanks S....

On 15 Jul 2012, at 10:15, "Ros Sones" <sones53@ntlworld.com> wrote:

None at the house S..., but the bars and cafes a few roads down all have it, please dont be 'sorry',Im pleased to answer any questions you might have,

regards Rosxx

Phew! I'm glad but g..... wanted to know (it means no work!!!)
S....
......................................................................................


Just goes to show really you never know.....

Ros

[Mas Nialgue]

Probably a different situation from yours as I'm quite remote and the nearest public wi-fi is a 15 minute drive away, but I consider it essential in this day and age. People expect it and I have been struggling to get reliable access since the satellite internet packed up earlier this year and I changed to wired.

Cue a game of ping pong between Free (the operators) and France Telecom (the line owners) using me as the ball. Couldn't resolve it even after 3 months of this nonsense, so had to return to the UK leaving no phone (I've never said this is included) and slow internet access.

This caused me problems with my first clients of the year when it went down for over 24 hours. They pointed out that the two key reasons they rented the house were the pool and wi-fi as they both run their own businesses and need to be connected. Fortunately it has been reliable since.

Not such an issue if they can find it within walking distance, but I'd say get it as it is not expensive and could cost you bookings.

[tavi]

I don't have it in the apartment but I do provide a vodafone usb dongle - which they can use for laptops. They pay what it costs me - €1 an hour.

A few people have used it, not many, but those that did were very pleased to have it.

[Moliere]

Well, the guest can always tell their boss, "sorry there's no wi-fi in the place I'm renting".

I've know people for years doing this - mind you on one occasion, the boss insisted that wi-fi be installed (temporarily) so the holidaymaker could be contactable, and paid for it!
Oh b*gger.

Mols

[greenfrog]

My place is in the city so it definitely makes sense for me to have it and I wouldn't be without - very useful for people booking tickets, checking museum opening times etc etc.

I was without a computer in the apartment for nearly two years and not many people missed it as so many have devices and most did check there was wifi.

I would agree that if it's not difficult to get and not too expensive, you might want to consider it. Given the layout of your villas, I would imagine one router would work for both.

[gardenboy]

I reckon the market demands it as they found you on the internet & booked online, booked their flights & car hire online so are pretty used to being online.

Also, if you are abroad you may like to stay in touch with news, flight info, weather forecast, local attractions etc.

Before I installed it I had loads of people ask about it so I installed it. Its easily covered by the premium rates I get.

[French Cricket]

I'd say 90 per cent of our Anglophone guests use wifi - though Francophone ones barely at all. Often it's to keep in touch with business - one this week even took part in a meeting via Skype. It's definitely more than a selling point for our Anglophones, it's a must.

I'm currently looking to book somewhere in Catalonia for a couple of weeks walking/birding in the autumn, and I'm having real trouble finding somewhere with wifi. One owner who has a casa in the middle of the mountains even looked into the possibility of providing it - he uses the casa as well - but has just emailed me back and said that the cost was prohibitive - 700€ a year . So sadly I won't be staying there - it might work for just a few days to use a local café to connect but not for 2 weeks or so.

The thing is, Ros, if it's there people don't have to use it .... but if it's not there, they can't! (Which might mean they can't stay).

[brenda]

I would say that at least 80% of our 2012 bookings have double checked that free WiFi was available before booking.

Although I am personally more than happy to have a 15 minutes drive to our nearest Internet Café, I would not consider letting without this facility nowadays.

[pambon]

It can cut both ways.
When I rented in August 2009 in a little village north of Oxford I was very lucky to have wifi. I injured myself quite badly in a fall 8 days before departure. In consequence I had to look up airline info online to request wheelchair assistance and to change my offspring's flight (due to fly out later the same day) to mine in order to assist me. Couldn't have done this without my laptop and a decent connection. (No onsite assistance as the owners live in Wales during the summer season and there was only a pub and a village shop nearby which in normal circumstances was more than enough!)

[la vache!]

Its like the argument we used to have about offering TV. If you have it, no one is twisting your arm to use it, but if someone wants it, it is there. I think in your situation it is different, Ros, but when you are on the countryside of France and the nearest McDo is 20km away, then it is indispensable. FC, I find that the French use the wifi a lot now. But nearly everyone who stays here has an iPad, a smartphone or a laptop with them. It is useful for looking up places to visit, opening times etc. in the area.

[Big Sis..]

Thanks All!!
I agree to some extent with all that has been said really, and thought it would be something Id think about offering in the future.
But Ive only be asked a couple of times about it.
[I suppose because people who really want it, arent enquiring with me as I dont have it on my ad]
I personally quite like the fact that Im not distracted with laptops and computers when Im there..... I stroll down to the bar/cafe and have a half an hour look at my emails.
I dont even have my mobile switched on and we arent on the phone there.
The girls text me if they need me and I ring back if necessary[happened very rarely] and I check for texts a few times a day. And its luvvery
Hubbies a plumber and its very rare that we are away from phone calls etc. Its great when we are wandering round a market and a phone rings, and theres no scrambling in your handbag or whatever, as you know its not for you.

All of this is slightly tongue in cheek, and Id encourage anyone to have it put in who are thinking of renting out, but you know what, I dont think I will bother.
It could be my new USB...... NO WIFI!!

Take care, and thanks for all your thoughts!!

[Jacqueline]

I have been waiting for this to come up.
I have had quite a few people making enquiries asking if i have Wi -Fi i say that when i am in Spain i use a vodafone dongle which i use on a pay as you go basis.
Lately i have considered getting wireless internet but it is so expensive in Spain and my neighbours seem to have nothing but trouble with the phones and internet,i think the main problem is where we are but the telephone companies also think nothing of turning of the internet for weeks at a time so we decided not to bother as it could be another thing for guests to complain about.

[Marks]

One of the best decisions we made was to install Wi-Fi. I email every guest 2 days after arrival to check everything is OK and 75% reply so it gets good use. Looking back at enquiries & bookings, there was in increase in both after installing it about 12 months ago.

The company we use have a good record, 99.9% up time and speeds faster than rated. We pay 12 Euros a month for 1Mb but get 3-4Mb regularly.

[pambon]

My next-door neighbour rents out 5 holiday apt with pool just metres from me, in town they have another 2 or 3 rents, plus a couple of lets set into a very isolated part of the countryside. They have been in this business for 25 years. I was amazed to learn at the begining of this year from the Signora that they didn't have any internet for their guests in any of their apartments and I think she was surprised to learn, when she asked me, that I had had it installed several years ago on the back of queries from enquirers! She told me that they were getting queried about this from potential guests. The long shot is that they finally had wifi installed in the spring in their 5 apartments next to me.

As LV says, most come with a mobile device these days and I would definitey suggest it for those living where the connection is good. It was defintely a good decision on my part to install it. It's there if they want it.........

[e-richard]

Slight digression:

I think landline based WiFi is one of those technologies (like VHS or CDs) this is very soon going to be leapfrogged by newer Internet connection methods. Notably 3G, and 4G or whatever.

Travelling on a crowded commuter train into London you can count on the fingers of one hand, the number of people who are NOT tapping away into their smart phone, managing emails, browsing the web, catching up on Facebook - all without WiFi.

So, those of you who do not offer WiFi today are probably not depriving their guests, or even protecting their guests from keeping in touch.

That said, if your guests are from "abroad" anywhere, the costs of 3G are still quite exhorbitant, and for those few whose companies are not paying the bill, I still think WiFi is a good investment to attract bookings for the next 2-3 years !