Wifi

[Trish171]

Hi Guys & Girls,

                               My first time asking a question in the community center, l am curious as to what other hosts think about wifi......the only thing holding me back from being added to the family collection is wifi, my overall rating with families is 5 and l have all 5 star reviews from families.....they all comment on our beautiful horses and Hallie our Border Collie, the dam, fire pit area and river walks............l would have thought that with all the talk of digital detox ( especially for children ) it would be considered a bonus not having wifi, especially when our property is listed as a retreat.

Looking forward to your thoughts and input.

Warm Regards

Trish

[Ana1136]

@Trish171 I believe it is better to have the option and let the guests decide if they want to "detox" or not, instead of forcing the option to them. Even if they decide not to stay on their phone I am guessing that they will still want to communicate with family at least 5 min per day to let them know they are fine or maybe plan some other trip or excursion while they are there. Or maybe some emergency comes up at work and they need to take care of it. It is very convenient to have Wi-Fi at the place they are staying. 

[Susan1188]

In my experience WIFI is absolutely essential nowadays for everything from checking into their flight to looking at the weather or downloading information about reaching their next destination.

Of course if the attraction of your place is a retreat from technology and screens then that's a different story!

If you do offer WiFi, you also have to offer the full package, highest speed, recent modem, etc...  I have had city dwellers come to my property outside of town, they are used to super high speed fibre optic lines be very upset at "slow"ADSL  internet service I thought was normal.  So I did wind up upgrading my service.

Also, if you have people come and the weather is bad.... if the internet service is not up to par, watch out nothing else will matter!

I'm not sure being added to the "family" or the "work" collection actually boosts bookings...

Do guests really filter properties based on this?

My city centre property is perfect for business travellers, but I don't want to offer self check-in.  So, no work collection!  I

[Sarah977]

@Trish171 @Susan1188  Have to disagree with "If you do offer WiFi, you also have to offer the full package, highest speed, recent modem, etc..."

I do have Wifi at my place, but it is certainly not particularly high speed, it is metered, not unlimited, and it's expensive. And it is cell-based and the modem is my phone- tethered, so it's not just on all the time. Nor do I have the option of "upgrading" it- it's simply not possible where I live.

I'm just clear in my listing as to all that, and reiterate when guests book. No guest has had issues with it- they can let me know when they need to use it (I host a private room in my home) and they can email, book tickets, etc- they just can't stream things, watch Netflix, or do work that requires high speeds. If they need more than that, there are tons of retaurants, cafe's, etc. in town where they can go, have  bite to eat and hook up to higher speed, unlimited Wifi.

Several of my guests have told me they were happy it wasn't just there, available to use anytime for as long as they want- they said they spend way too much time online at home and it was nice to be in a situation where they could "unplug".

[Ted31]

I could use your input.  I am thinking about offering a service that would allow Hosts to receive a text/email notification if the Internet connection goes down at their location(s).  The main benefit being it allows the host to possibly get ahead of a problem before a guest notices (i.e, bad reviews, refunds, etc.).  It would cost around $2.99/month, less for multiple locations.  I am curious if Hosts would use/buy a service like this?  Any thoughts/input would be greatly appreciated.

[Gregory87]

Your listing, @Trish171 , is beautiful and well-liked by your guests.  I am in a similar predicament with the family collection in that Airbnb won't approve me due to a single missing piece.  In my case, I don't allow infants.  Never mind that all other children are allowed and we have 5 star ratings from our guests – including a number who brought children.

I have made the decision not to worry about being a part of the family collection because I continue to have guests who bring children & teens.  Also, guests can see from previous reviews that they are allowed and the families had good experiences.

As for providing WiFi, I generally agree with @Ana1136 and @Susan1188 that guests are expecting it.  However, I also can appreciate your efforts to "detox" guests as part of the retreat experience.  Therefore, if you are going to continue this approach for your listing, I would be more explicit in your description AND confirmation message to guests.  State repeatedly that there is no WiFi provided during their retreat.  While you don't include WiFi in your amenities list, most guests don't read it and they are probably surprised by the lack of service when arriving.

Having statements of support from guests in the reviews would help too!  After my visitors check-out, I send a follow-up message of thanks and include a statement about completing the review.  In it I ask them to also comment on a unique feature that I provide.  That helps to highlight it in my reviews

Otherwise, if you decide to go ahead with WiFi, you can also survey those who book as to whether they would be interested in an booking experience without it.  Perhaps you turn off the service for those who request a "detox" weekend.

Let us know how you decide to proceed.

[Susan1188]

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However, I also can appreciate your efforts to "detox" guests as part of the retreat experience.  

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Maybe you need to provide a limited space or WIFI "room" or even open air point  that is not part of the guest's lodging?

That way they can check into their flight or communicate with their next Airbnb, but not be on internet all the time?  And then you can also say on your listing that you have free Wifi.  Just make sure it is top end service, not dial up!

that way you have the best of both worlds, making it harder for guests to be full-time online but at the same time offering the convenience.

Other solution would be opening the wifi x hours a day between 6 and 8 pm for example.  Maybe harder to manage and I don't know if that counts as "free wifi" in the amenities.... make very clear in your listing..

[Trish171]

Thank - you Gregory, you make some very good points 🙂

[Tim-and-Holly0]

@Trish171:
Despite a person being on vacation they may still need wifi for business purposes. My wife and I stayed in a home for one night on our last anniversary. Although the listing advertised wifi it was not working when we arrived. Sure enough, we received a complicated inquiry for a home and ended up having to put the guest off until the next morning when we could respond properly. The guest voiced frustration at waiting and we did not get the booking.

[Trish171]

Thank you Tim & Holly, l will take that on board 🙂

[Ange2]

@Trish171   Is it worth it?  Not sure what your coverage is like but a connection can go down for any number of reasons even in big cities: weather, technical problems etc.  Airbnb, (according to posts in this forum)  have refunded the total fee for a reservation for an outage even when outside the control of the host and, after the guest has already completed their reservation, i.e.  the host paid for their vacation.

I know this will not get you on the family collection. But my suggestion is to tell guests how they can  provide their own connection. I always travel with my own connection for emergencies or work, regardless if it is offered.  There are many cheap ways for a guest to provide their own connection.

1. Buy a mobile broadband access plan, which typically comes with a USB modem. Prepaid plans include a specific amount of Internet access and do not require a permanent address or contract. Suggest that they tell the provider where they are traveling to check coverage.

2. Get local cell phone service, either by purchasing a SIM card or a cheap phone with an Internet browser.

[Trish171]

Thank you Ange, l totally agree with your advice, thank you very much for your suggestions 🙂

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Trish171 

what would you like better: having guest's kids sit glued to their iPad - iPhone or running around, having a pillow and popcorn fight, screaming, painting your walls.... or whatever kids do when they are bored? 

Get that WIFI ASAP and save their parents and your property.

[Trish171]

Thank you Branka & Silvia, loved your reply 🙂

[Helen427]

hello @Trish171 @Branka-and-Silvia0 @Ange2 @Susan1188 @Tim-and-Holly0 

@Trish171  your Countryside retreat is beautiful.

There's so many things for everyone to do both indoors & outdoors as per your Listing including photographs.

Maybe include some of the finer Guest review comments under your photos.

As for Wifi I don't provide it for my Guests and most tend to have their own devices with their own Internet Provider, whilst I've been dinged in Ratings for not having it on a couple of occasions most are generally happy they can still access it through HotSpot - maybe include in your listing Wifi may be available on request and that one can access their own devices through their own provider service, that way it covers both bases.

All the best 

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