INTERCONTINENTAL Hotels Group (IHGT) has announced that it will be providing free internet to all its 71 million loyalty programme members, worldwide. The announcement comes as IHG reveals the results of a global online survey which show that nearly half of adults (43 per cent) would choose not to stay in a hotel that charged for internet.
IHG is the first and only hotel group to offer free internet in all hotels to all loyalty programme members globally – whether they stay the night or come in for a coffee or an impromptu meeting. It will benefit millions of guests globally as IHG has the most rooms and is in more countries than any one of the other four largest hotel companies in the world. This will start from July 2013 for Elite members and extend to all members during 2014.
Within the Middle East, Saudi Arabia represents IHG’s ninth largest Rewards Club with more than 600,000 members. The UAE represents IHG’s 15th largest Rewards Club with more than 350,000 members.
The move comes as IHG announces that it will be enhancing and renaming its industry-leading loyalty programme Priority Club Rewards as IHG Rewards Club in July and introducing a range of new benefits for members. Richard Solomons, chief executive, IHG, said: “In today’s fast-paced world, we know that travellers need to stay connected and free internet access is increasingly important. I am proud that IHG is the first hotel company to offer free internet globally to all our loyalty programme members.
“2013 marks 10 years since IHG became a standalone company. Whilst we are relatively young as a business, our brands, such as Holiday Inn and InterContinental, have a deep history and a powerful heritage and are instantly recognised by millions around the world.
“Renaming our industry-leading loyalty programme as IHG Rewards Club will help our guests understand that all our brands are part of the same IHG brand family.
“Whether it is a business stop-over or a family holiday, our guests can choose from more than 4,600 hotels in nearly 100 countries and territories, secure in the knowledge that each carries the IHG badge of responsibility, trust and confidence that they can rely on,” he added.
Internet access is increasingly important to hotel guests and a key consideration when planning their hotel stays.
New research commissioned by IHG reveals that: 43 per cent of adults surveyed said that they would choose not to stay in a hotel that charged for internet. 23 per cent of respondents said that free internet in rooms and throughout the hotel is the most important amenity when staying in a hotel for business, compared to seven per cent who chose room service. Travellers from China placed the most importance on online connectivity – with nearly half (47 per cent) listing it as the most important thing to them when staying in a hotel for business, followed by those from Russia (26 per cent), the US (23 per cent) and India (22 per cent). Travellers from the UK (18 per cent) and the US (14 per cent) both listed paying for internet as the second most annoying thing when staying at a hotel after noisy guests (22 per cent and 24 per cent respectively).
Globally, more female respondents (14 per cent) say free internet throughout the hotel is most important to them when staying for leisure, compared to two per cent who listed having an in-room hairdryer.