Amba Hotels

Business travellers paying to stay connected whilst they travel are costing British companies more than £370 million each year, according to new global research from Amba Hotels, hotels for the discerning business traveller. The average UK business traveller spends £16.30 on Wi-Fi and roaming charges on each trip – a third more than the average spend in the US where free Wi-Fi is more widely available.

Hotels and airports are the worst offenders, with some charging up to £17 for 24 hours. Having to pay for Wi-Fi services also impacts the efficiency of the working day with up to 70% of business travellers regularly unable to work efficiently due to slow or unreliable Wi-Fi connections. For example two fifths (38%) have been unable to join a work call or videoconferencing meeting, almost a fifth (17%) have missed a work deadline, and half (53%) have felt the impact on their personal lives after being unable to contact friends and family.

Source: Clermont Hotel GroupSource: Clermont Hotel Group
Source: Clermont Hotel Group

Financial commentator and founder of LetsSaveMoney Sarah Willingham said; "Fast, free, reliable Wi-Fi is non-negotiable for modern business travellers. With airlines and rail companies investing in Wi-Fi on board and international roaming charges falling dramatically, it's inexcusable to keep charging extortionate rates for patchy Wi-Fi connections. I'm pleased to see Amba Hotels is championing fast, free Wi-Fi and hope their competitors follow their lead."

Mike DeNoma, CEO of glh, the parent company of Amba Hotels said; "Wi-Fi is consistently one of the key criteria that influences our guests' choice of hotel – in fact for some people, it's more important than a good night's sleep! Our Wi-Fi has no caveats, no loyalty schemes no limit on uploading or downloading. It's the fastest, free, unlimited Wi-Fi of any Meeting & Events hotel."

The research highlights the overall cost of Wi-Fi to businesses globally and in key business travel markets:

  • France – €232 million annually (average spend €22.10 per trip)
  • UK – £371 million annually (average spend £16.30 per trip)
  • Germany – €3.6 billion annually (average spend €21.10 per trip)
  • US – $7.3 billion annually (average spend $15.10 per trip)

To help businesses and consumers avoid expensive Wi-Fi charges, Amba Hotels has teamed up with RottenWiFi.com to track the best and worst Wi-Fi hotspots.

Research was carried out by Gabriel Research & Management Ltd in the UK, USA, France, and Germany, from the 19-25 January 2015 with 750 respondents per country

 Amba Hotel Charing Cross has the fastest free, unlimited Wi-Fi in the world in any Meetings & Events hotel, as measured on HotelWifiTest.com between 13th of October 2014 and 01st of December 2014 (listed as The Charing Cross Hotel) with an expected speed of 184 Mbps (max speed of 510 Mbps) and on RottenWifi.com between 9th of October 2014 and 01st of December 2014 with an average download speed of 134.3 Mbps and average upload speed of 90.7 Mbps, measured within at least 3 or more independent tests. www.amba-hotel.com/fastestWiFi

Research sources: