Infinity Pools Don’t Fix Broken Wi-Fi
Why the Basics Guests Notice Matter More Than the Showpieces
What Guests Actually Care About
Hotels brag about infinity pools. Guests? They post about dead Wi-Fi.
And here’s the truth: when the basics slip, no pretty photo saves a mediocre review.
What You’re Losing Right Now
Hotel projects are slowing. In June 2025, U.S. hotels had 138,922 rooms in construction. Down almost 12% year over year (STR). That means fewer shiny new properties coming online.
Meanwhile, U.S. travel loses $7.4 billion a year because outdated customs and screening systems frustrate travelers (U.S. Travel). That’s fewer trips, emptier lobbies, and flat ADR.
Ignore the basics, and even the nicest lobby won’t fill rooms.
What Needs to Change
For too long, the industry focused on adding rooms or polishing lobbies. The real game-changer? Treating infrastructure, water, power, connectivity, as the backbone of guest experience.
Travelers are paying attention:
53% say they consider community impact when booking.
69% want to leave destinations better than they found them (Booking.com, 2025).
Properties that get this right are winning:
Vacation rentals with EV chargers are earning more repeat guests.
Hotels with reliable Wi-Fi are filling midweek nights.
Bottom line: a chandelier won’t save you if the pipes groan like dial-up.
What to Do This Week
Don’t do this → Do this instead (with real results)
Wi-Fi as a perk → Wi-Fi as a lifeline
Target: <1% downtime, 100 Mbps per room.
Example: Pudong Shangri-La cut Wi-Fi complaints by 80% after upgrades.
Wait for new builds → Retrofit what you’ve got
Target: 8–20% energy savings in year one.
Example: DOE found Chicago hotel retrofits modeled 30%+ savings.
Ignore airport chaos → Partner with your DMO
Target: 30–40% faster arrivals.
Example: Aruba Airport’s biometric kiosks cut queues by up to 40%.
Hide sustainability → Make it visible
Target: direct bookings up 5–10 points in six months.
Example: Oregon vacation rentals with EV chargers saw a repeat rate lift.
✅ Quick mini-moves:
Run a speed test in every room this week.
Request one retrofit quote by Friday.
Ask your DMO or airport what tech is coming.
Add a “How We Power This Place” note to your website or listing.
Quick Win: The 7-Day Wi-Fi Heatmap
The Goal: cut Wi-Fi complaints by 20–30% in a month.
Walk 10 rooms and public spaces. Mark signal Green–Yellow–Red.
Move or add access points for weak spots.
Add a backup line if outages are common.
Re-walk, update your map, and share with staff.
What “good” looks like:
<1% downtime.
100 Mbps per room.
Tangible results: Mandarin Oriental NY cut complaints 85%+, Pudong Shangri-La 80%, and The Langham (Melbourne) dropped Wi-Fi tickets 97% after upgrades.
Why it pays fast: When guests mention internet, star ratings drop. Fix Wi-Fi and you lift both review sentiment and five-star likelihood.
How to measure: Compare Wi-Fi mentions and star ratings from the last 30 days with the next 30. Bring the delta to your ops meeting.
Hospitality Prompt of the Week
Before:
“Our hotel offers free Wi-Fi.”
Use this Prompt:
Act as a guest experience copywriter for boutique hotels. Rewrite the following Wi-Fi statement so it is: (1) specific and measurable, (2) guest-facing with a clear benefit, and (3) under 40 words. Provide 3 variations, each with a note on where to use it (website, OTA listing, in-room guide, or pre-arrival email).
Sample results:
“Every room has fiber-backed Wi-Fi at 100 Mbps — strong enough for video calls and streaming. Work, play, or binge your favorite show without lag.”
Use on your booking page to attract business travelers.“Stay connected everywhere: our Wi-Fi covers every room, patio, and lobby corner with <1% downtime.”
Perfect for OTA listings or pre-arrival emails.“Guests rated our internet ‘flawless’ last month. Stream, scroll, and Zoom with no interruptions.”
Great for in-room guestbooks or confirmation emails.
Upshot: Properties that highlighted reliable, high-speed Wi-Fi saw midweek occupancy increase and guest complaints about connectivity drop by up to 30% (Mandarin Oriental NY, Pudong Shangri-La).
The 90s Rule That Still Makes or Breaks Bookings
When I started Loco Gringo in the 90s, Mexico’s Caribbean coast didn’t have reliable internet or even paved roads in some places. We couldn’t sell speed or luxury. So we sold trust: clear directions, dependable communication, and the basics done right.
That’s what booked stays then, and it’s what books stays now. Guests don’t reward you for what looks impressive. They reward you for what works.
From Fixes to Wins
When operators pay attention to backbone issues, they see:
More direct bookings.
Stronger midweek fill.
Higher repeat stays.
Faster positive reviews.
Your Website Is the New Lobby
Guests judge you before they arrive. Over 53–60% of leisure travelers abandon bookings if a site is slow or images don’t load (Think with Google, 2024).
Mini-move: Test your booking path on mobile. It should take under 3 clicks or 5 seconds. Anything longer, and you’re leaking revenue.
From Fixes to Wins
Smart Pineapple is not one campaign. It is a system. When operators fix their invisible backbone, they see:
More direct bookings.
Stronger midweek.
Higher repeat stays.
Faster review velocity.
Think of Smart Pineapple Like a Check-Up
You don’t need another campaign. You need a system that makes the invisible visible:
Spot gaps fast: Wi-Fi, booking paths, check-in flow.
Benchmark smarter: Set targets like +5–10 points in direct share or –20% in review complaints in 30 days.
Move the needle: Shift effort from vanity upgrades to fixes that raise ADR, repeat stays, and review velocity.
Think of Smart Pineapple as your property’s check-up: we find what’s dragging reviews and bookings — and help you fix it before guests notice.