Business travellers prefer iPads over laptops

Business hotels will have to rethink their Wi-Fi offering, now that travellers bring fewer laptops to hotels, and more iPads. A survey by iBahn clearly shows the new trend. iBahn operates Wi-Fi in thousands of hotels for brands such as Hilton, Marriott, Ritz-Carlton and Holiday Inn.

This year, the number of travellers checking in with laptops has fallen. This is a first in history, according to new data from iBahn, taken from 230,000 customer surveys. The trend poses challenges to hotels, most of which have created high-speed internet systems built for laptop use. Now that business travellers are bringing their iPads, the demand for bandwidth is growing tremendously. The fact that people are carrying multiple mobile devices with them and using them for more than just e-mail also contributes to bandwidth demand.

IPads and other-brand tablets tend to be used for data-intensive social networking and video streaming. Most iPad owners are looking for external Wi-Fi to go online as opposed to using their own cellular account. Hotels are responding to the new trend by offering more bandwidth at higher speed. Some hotels are building extra charging stations for guests' iPads and smartphones in their lobbies, restaurants and bars.

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