Park Bloggin’ by Vince Russell
Why free WiFi makes
sense for parks and attractions Consumers today – including theme park and amusement park guests – are more mobile-savvy than ever, so offering fast, free WiFi internet access at tourist attractions makes excellent business sense. But don’t take my word for it. “WiFi has had a transformative effect on both our guests and our marketing team,” says Katherine Duckworth, head of consumer marketing at Alton Towers Resort, one of Merlin Entertainments’ four UK theme parks. “We can now better serve our guests by not only letting them go online, but also by creating our own online content to enhance customers’ experience.” Visitors are using the Alton Towers app to get real-time updates on queue times and find their way around the park. Guests are also using the free WiFi to share pictures and video from their day out. When The Smiler rollercoaster was launched last season, a special app game was created. Throughout the ride’s queue line there is multimedia content on the walls and floor which visitors can scan using the app. Without a WiFi connection this interactive layer would not have been possible, and without free WiFi it’s unlikely park-goers would use it so enthusiastically. The average duration of a connection is over an hour-and-a-half per person. Today over half of the
UK’s adult population accesses the internet regularly via their phone, and they expect to get online wherever they are, however Alton Towers Resort has historically had very little 3G mobile network coverage due to its rural Staffordshire location, where mobile phone masts are few and far between. To deal with the issue of poor mobile connectivity, Alton Towers approached my company, The Cloud, with a view to providing high- speed WiFi across its estate. After installing WiFi at network rail stations and other large public areas, we had the experience required to ensure that the service met the park’s expectations. A phased implementation was adopted to ensure that the areas with the highest footfall gained connectivity first. When installing the WiFi in the resort’s conference centre, we also ensured it was configured to allow guests to get online easily and instantly without log-in authentication. Following the successful roll-out at Alton Towers in 2012, Merlin has continued its partnership with The Cloud by introducing free WiFi at most of its other major British attractions, including The London Eye, Thorpe Park, Madame Tussauds London, Chessington World of Adventures, Warwick Castle and now Legoland Windsor (as pictured). By encouraging visitors to share their experiences over social media, attractions are not only boosting their visibility in the social sphere but positioning themselves as a “digital-first” venue that puts the visitor experience at the heart of everything they do. Merlin knows this, and hopefully other operators can benefit too.
Vince Russell is managing director of The Cloud (
thecloud.net), a leading WiFi provider in the hospitality sector.
AUGUST 2014
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63