Well, Google has started the season of giving by providing free Wi-Fi on all Virgin America flights until January 15th. Yesterday, Google announced they are extending the gift of free Wi-Fi to 47 airports throughout America. Good work Google, when is it coming to Australia?
This news started me thinking about the opportunity for a hotel chain to offer a similar service in Australia. If say, the Marriott, partnered with a national ISP to roll out Wi-Fi hardware and services into major airports throughout Australia they would have access to a captive travelling audience. The majority of this audience is either travelling for business or to go on holiday. This would be a prime audience the Marriott caters for. By providing free Wi-Fi in return for an opt-in, Marriott would access a potential competitor’s customer base. Tie this into a social media strategy forcing the customer to join the Marriott’s Facebook page and there is a wealth of information to access.
What other ways could a hotel chain benefit from a similar strategy?
