Hybrid working has blurred the lines between ‘holiday’ and ‘home’ and as a direct result, connectivity expectations have undertaken a seismic upturn. Recent research showed that 78% of guests expect ultrafast Wi-Fi across the entire park with 31% considering reliable Wi-Fi as more important than a comfortable bed.
Today’s holiday park visitors don’t just want but demand the same seamless on-line access they get at home. That means delivering strong and robust Wi- Fi has become as essential as providing water and electricity. Poor Wi-Fi experiences lead to lower park review scores and reduced guest retention.
Parks that fail to deliver a strong connection risk losing out to competitors who recognise the importance of a top-tier digital experience. “The UK leisure and holiday park sector is an industry going through one of the most dynamic periods of transformation I’ve seen,” says Kendal Stacey of Wifinity UK, on the back of 25 years of specialist experience.
“It’s no longer just about delivering Wi-Fi to a static caravan — it’s about enabling a smart, digital-first environment where every touchpoint, from check-in to entertainment, is frictionless.” Founded in 2007, Wifinity has become a market leader in managed connectivity solutions, specialising in complex and hard-to-reach environments.
THE DEMAND FOR FAST, reliable Wi-Fi at holiday parks isn’t a passing trend, it’s an expectation that will only continue to grow.
Originally founded to solve connectivity issues for military personnel living in remote MOD barracks, Wifinity has expanded its expertise to a variety of industries including education, healthcare and residential communities.
Wifinity works with 4/5 of the UK’s top parks, providing internet to over 25,000 holiday let accommodation units, and holiday parks is a significant specialist area. Winning holiday destinations now need to think like both hoteliers and tech providers combined, taking a broad perspective encompassing:
• Smart energy management
• Digital signage
• EV infrastructure
Kendal reports: “Parks are investing in IoT, mobile-first guest platforms, and cloud-based infrastructure to stay competitive, meet guest expectations and optimise operations. These need a strong underpinning connectivity network to be effective. “It’s an exciting space — one that blends decades of traditional guest service with the cutting edge of tech innovation.”
Investing in the IT network and Wi-Fi is not just about investment cost but also revenue generation by future-proofing your venue as a key asset while improving guest satisfaction. By comparison, poor connectivity can lead to negative reviews, lost repeat bookings, and brand damage.
Strong connectivity and premium Wi-Fi tiers drive revenue streams. Smart point-of-sale systems, kiosks and mobile ordering rely on a robust network foundation. Better connectivity leads to more on-site spend, especially when guests can easily order food, book activities or upgrade experiences via an app.
Smooth operation allows holiday businesses to think outside of the box with such innovations as pop-up food and beverage, retail or services and providing secure EPOS, allowing you to trade anywhere “Strong connectivity actually becomes a selling point in itself,"
Kendal points out, “Reviews go up. Word of mouth spreads. Repeat visits increase. “Parks that can market “connected luxury” or “work-from-holiday” win business over those that can’t,” he points out. Guests now bring an average of 3–5 devices per family member — phones, tablets, smart TVs, gaming consoles. Investing in the network enables:
• Streaming services in accommodation
• Smart room features (heating, lighting)
• App-based bookings and real-time info
But it is not all about the guest experience. Streamlined operations is proven to reduces cost through increased efficiency as a strong IT network supports:
• Staff communication and mobility
• Smart energy management (reducing utility costs)
• CCTV and ANPR systems
• Real-time occupancy and usage tracking.
This all adds up to lower overheads and better decision-making. “Investing in a robust network keeps your business competitive,” comments Kendal. “Other parks are already doing this — those who don’t invest will fall behind.”
OPERATORS WHO INVEST in robust, future-proof solutions will not only see higher guest satisfaction but also increased revenue and operational efficiency.
“With hybrid working and workations now the norm, guests are choosing locations with reliable connectivity so they can stay longer and blend work with leisure.” Building trust through security and compliance, modern networks include enterprise-grade security, guest data protection and content filtering — protecting your brand and your guests from risks.
Especially important for family-friendly and corporate clientele including:
• Guest data protection (GDPR compliance)
• Network segmentation to protect business systems
• Content filtering for family-friendly environments
A foundation in future technology is essential for holiday venues looking to introduce features such as:
• EV chargers
• Mobile check-in
• Smart TVs
• In-park digital signage
All of that depends on a scalable and resilient network including:
• Wi-Fi 7 adoption for higher speeds and lower latency
• Edge computing at park level to process data locally
• AI analytics to understand guest behaviour and improve services
• Integration with CRM systems for personalised guest experiences
• Data driven decisions
Kendal urges: “A modern IT network is not just about Wi-Fi — it’s about creating a digitally enabled park that delights guests, empowers staff, reduces costs, and builds brand loyalty. “For park owners, it’s an investment in long-term growth. It’s a fundamental and valuable asset that every park owner would consider when buying or selling a park.”
Wifinity
020 8090 1290
07376 053094
www.wifinity.co.uk
Set just two miles from Newquay’s golden sand beaches, Hendra Holiday Park welcomes up to 3,800 guests a night during peak season. The family-owned business began in 1972 as a site offering camping and touring. Nowadays, Hendra’s 80- acre site is home to more than 300 luxury holiday homes and 600 pitches (from standard grass to super), ensuring it caters to a wide range of guests and budgets. Newquay has undergone a transformation in recent years, as Director Jon Hyatt explains: “The town has come a long way since the days of nightclubs, stag and hen dos. “It’s now a five-star family-friendly holiday destination and that makes the job of keeping our guests safe and secure that bit easier.” On-site security is handled by the Nitoe Group Ltd, a company launched more than a decade ago to support Newquay’s bustling nightlife. The experience brought with it some valuable lessons. “In bars and clubs, security needs to be managed carefully to avoid ruining the experience for everyone,” says managing director Tom Peel. “Holiday parks are very much the same. “Our primary goal is to make sure guests feel safe and secure – without compromising on their enjoyment. Being approachable plays a big part in this – especially in a holiday park where very young guests might find themselves needing help.”
Hendra and Nitoe work in close partnership to achieve this: from choosing the appropriate measures and policies to sharing recruitment events. “The Nitoe Group team is very much an extension of our own workforce,” says Hendra director Jon Hyatt. “Their approach is more front of house than door supervisor and that’s a credit to the training they’ve received.” Security personnel on site understand the importance of customer service and know the skills to deliver it. In addition, they are trained to deliver first aid and can take on basic maintenance tasks, too. Jon continues: “With such a wide-range of functions, it means that, especially in peak season, we can enjoy an ‘all-hands-on-deck approach to give our visitors the experience that will see them returning year after year. “In addition, our staff has been trained on how to work with security, including how to get help in the event of issues on site, such as disruptive guests.” In such a big operation, data security is a significant concern. To protect against cyber threats externally, Hendra’s booking systems are isolated from the WiFi, feature a firewall and use subnets for added protection. On top of this, systems undergo external testing quarterly to ensure PCI-DSS compliance. “At Hendra, we go out of our way to treat our guests with the utmost respect and that extends to their personal information,” comments Bookings and IT manager Scott Dickinson. “Any data we hold is fully encrypted and we’ve made the decision not to store credit card details. “Sensitive information like this is only needed in the event of a refund; this affects no more than 5 per cent of our bookings. In our experience, when refunds are necessary, guests are usually more than happy to share their details again if it will help resolve the issue.”
Alongside external scans and testing, Hendra’s IT team regularly run internal vulnerability scans. Scott adds: “With so much data to protect, we are always on the lookout for flaws in the system which could result in data breaches and issues for our customers.” This robust-but-friendly approach to security has paid dividends, according to Hendra Director Jon Hyatt. “We’ve been welcoming guests from across the UK and beyond for nearly 50 years’ now. “Indeed, many of our guests nowadays first came here as young children and, because of our customer-focused approach – across every aspect of the business – they continue returning each year, bringing children and grandchildren in tow.”
to be memorable for the right reasons. Our team works hard to instil a culture of respect throughout the operation.” This is echoed throughout the guest’s experience: from booking to departure. The site’s Code of Behaviour can be found within the park rules that are listed on the website, within booking information and in arrival packs. Once on site, guests are reminded to respect their neighbours on site, at all times of day, through carefully placed signage and posters. Day-to-day security issues are handled by the site’s park warden. “Guests need to be comfortable raising issues or asking questions, so approachability was something we were looking for in a park warden,” comments Roberta. During weekends and school holidays, Waldegraves employs an external security company to look after the doors on the clubhouse, as well as patrol in the evenings and overnight. However, there are drawbacks to this approach. “Previously, we have had issues where external staff weren’t able to work out the layout of the park quickly enough,” adds Roberta. “This meant we did have some complaints that areas of the site weren’t being policed efficiently. “Ideally, we would like to employ an in-house security team. But, because it could only ever be a seasonal position, it is almost impossible to find the right candidates. Alongside a range of security equipment, including CCTV, ANPR and automatic barriers to keep guests safe, the team at Waldegraves is also working to tackle antisocial behaviour.
“We’re currently the trusted security system provider for over 200 parks that have over 100,000 holiday or residential park homes on their sites, including Bourne Leisure, Park Resorts, Parkdean and Park Holidays UK.”
This combination of increased regulation and more regular breaches means that it’s more important than ever that your business takes steps to protect itself in the digital world, even if you don’t operate online it’s likely that your systems are connected to the internet and therefore could be vulnerable. Most businesses in this sector will have an electronic booking system and/or hold customer data electronically; access control may also be digitalised. All of this could leave your business exposed to signifi cant costs and expenses and importantly loss of income, in the event of a system failure, fraudulent or not! Businesses should look at their IT infrastructure to ensure they have robust security in place to minimize the risk of a breach however it is not possible to guarantee any system is completely secure – user error or a determined hacker can often still cause a breach. Therefore, parks are recommended to look at Cyber Protection.
