The Cloud, Europe’s largest WiFi network operator, has announced a new partnership with the Little Chef chain of roadside restaurants and coffee shops. The Cloud says they are now the UK’s leading provider of WiFi hotspots to the hospitality industry with over 700 sites across the country.
“WiFi access has become a prerequisite for business and leisure guests alike so choosing the right partner was a priority for us,” commented Cathy Stevenson, Marketing Director, Little Chef. “The Cloud’s extensive experience, reliable service and low cost pricing model made it the natural choice of partner.”
Little Chef has an estate of 232 roadside restaurants and coffee bars, popular with business people and holiday makers. By rolling out wireless connectivity, The Cloud is delivering on its commitment to providing low cost WiFi access to travellers at every stage of their journey. With coverage at six major UK airports, train stations and hotels across the country, access to wireless services on the move has never been more convenient.
Bobby Sarin, The Cloud’s COO, said: “Travel locations are key locations for WiFi – they have some of the highest usage levels from across our entire hotspot estate. Business travellers are generally the most experienced WiFi users, and increasingly we’re finding that they are using WiFi to make voice calls or watch video clips, and not just accessing emails.”
Customers of Little Chef will be able to take advantage of The Cloud’s low cost Ultra WiFi packages which offer unlimited broadband WiFi access from as little as £11.99 per month.
The Cloud had already consolidated its presence in the hospitality industry earlier in the year with a number of acquisitions. Canova Wireless, a WiFi provider with 88 hotspots in hotels and conference facilities across the UK; Purple Patch, which currently supplies WiFi services to the Somerston and Chardon hotel groups including 15 Holiday Inn Express sites; and Wirefree which supplies WiFi to boutique London hotels all became part of The Cloud’s network in 2006.
These acquisitions substantially boosted The Cloud’s presence in the hospitality sector, adding over 76 hotels from Swallow Hotels, Paten Hotels and Sarova Hotels including Ashford International and the Crowne Plaza in Cambridge. It also added high profile sites such as Chelsea FC & Village Hotel, the University of Manchester and Tottenham Hotspur FC.