By Kendal Stacey, Holiday Parks and Leisure at Wifinity
I look after Holiday Parks and Leisure at Wifinity. I spend a lot of time at parks, speaking with operators, general managers and owners about the challenges they’re facing. One theme keeps coming up: everything costs more than it did a couple of seasons ago. Tax, business rates, utilities, staffing and supplier fees continue to rise. When pressure mounts, every asset needs to work harder. Parks are exploring ways to create more value without yet more expense.
Connectivity is one of those assets. WiFi and broadband for holiday parks are already central to how guests and owners use your site, but they can also deliver commercial returns when it’s set up in the right way. Senior decision-makers are looking beyond basic guest WiFi and towards the wider potential of their network as an income generator, an operational tool and a differentiator.
Some parks use connectivity to create direct revenue through tiered or upgraded packages. Others use it to drive indirect returns, such as better loyalty, increased venue footfall, longer dwell times, smoother digital journeys, or simply reducing the strain on reception teams. I wanted to take a fresh look at how your connectivity model can support your wider commercial goals.
As a supplier to 4/5 of the UK’s largest holiday park operators, including Parkdean Resorts, Butlins and Haven, we see the full range of models in use. What follows is a practical comparison of the approaches available and the commercial thinking behind them.
They’re best viewed through the lens of your own park’s layout, guest profile and operational aims.
A common starting point: guest expectations
Visitor behaviour has shifted. Most guests arrive with multiple devices, expect to stream without interruption and often want the option to work while away. We’ve shared before how the quality of WiFi and broadband for holiday parks affects booking decisions, guest spending, customer service workloads and satisfaction, and why parks are now reviewing how they deliver WiFi.
What price do you put on quality?
A few years ago, limited coverage in communal areas felt just about acceptable. Today, no serious park would operate without strong, reliable coverage both inside accommodation and around the park. Our own research supports this: most guests consider good quality WiFi essential to their stay, and many link their review scores to the experience they have with it.
When connectivity is weak, reception teams know about it quickly. When it’s strong and predictable, guests stay on-site longer, use digital services, use more park facilities and are more likely to book again.
The connectivity models available
Most parks fall into one of three broad approaches when choosing WiFi and broadband for holiday parks.
1. Basic or “traditional” WiFi
This generally relies on a small number of outdoor access points, arranged in a mesh.
Pros
- Simple to install and support
- Offers light coverage around communal areas
- It can be workable for very small parks with low demand
Cons
- Mesh networks lose speed with each hop
- Indoor coverage is inconsistent
- Performance can drop at peak times
- Not reliable for streaming, gaming or remote working
While the up-front technical cost is low, parks often end up in a cycle of reactive support and poor guest experience.
2. Park-wide professionally managed connectivity
A structured, designed-for-purpose network offering consistent coverage throughout the site, including inside vans and lodges. It uses fixed wireless backhaul or other infrastructure, depending on terrain and layout.
Pros
- Reliable coverage across the whole park
- Supports high device volumes, streaming and work use
- Enables digital services (online ordering, app-based booking, staff comms)
- Centralised management reduces day-to-day support for park teams
This is now standard for large operators, where both site-wide coverage and in-van access points are expected.
3. In-van broadband
A dedicated router or CPE is installed in each unit, providing a private, domestic-style connection.
Pros
- Ideal for long-stay owners and lodge guests
- Supports tiered packages and premium upgrades
- Can run standalone or as part of a wider park network
This model suits parks where personal connectivity and predictable performance are high priorities.
Commercial models to consider
Once you’re clear on the technical design, your next decision is how to offer and fund access. All the commercial models below are still used across the sector:
Free access for all
Simple to communicate and fits parks focusing on a friction-free guest experience.
Freemium (free basic access with optional upgrades)
Guests can connect at no cost but may pay to upgrade for more speed or more devices.
Paid WiFi only
Used by a small number of parks where guests are used to paying. Worth some guest insight before choosing this. Very cost-sensitive guests will expect ‘free’ (at the point of use).
Revenue share
The supplier owns and manages the network; revenue from paid passes is shared. Useful for parks wanting to avoid capital expenditure.
Different parks take different paths based on their brand, guest profile and financial model. There’s no single best option. Your decision often comes down to the balance of guest experience, operational load and optional income.
How to choose the right model
When I visit parks to discuss WiFi and broadband options, our conversation usually covers:
- Size and layout: Distances, density and terrain shape the technical design.
- Existing infrastructure: You may already have ducts or fibre that can be reused.
- Accommodation types: Lodges, vans, glamping and touring pitches behave differently.
- Guest behaviour: Family, owner-heavy and short-stay parks have very different usage patterns.
- Seasonality and peak load: Demand spikes in school holidays and weekends.
- Digital plans: If you’re planning digital ordering, check-in, IoT or CCTV upgrades, your network must support them.
- Support model: Do you have an in-house team, or do you need a partner to handle technical and guest support?
- Commercial priorities: Is the focus on guest experience, reduced workload, optional revenue or future-proofing?
A balanced conversation usually makes the right approach clear.
A practical example
At Parkdean Resorts, we moved from a patchwork of legacy systems to a uniform, managed solution across the parks we support. Each caravan received an in-van router, and the wider sites were upgraded with backhaul and access points designed around real-world usage.
The priority wasn’t headline speeds. It was stability, coverage and reducing issues for park teams. It also created a foundation for the operator’s digital guest services. These are the kinds of considerations that shape a realistic long-term solution.
If your connectivity is under review…
If you’re considering a change before the 2026 season, start with a clear view of what you want the network to deliver – not just for guests but across your operations. Once that’s defined, the right model becomes much easier to choose, whether that’s an upgrade or a fresh design.
If you’d like to talk over the options for your site, I’m always happy to share what we’re seeing across the sector and the practical lessons from parks that have already changed their connectivity model.
kendal.stacey@wifinity.co.uk