Quick Response

Friday, August 9th, 2024

I don’t go away very often, but when I do I always keep an eye out for anything that I might usefully implement here at Bressenden. While staying at a Premier Inn recently, I looked around my room for instructions to access the WiFi, or a code or password. I had not stayed in a hotel since the days when a hotel receptionist would hand you a piece of paper with log-in credentials scribbled on. The guest information leaflet told me to scan a square-shaped box that was filled with tiny black and white squares. I’ve never had to use one of these QR codes before, though they came into their own during the Covid pandemic. QR stands for Quick Response. Most adults now apparently own a smartphone or tablet with integrated camera and built-in software that is able to recognise and use QR codes.

I had no idea what I was supposed to do, or even whether I needed a special app. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. So I got the camera up on my phone and pointed it at the patterned box. A message came up inviting me to join the WiFi network, and that was it. How simple and convenient! It was so quick and easy, compared with fiddling about in my phone’s settings, choosing the correct network and inputting a password, that I decided to look into the possibility of having a similar system for use by Bressenden’s guests.

Back home, I set about finding out how to create a QR code. It was surprisingly straightforward and, best of all, it was free. I have now put QR codes in all the rooms — not just for accessing WiFi, but for phoning me or sending a message. This is easier than having to key in a phone number plus, for overseas guests, a country code.