[TominScotland]

In this day and age, I feel short-changed when I have to pay for wi-fi access, especially in higher grade hotels. Inquisitive is right – it is generally smaller, private hotels which give wi-fi free as a matter of course. However, I stayed in a Kempinski a few days ago and was told that free wi-fi is now a brand standard across the chain.

Of course hotels have to cover the cost of infrastructure but then they also need to provide beds and towels and chairs and tables and showers and toilets……… Most hotels also give free access to the fitness centre although many guests do not use these facilities (but subsidise them….). If we want to pay for individual bits and pieces, we can always stay in a Tune Hotel where the ‘add ons’ menu (including the Internet) is extensive – see http://www.tunehotels.com/add-ons

[LuganoPirate]

Esselle, I’m guessing the Amstel? Similar thing happened to me there and I refused point blank to pay for them. I also asked them to find me another hotel where i would move to.

I was paying €400+ a night and I said if they put a machine in, then they should supply the coffee for free. Result, I got a small box and a note from the manager saying it would be complimentary and if I needed more to contact him directly.

[capetonianm]

Martyn : It was a hotel which is part of a small chain, near Bristol. I’m not going to mention the name because, after I’d complained to housekeeping, I had a call from the manager who was genuinely distressed to hear what had happened, assured me it was not policy ….. and offered me dinner in the hotel.

I think the receptionist must have got a royal, and deserved, bollocking as she happened to be on duty when I settled my account and she didn’t even look at me!

[NTarrant]

Yes, free wi-fi is a must and should be part of the hotel facilities in this day and age. I have recently stayed at some small hotels and guest house/B&B in Scotland where all, but the most expensive offered free wi-fi. The most expensive didn’t have it other than a computer in reception for guest use, but it was free.

[esselle]

LP

It was the Okura.

[LuganoPirate]

Also a very nice hotel Esselle. Must be a Dutch 5* policy to charge for the coffee in the room!

[esselle]

Yes, LP, but at that price you could be forgiven for expecting fresh milk in the minibar, rather than the nasty longlife stuff!

Actually, a topic for a new thread may be how many different types of machines are there in hotel bedrooms around the world, which all take the Nespresso capsule, but which have the “on/off” switch hidden somewhere, and never in the same place…….or is it just me?

[LuganoPirate]

I agree about the milk Esselle. Truth be told however, like Capetonian I never drink coffee, only tea. I was holding a briefing in the room and my guests were drinking the coffee!

I have never come across the same machine anywhere, apart from our home and office where Mrs. LP and the housekeeper enjoy a cup or two.

I don’t actually understand how they work so leave well alone!

[hazinheira]

Internet is a must these days and I do not accept having to pay for wi-fi.

I wasn’t around when hotels started to have running water in their toilets, but I do not believe, at those times, they were charging it separately…

[naessensp2]

Wifi is a must-have and free!

[TimFitzgeraldTC]

Wi-Fi should be free – there is absolutely no reason now to charge in this day and age. When I was travelling arounf California every little hotel we stayed at offered it free (Sacremento, Redding, Napa Valley). Then in San Francsico at the most expensive hotel they tried to charge $15 for access which I refused. The Business Centre was free and the queues to use this were horrendous.

Not having free wi-fi now lowers my opinion of hotels – I wouldn’t recommend them to clients.

[StewartKidd1]

Slightly surprised that no one has suggested one of the possible reasons why the major chains are trying to retain their wifi charges. Rumour has it that there is a fear that if all wifi becomes free no one will want to spend (just checking), ah yes, £16.30 to watch “Double Creampies” or “Fun Club”. Apparently in some properties quite a large proportion of revenue comes from ‘in house entertainment’ and we’re likely to use free wifi to trawl the internet for free porn taking up vast acres of bandwidth in the process. Or am I making it up?

[Tim2soza]

WiFi is a must have. I always check at booking to see if included in the price. I use BT Openzone / BT Fon in the UK and AT&T wifi in the US if not in a Hilton property with free WiFi for gold members. Both included with my mobile phone bundles.

[RHMAngel]

I forgot which Sunday paper travel supplement did a survey and did a name & shame of the big hotel chains charging for WiFi. They worked out it was less than $0.60 (40p) per DAY per room. BUT still the big chains charge.

It is now one of the biggest bug-bears of business travelers.

In my experience, I found that the cheaper the hotel chain, the more likely WiFi is going to be free. The more expensive the hotel and thus business hotels, the more likely they are to charge.

The excuse, not all hotel users use it: so why should one subsidize the other, doesn’t seem to apply with leisure facilities – not everyone uses a pool or tiny gym, but they don’t charge extra to use it (well excluding Asia). A business hotel, you’d think this is now a must like a bath or toilet.

So, now where-ever I go on business I explore the local area and get out and find those free hot spots. MAJOR chains have it free (McDonalds, Starbucks ….) A pain in the butt if you really need to use a laptop, but mostly I was happy using my iPhone to pick up and reply to urgent messages.

I also heard, it was business hotels, expecting business people to put it on their claims (from two friends who work in the business hotel world). It was that attitude that made me stand my ground as a matter principle, $150+ room rates and the hotel can’t let me have free WiFi ?! Or has the nerve to ask for $10-25 per 24 hours. Robbery.

Alternative I didn’t mind recently, was 1 hour a day free, then you had the option of paying. I thought that was fair compromise.

[IanFromHKG]

RHMAngel, my experience is the same as yours (and others’) – the smaller and cheaper, the more likely it is to have free wifi. Puzzled by your implied statement that Asian hotels charge for gym/pool access – the only place I have encountered this is Korea, and nowhere else in my (extensive) travels in Asia

Back to the question – frankly, I don’t much care. I rarely travel with my laptop nowadays, preferring to rely on the blackberry, as laptops are too much hassle (per corporate policy we have to carry them in hand luggage, which is heavy, a pain at security screenings, etc etc.). But if I need it, I will take it, and charge any cost to my employer so it really makes very little difference to me. The only issue I do have with it is in fact not to do with the cost, it is that I find it irksome if the hotel system automatically logs you off after a set period, and for this reason I would prefer a free service which doesn’t get interrupted in that way (meaning I have to log on again, a painfully slow process with our systems)

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