[PdeBarry]

Free WiFi is a must. But the most important factor for me is speed. I have been in several hotels in which their internet connection is so mind-numbingly slow that you can eat a 7 course meal by the time your mail is downloaded or a website is totally visible.

I also don’t appreciate that we are spending a wee bit to stay in an airport hotel because you have an ungodly early flight and you have an Option of purchasing a faster connection. I have unfortunately discovered that many of those connection have still been left wanting. And Lastly, hotels should hire, or have a company on call, who know how to fix issues.
Yes, the last suggestion does cost money, but how is it that a 3 star hotel in Vienna (which was cheaper than the NH Airport Hotel) had a download speed of over 100mg and the NH at the airport is barely functional? I paid for the upgrade and barely had 3mg download speed…. felt like an idiot wasting money…head banging the keys of the computer waiting for pages or mail. The computer just couldn’t multi-task…

[Daytripper]

Vodafone (my UK airtime provider) now offers its ‘Euro Traveller’ and ‘World Traveller’ packages whereby for a small daily fee (only on days actually used) I can use my UK minutes and data in most countries of the world.

If the hotel charges for internet, instead I tether my laptop using my mobile to 3g (or 4g where available). Creating a hotspot this way is far cheaper than hotel daily internet rates, thereby bypassing the hotel system altogether. The connection is almost always faster than the hotel system too.

[PdeBarry]

Daytripper, I’ll try that since I do have Vodafone UK as one of my mobile phone companies. Blau DE network is pretty good since I spend a lot of time in Germany.

I’ve discovered that it’s best to use more than one mobile carrier due to cost and lack of coverage in some areas.

[LuganoPirate]

Never mind internet speed, I cam’t believe this thread was started 4 years ago. How time flies!

It is interesting to note though how little has changed and my experience over the last few years has been slow wifi for free and fast for a premium. I can’t help but think this is a ploy to get us to pay in order to subsidize the cost of the phone system. With usage of Apps like Viber and WhatsApp, not to mention Facetime and Skype being used more and more, even for business calls. a higher speed is required for better clarity and less dropping out. In fact i find now I only use the hotel phone for room service, housekeeping or to ask the concierge something.

Like others I use a mobile hotspot for my internet use if forced to pay for higher speeds, or I will buy a local SIM card with data where my local provider does not provide free or reasonably priced data roaming. A good example is the USA.

If the hotel charges, then i make a point now of informing the manager that I may look at other hotels if the policy is not changed.

[MartynSinclair]

I’m just ordered a new lap top and in the past would always include a slot for a sim card.

Now there are so many free hot spots a sim slot is not needed.

Having hotel status means free WiFi is in the rate anyway.

The ONLY time I now buy Internet time is very occasionally outside of Europe when I need to receive send data and have no hope of getting free WiFi.

[Author]

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