ON THE STATE OF HOTEL INTERNET ACCESS

PLEA FOR HELP

Well, bad news for us road warriors, who live and die by the internet access available in a hotel room. 

Hotelchatter.com starts off it's annual WiFi survey, as follows:

"...we assumed that by 2007, more hotels would be offering free wireless and with greater consistency, seeing that guests love, need and want free WiFi.

Alas, that is not what we found. Instead of finding more and more hotels offering free WiFi, we are finding more restrictions are being added to free hotel WiFi."

I can anecdotally vouch for this, having had to pony up my $10 to $15 a day for more than the usual share of hotel rooms in the past year. 

Not sure when hotels will realize that for the mainstream traveler, internet access has become as essential as electricity or running water.

Please, get a clue. 

And just bundle the stuff already.

Oh, and while you're at it, PLEASE, PLEASE don't outsource the internet access, wireless or not, to some local mom and pop ISP. 

How many times have you found yourself being given an 800 number or a local tech support number to call when the internet access isn't working, or suddenly goes down.

I mean, they don't make me call the power or the water company when they go out. 

And by the by, whenever the internet access is down for guests, haven't you noticed the hotel employees surfing away in their back offices on the dedicated business internet access lines? 

I mean of course, internet access is mission critical to running a hotel these days.  Why don't they realize it's also mission-critical for most of their guests?

Finally, if you do provide internet access for "free", thanks. 

But don't, please don't make us jump through registration hoops while bleary-eyed, just to get access to our email at two in the morning.  Especially if it involves finding the piece of paper with the "access code" you gave us with our room key, registration card, and hotel promotional paraphernelia.

I mean, we've already registered down in the lobby.  Don't make us do the same thing again upstairs for internet access.  We sure don't have to register to turn on the lights, or run water in the sink.

And don't get any ideas on the electricity or the water policies either.

Rant over.

Read the rest of the Hotelchatter review for the hotels with the best and worst internet access in the country an abroad.  They'll be rolling out the reviews in parts, over the next couple of days.

Comments

[jer979]

So right on! Made this same analogy last week at a Courtyard Marriott in Kirkland, WA. Fortunately, it was free, but I HATE having to go to the website first, to "Accept" whatever terms/conditions. Just let me log on...

[Bill Hobi]

Kimpton Hotel Group is one of the few getting it right.... Free internet access... and it's wireless so you don't have to hunt around for an ethernet cable... just type in your last name and room number to gain access... it's a cinch!