A few days ago I complained about hotels and airports that charge extra for a wireless connection. But it seems at least one hotel chain is listening to its customers. Next week, five Marriott brands — Courtyard, Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn, TownePlace Suites and SpringHill Suites — are expected to eliminate Wi-Fi charges for guests in lobbies and other public areas.
The five Marriott brands introduced free guest room high-speed and wireless Internet connections back in 2004, which was pretty forward-looking at the time. There have been rumors that Marriott’s full-service hotels can’t be far behind in offering free wireless, and next week’s move is sure to get people talking again.
Free Wi-Fi in the lobby makes a lot of sense. These public areas are places where informal business meetings take place and where people can spend a long time waiting. There’s nothing more irritating than firing up your laptop or cell phone and finding an electronic tollboth. It limits your productivity and it doesn’t exactly endear you to the hotel.
I think it’s just a matter of time before wireless access points are considered as essential as running water or electricity. (As one reader pointed out, I should be referring to high-speed Internet connections as a “utility.” Fair enough.)
The question the hotel industry should be asking isn’t, “How much money will I lose by making wireless free?” Instead, it should ask, “How much business will I lose if I don’t make wireless free?”
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I have been staying, off and on at LaQuinta and Holiday Inn Express for a year or so. These folks offer complementary wi-fi in room! So nice to check the web in my jammies!
Exactly why we always stay in Holiday Inns. Free Internet IN THE GUEST rooms and free breakfast. Even if it runs a few dollars more than some other hotel in the same city, we save. And Priority Points add up fast for free nights. This year we have had over eight free nights at Holiday Inns with our points.
We travel a lot for business and it pays to stay where I have internet in the room.
And how is their customer service? At one recent incident the Holiday Inn in Asheville couldn’t get their internet working in the hotel rooms. They made the calls for me and secured the same rate at another one down the road for me to go to. They went the extra mile for me.
Marilyn
I hope one day soon to be reading an article announcing free (or at least reasonably priced) wifi on cruise ships.
I’ve always wondered why the “low-end” brands (e.g. Hampton and Hilton Garden Inn) offer free wi-fi, yet the “name” brands (Hilton and Conrad) can’t. Seems a little backwards, dontcha think? ;)
I hope you’re right, Chris. I’m sure I’m like most people who travel — either for business or pleasure. I can’t leave the laptop at home, and I don’t like having to pay $12/day for internet access. Europe is going the opposite direction; I just returned from Amsterdam, where 24 hours of connection time in my room at the Hilton would have cost me $36.90 (converted from 27 euros). Needless to say, I have a lot of e-mails to catch up on.
It’s good travelers in the U.S. are being offered free wi-fi connections.
Just 12 or 13 years ago, the first Internet shop opened here in Bangkok. Now they’re ubiquitous, and more and more places are offering free wi-fi.
One enterprising restaurant owner here takes a two-pronged approach: for people with their own portables, the wi-fi connection is free — but for those who don’t have a portable available, there one desktop computer at the rear of the dining area. The charge for using the computer is about 3 cents/minute. But that’s fair, and no one objects, recognizing that the owners buy and maintain the equipment.
A few other places either have gone that route or the owners are considering it.
Heck, in some parts of Bangkok wi-fi connections are so dense that sometimes you can be in a place without it — but still hook up, because someone with a nearby connection openly makes it available within range to one and all.