I must be missing something. I‘m staying in a hotel, one of the major business chains (the one with the S, not the M or the H this time) , and I‘m wanting to connect to the internet. They have a policy (and it‘s not unique to them) that wireless access (well, intermittent) in the lobby and restaurant is free, but you‘ll pay to get access in your room. And that‘s just seems incredibly dumb.
Anyone can just come in, hop on their network, and start surfing, but customers, in their paid-for rooms, must pay again to get access? Isn‘t this backward?
OK, sure, I can see a case where you might want to argue that having business people congregate meet might be seen as a benefit, but they‘re not talking, their glued to their laptops! They‘re occupying seats in the lobby (already crowded each night with either two busloads of teenagers or a busload of overseas tourists, respectively). You‘d do better with happy hour (and some places do that).
So, OK, I‘ll stomp down there in the morning before my shower, in slept-in Tshirt and jeans with bedhead hair, to get my connection and download my new email, littering their lobby, because I decide not to pay the extortionate fee. And I‘ll make it a point to seek out those chains that do ‘get it‘ and offer free internet in the rooms. (And even better if they have happy hour.)
But I‘m still curious about the business decision that makes it free to hang around the lobby occupying seats and glued to a laptop, providing an opportunity for net criminals to be either spamming or snarfing data, but looks to further gouge already paying customers.
Clark, the hotels I’ve talked with about this are clueless beyond belief. They often outsource the service entirely (passing along most of the margin) but ducking responsibility (you’ll have to call their 800 number; we have nothing to do with that). Or course, they charged for access from the room because most business people will pay it.
jay