I may live in a time, and place where access to the Internet is not as important as other utilities. I will be one of the first to agree that Internet access is a secondary utility. Secondary in that it requires other utility to use. Electricity, for example, must be available for access to also be available. Let me give my story, and I will let you decide if I am mistaken.
This weekend I went to the Beau Rivage to watch a show and get away for the weekend with my wife. As we arrived to our room, I plugged in my laptop, connected the network to my mac and went to the Beau Rivage’s website to look up the menu for one of their restaurants. As it was loading the page, another page popped up and said it would cost $12.95 per day, per laptop to access the Internet. It gave me the option to proceed, which I refused, and then said if I agreed, it would add those charges to my room.
I was looking up information on the very place I was staying, wanting to know where I want to spend my money. I found this to be outrageous. Why should I be spending money to look up information on where I want to spend my money? On top of this, the Beau Rivage is a casino, and is by no means hurting for money.
Let me come back to what I said before about the Internet being a secondary utility. Electricity, water, gas, and to some extent, telephone I consider to be primary utilities. That is to say they are necessary to modern living. I throw the word modern in there because the only real utility that is absolutely necessary is water, the rest are so ubiquitous that living would be uncomfortable without them.
Secondary utilities would include television, Internet, and to some extent, telephone. I lean on telephone because it is in that unknown area between primary and secondary. Regardless of this, television is provided in the room for free at every hotel or motel I have ever been. Telephone is also provided for free to every room. Sometimes there is a charge, but usually this is only for placing calls outside of the local calling area. If these two secondary utilities are provided to the room for free, why shouldn’t Internet?
I understand that hotels look at this as another form of income. Instead, shouldn’t they be looking at this as another way to increase, or simply keep the number of guests staying with them? I use the Internet the way many people use the telephone or television. It is not only a source of entertainment, but also a source of information. I know from now on, if I have a choice in where I stay, I will be calling ahead to make sure access to the Internet is available, and it is free. If the price of the room is within$15 or $20, the hotel providing the access for free would seem to be the better place just because they have taken the initiative.
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I can deal with that because they are out in the sticks. I just don’t like it when hotels charge for internet.
Just to be argumentative, I have to mention that a hotel I stay in from time to time (in Birmingham) just upped their price $20 a night… and now offer free internet in all their rooms. So regardless of whether or not their guests have the need for internet connectivity, they’re paying for it—sort of. At least your hotel gave you the option of saving that $12.95 if you so desired.
However, I am in the same boat with you—I don’t even want to pay for internet in my house, let alone pay for it in a coffee shop when I’m only going to be in there for 20 minutes eating the bagel and latte I just bought from them. If Panera Bread, Joe Mugs, Cafe Louisa, Village Coffee, Cool Beans, and other small business coffee shops and cafes can fork up free internet, why not Starbucks? They’re certainly not hurting for it, either.
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I always look for a hotel with free wi-fi when booking a hotel. I have once paid 30$ for 24 hr internet access.