A900MHz Fan
join:2004-07-12
Mitchell, SD | So..
What's wrong with hotels making you authenticate? I mean it is for the guests and not for the public right?
Holiday Inn/Express seems to be about the best out there for WiFi internet.
Neal |
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NoProb
@comcast.net | Yup, authentication is fine by me
Free for guest is what free Wi-Fi is suppose to be not free to the general public. |
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steve1515
Premium
join:2000-08-07
Peabody, MA | MGM Grand
I'm going to be staying at the MGM Grand soon. Does any one know how much Internet access costs? |
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Prespd
join:2004-03-10
San Diego, CA
| 2 cents.
WiFi in Hotels works like this from my experience:
1) The more expensive the hotel, the less free internet you will get, wireless or otherwise. Works the same for bottled water too.
2) The cheaper the room rate, the more likely it is that internet let alone wireless will be free, the doughnuts good, and the coffee flavorful.
Hotels realize you are willing to pay a premium, so they nickel and dime you where they can. This is especially true of the so called high end name hotels.
Fortunately, in more and more hotels you can find a wireless signal from another open AP either in a hotel nearby or local business with open access (sometimes Panera). I love how at most airports I've been to, including Florida (Orlando), Jersey (Newark), San Francisco, you can get free wireless from the hotel attached to the airport. And Hong Kong is the Best. Wireless available even in the most remote parts of the airport. |
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PhoenixAZ
Joshua
Premium
join:2004-01-04
Phoenix, AZ
| When I have stayed at the Mariott, it was $9.95, but that also included unlimited nationwide long distance. Also, I could roam the lobbies and use it's wireless internet, or be on a wired connection in room.
What I am more worried about are these authentication programs for some hotels, they seem to hate other browsers such as Firefox (Being a Mac user, I am kind of stuck with either Safari or Firefox), and are only IE-Friendly.
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Josh| About Me |
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flashcore
join:2007-01-23
Lutherville Timonium, MD | reply to steve1515
Re: MGM Grand
All MGM property's in Las Vegas are $11.99 for 24 hours and have wifi and a cat5 connection in every room. The 24 hour period is per machine and they use the mac address to authenticate you after you pay. The connection is provided by Cox. |
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zipjay
join:2003-03-11
Louisville, KY
| .
i've worked at 2 hotels: Hampton inn and holiday inn both offered internet. Hampton inn's required a password which was changed every week that you acquired from the front desk.(no special requirements other than you were a guest)their internet was always nice and fast and never really had any problems. Holiday inn's internet has no password and is wide open for anyone to connect. but their internet is always slow and stalls and we get alot of complaints about it messing up. Just the other day we got an error message "your subscriber limit has been reached." and wouldn't allow anyone else to connect. |
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AnnaS8
join:2005-05-26
Annapolis, MD
| Are you kidding me?
They are complaining because the hotel require a log in? It is done for two reasons...To limit the network usage to guests only and to keep out people up to no good. It always amazes me when they complain when something is done for their protection. I think the same people who complain about having to log in are the same ones huffing when asked to see their ID when using a credit card. |
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JSRoman
Premium
join:2005-03-10
Callahan, FL | The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa
Has killer wi-fi in the lobby. There connection is so fast it is ridiculous and it free to guest. I never uploaded pictures so fast in my life. Rooms have C-5 connection but you have to pay a fee.
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www.seabee.org |
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xdeadhead
220, 221, Whatever It Takes.
Premium
join:2000-11-08
Mechanicsburg, PA | reply to A900MHz Fan
Re: So..
ive also found holiday inn to work just fine when i needed it. hilton was adequate and hampton inn was fine also.
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I am not herbert. |
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dustman81
join:2002-05-28
Tallmadge, OH
 ·AT&T U-Verse
 ·RoadRunner Cable
| The flagship Marriott doesn't have free Internet
I stayed at a Marriott in Memphis in November of 2004 and was charged $9.95 a day for Internet use.
I sent an email to their customer service and got the charge credited back by pointing out that their sister hotels, like Courtyard, offered free Internet. |
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ronpin
Imagine Reality
join:2002-12-06
Nirvana | reply to flashcore
Re: MGM Grand
Yeah, the Luxor was 12.99 per day (April 20-26) -- and I got 4mbs speeds. I think free would've been called-for -- but I saw an actual cable modem stuffed-in next to the TV cabinet. No way Cox would do that for free. |
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Randy
Premium
join:2006-04-25
Springfield, IL
clubs:
| reply to dustman81
ICHG free wireless paid inroom wired
Most of the ICHG like Crown Plaza, Holiday Inn, Staybridge, Candlewood, Indigo, offer free wireless and paid inroom. From my experience at most of them the inroom might say it charges you the $9.95, but they credit it when you check out. I've only once been charged and that was the Crown Plaza. Anyway the speeds are worth it. I was at a Stuaybridge near Chicago and had like 25mb both ways wired in my room( my guess no one was on it it was like 2 am). |
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someone stupid
@stmarytx.edu
| reply to AnnaS8
Re: Are you kidding me?
Credit cards are different -- IDs can easily be faked and for ease of use you are not supposed to be ID'ed when using them. (Literature from most of the major companies tells businesses Not to ID) Where the protection comes in is that the business is REQUIRED to compare the signature on the card to on the receipt, which few if any do. |
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amungus
Premium
join:2004-11-26
America
clubs:
| silly
Just spent a couple nights in a Holiday Inn... 1st night the speed was horrible, but it worked.
I can understand maybe giving out a passphrase so nobody leeches out in the parking lot or something, but charging for it is ridiculous.
IMHO, it ought to be completely free as a guest with minimal hassle. It may be more challenging in huge hotels, in which case, maybe they should just raise rates by a buck or two to cover the initial costs.
I have no problem w/wired either, I still think that's rather convenient (as opposed to dial up!) as well...
People love to gripe about anything it seems.
Holiday Inn, while not a Hylton, was still a decent stay for me last week...
I say more free wi-fi for all. Charging for it, restricting it, is plain wrong. Change the key every so often and be done with it. Give guests the key, and let them know when to expect that it could expire... it can't be all that tough... |
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RayW
Premium
join:2001-09-01
Layton, UT
clubs:
 ·XMission
| My choice - and free too
This is my limited experience.
Marriott Residence Inn - Wired in the rooms, some have wi-fi in the community areas.
Marriott Spring Hill Suites - Wired in the rooms
Marriott Fairfield - Wireless, have to have the antenna just right.
Those are the ones I stay at the most.
Others I have stayed in:
Comfort Inn - had two wired and one good wireless, but all had locked down nets. No Telnet or FTP, just email and HTTP.
Crowne Plaza Hotel - wireless in common areas and wired in the rooms.
Microtel - both had wired AND free phone calls!
Other places (under $100 a night) a mix of no, wire, wireless.
Most wireless hotels I have seen are picky about where you put the computer. If I am doing anything serious, I want wired. If I am just playing around, wireless is good, especially if you are on the 8th floor on the beach at Fort Walton Beach, Florida and want to sit on the balcony and watch the dolphins  .
Now overseas, most of the tourist areas charge for the net, some by the day, some by the hour. Away from Seoul, one place I was at in Korea (a real Korean luxury hotel, I liked it! but they did not speak English and I did not speak Korean  ) had 6 meg symmetrical cable according to DSLR. The other two high class non tourist locations you asked to use the hotel's computer.
In Greece in Athens, one place none, and one charged, in Volos our place had no net. But there were a lot of computer 'bars', so I had access for a reasonable fee even in Athens.
In Cairo, we were in the top floor high class area for security reason, and they charged for wired or to use the business room computer (which was cheaper). But our guys forgave the lack of free net in exchange for the free breakfast/drinks and the afternoon happy (two) hour (Muslim country yet the booze flowed). Oh, and they made a nice what I think was espresso hot chocolate, not at all what we get here in the states.
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I am not lost, I find myself every time. |
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ptrowski
Got Helix?
Premium
join:2005-03-14
Putnam, CT
clubs: |  Residence Inn in RI
Stayed there for 1.5 months, great wifi, free bridges, no issues. |
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howrman
join:2000-07-08
Philadelphia, PA
| reply to Prespd
Re: 2 cents.
said by Prespd  :WiFi in Hotels works like this from my experience: 1) The more expensive the hotel, the less free internet you will get, wireless or otherwise. Works the same for bottled water too. You've hit on one of my pet peeves. I recently spent $1,000 a night at the Four Seasons in NYC and they had the nerve to add $9.95 to the tab for wired Internet! Same thing in Boston at the Ritz Carlton and the Four Seasons. Next time, maybe I'll stay at the Holiday Inn Express and buy a new computer with the $800 I save. |
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ssj4android
Redefining Reality
join:2002-04-14
Wyoming, MI | reply to A900MHz Fan
Agreed
I don't stay in hotels much, but I tried out the Holiday Inn internet a while ago. WiFi all over plus an ethernet jack in every room. Got around 180 KB/sec down, they were using SBC. |
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dslwanter
Why would I want DSL? I have FTTH
Premium
join:2002-12-16
Lowellville, OH
·Armstrong Zoom In..
·AT&T Midwest
| Quality Inn Erie PA
A "choice hotel" but not bad for the price. Just booted up my laptop and went when I stayed there for a little get-a-way this summer.
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"You're as worthless as a screen door on a submarine!" Check out my Internet Radio Station & DJ Service, »www.thebomb102.com. |
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