Even Today, Hotel Internet Access is Still Less Than Perfect
© 2004 Reprint by permission only. All rights reserved.
by Matt Hyatt

It’s 2004. Everyone agrees the Internet is here to stay. Nobody disputes that email is quickly becoming the de facto standard in electronic communications. So we can all assume that hotels across the nation have devised a simple way to connect to the Internet and check our email, right? Sadly, wrong. As I’ve discovered during a string of recent hotel stays, hoteliers have a long way to go before guest Internet and email access becomes simple.

After staying at a couple of hotels that didn’t offer high speed Internet access, I’ve started making it a point to check for it before making any reservations. At first, I figured a simple “Do you have high speed Internet access?” would be enough, but quickly realized that I’d need to ask more questions.

A Florida hotel I visited recently offered high speed Internet access, but only via a keyboard attached to the television. That arrangement presented all sorts of problems. Since I couldn’t connect my computer directly, I couldn’t use my email program to look up email addresses or reply to previously retrieved messages. As it happens, the proprietary web browser couldn’t properly open my web-based mail program either. On top of all that, my wife and kids couldn’t use the TV while I was on the Internet. All things considered, high speed Internet via the television isn’t a viable alternative to a “real” Internet connection.

That’s why I felt confident about a recent stay at a modern hotel on St. Simons Island, which advertised “data ports in every room”. How could I go wrong there? Unfortunately, it turns out that “data ports” really meant “phone jacks”. If I wanted to access the Internet there, I’d have to do it the old fashioned way – with a modem. Since that would also mean a long-distance call to my Internet service provider in Atlanta (or a time-consuming and potentially fruitless search for a local access number), I decided it wasn’t worth the trouble. I also decided I’d stay someplace else next time.

While making reservations for a popular resort hotel in Orlando, my wife was assured by the reservations clerk that all rooms included free high speed Internet access. But when we arrived we found out that there would be a hefty $9.95 per day charge to use the service. A rather stern complaint to the hotel manager yielded a $10 per day discount on the room, but even that wasn’t the end of our troubles. The wall-mounted Ethernet port wasn’t working, so I had to search around for the router until I found it hidden behind a nightstand. It turns out that somebody had left one of the cables disconnected from the router, rendering the wall-mounted port useless until I plugged it back in. Ultimately, I got what I needed at that hotel, but I had to go through a fair amount of hassle to get it.

I did manage to find a hotel with free high speed Internet access in Charlotte a few weeks ago. Our room included a desk with a comfortable chair, lamp, phone, and Ethernet port. It was nice to arrive at my room, plug in my notebook computer and access the Internet within about two minutes. It was also nice to checkout without finding an extra charge on my bill. My only complaint was that the connection wasn’t wireless. It would have been nice to be able to move around the hotel – or even my room – with my computer. Wireless PDA users may also find wired connections useless, since most PDAs don’t include an Ethernet port.

I nearly had the chance to try the ultimate in hotel Internet connectivity on a trip to New England last year. We made reservations at a brand new hotel advertising free wireless Internet access, only to find out that it wasn’t working on the day that we arrived. I was able to negotiate a discount from the hotel manager, but I really wish I’d been able to use the service instead.

So, what have I learned from these experiences? Ask lots of questions! Make sure you bring a wireless card, an Ethernet patch cable, a modem, and a traveler’s surge protector with you. And if all else fails, be prepared to go without email for a day or two!

Matt Hyatt is founder of Rocket IT, an IT consulting firm near Atlanta, Georgia. For technology help with your business, contact Rocket IT at 770-441-2520 or visit online at www.rocketit.com.

Back to top