4 ms·

Agreed. I find it utter insulting when they charge for internet.

eps 10y ago
Is this an US thing? I travel a lot and I can't remember the last time I had a hotel to charge for the Internet access separately.
- mixedCase 10y ago
  My parents went on a trip to Europe a few years ago and we used Skype on every location they stayed at. The only place where they didn't have to pay separately for Internet access and where the connection wasn't dogcrap was Austria. And I don't remember where it happened, but in one case it was so outrageously expensive they just waited until their following destination to call. But indeed, they later traveled to the US and had to pay as well. Nowhere I have stayed at in our third world country (Uruguay) this is a thing.
  - hellofunk 10y ago
    I've stayed in hotels all over Europe and never once paid for internet. I did pay in India, however.
- bogomipz 10y ago
  >"Is this an US thing?" I think its mostly a big corporate hotel chain thing as I have also experienced this in the EU as well(although it might have been an American hotel chain) at times but it's definitely a common practice in the US yes. Equally annoying is that these hotels will use some horrible third party captive portal that you need to re-log in to at regular intervals. I've often been disconnected because some arbitrary timer expired while I was in the middle of something important. You will almost never see a small boutique hotel in the U.S charge for internet access or have a captive port however.
  - irrational 10y ago
    More precisely, it is a big corporate hotel chain thing for those properties that are more likely to host business people who can expense the cost.
- ghaff 10y ago
  It's less common than it used to be but it still happens in the US. As someone else said, mostly business chain type places although it's often waived if you belong to their loyalty club, book directly with the hotel, have a corporate rate, have a conference rate, etc. So it's nominally there for a fair number of hotels but I'm not sure the last time I actually ended up paying.
  - dragonwriter 10y ago
    A lot also have a free base level and a additional-charge premium internet service that allows higher speed and/or more devices.
    - ghaff 10y ago
      Fair enough. Though I find the base-level service has generally improved over the past few years. Personally, I never upgrade. If streaming video doesn't work, I always have local-stored video with me when I travel anyway.
- fredophile 10y ago
  It's a market segmentation thing. Hotels that cater to business travelers can charge extra because the employer will pay for it. Hotels that cater to families usually have free internet.
  - dragonwriter 10y ago
    > Hotels that cater to business travelers can charge extra because the employer will pay for it. More likely, IMO, hotels that cater to businesses have separate charges for internet because business (especially government) travel offices often have fixed (sometimes location-sensitive) caps on reimbursable lodging rates (but may, or may not, separately reimburse for other services during the stay with appropriate justification), so pulling non-core services out of the core rate means that more travellers will stay there. Families, conversely—while price sensitive—will compare amenities and rarely have strict caps for the base lodging rate irrespective of what other services are included.
  - bogomipz 10y ago
    >"It's a market segmentation thing. Hotels that cater to business travelers can charge extra because the employer will pay for it." What does this actually mean any more though to "cater to business travelers"? Once upon a time a hotel that catered to business travelers had a "business center" which meant there was an auxiliary room with a fax machine, a photo copier and a couple of PCs", that is largely anachronistic now though. And I think this kind of illustrates how stuck in a different era most of these hotels are.
    - tbihl 10y ago
      Another response below correctly answers your question. In business hotels, rates are set to be eligible for corporate booking. Expensing the internet separately is a non-issue for these customers.
- 77pt77 10y ago
  Definitely not only US thing. I've seen this in many other places.
- dagw 10y ago
  Happens quite often in Germany and I've also run across it in Spain.
- ithinkinstereo 10y ago
  Most of the major hotel chains in the US have phased out this practice. You only find it nowadays in the top tier chains, and even then, they usually offer free internet to members of their frequent traveller programs.

eps 10y ago

Is this an US thing? I travel a lot and I can't remember the last time I had a hotel to charge for the Internet access separately.

mixedCase 10y ago
My parents went on a trip to Europe a few years ago and we used Skype on every location they stayed at. The only place where they didn't have to pay separately for Internet access and where the connection wasn't dogcrap was Austria. And I don't remember where it happened, but in one case it was so outrageously expensive they just waited until their following destination to call. But indeed, they later traveled to the US and had to pay as well. Nowhere I have stayed at in our third world country (Uruguay) this is a thing.
- hellofunk 10y ago
  I've stayed in hotels all over Europe and never once paid for internet. I did pay in India, however.
bogomipz 10y ago
>"Is this an US thing?" I think its mostly a big corporate hotel chain thing as I have also experienced this in the EU as well(although it might have been an American hotel chain) at times but it's definitely a common practice in the US yes. Equally annoying is that these hotels will use some horrible third party captive portal that you need to re-log in to at regular intervals. I've often been disconnected because some arbitrary timer expired while I was in the middle of something important. You will almost never see a small boutique hotel in the U.S charge for internet access or have a captive port however.
- irrational 10y ago
  More precisely, it is a big corporate hotel chain thing for those properties that are more likely to host business people who can expense the cost.
ghaff 10y ago
It's less common than it used to be but it still happens in the US. As someone else said, mostly business chain type places although it's often waived if you belong to their loyalty club, book directly with the hotel, have a corporate rate, have a conference rate, etc. So it's nominally there for a fair number of hotels but I'm not sure the last time I actually ended up paying.
- dragonwriter 10y ago
  A lot also have a free base level and a additional-charge premium internet service that allows higher speed and/or more devices.
  - ghaff 10y ago
    Fair enough. Though I find the base-level service has generally improved over the past few years. Personally, I never upgrade. If streaming video doesn't work, I always have local-stored video with me when I travel anyway.
fredophile 10y ago
It's a market segmentation thing. Hotels that cater to business travelers can charge extra because the employer will pay for it. Hotels that cater to families usually have free internet.
- dragonwriter 10y ago
  > Hotels that cater to business travelers can charge extra because the employer will pay for it. More likely, IMO, hotels that cater to businesses have separate charges for internet because business (especially government) travel offices often have fixed (sometimes location-sensitive) caps on reimbursable lodging rates (but may, or may not, separately reimburse for other services during the stay with appropriate justification), so pulling non-core services out of the core rate means that more travellers will stay there. Families, conversely—while price sensitive—will compare amenities and rarely have strict caps for the base lodging rate irrespective of what other services are included.
- bogomipz 10y ago
  >"It's a market segmentation thing. Hotels that cater to business travelers can charge extra because the employer will pay for it." What does this actually mean any more though to "cater to business travelers"? Once upon a time a hotel that catered to business travelers had a "business center" which meant there was an auxiliary room with a fax machine, a photo copier and a couple of PCs", that is largely anachronistic now though. And I think this kind of illustrates how stuck in a different era most of these hotels are.
  - tbihl 10y ago
    Another response below correctly answers your question. In business hotels, rates are set to be eligible for corporate booking. Expensing the internet separately is a non-issue for these customers.
77pt77 10y ago
Definitely not only US thing. I've seen this in many other places.
dagw 10y ago
Happens quite often in Germany and I've also run across it in Spain.
ithinkinstereo 10y ago
Most of the major hotel chains in the US have phased out this practice. You only find it nowadays in the top tier chains, and even then, they usually offer free internet to members of their frequent traveller programs.