Luxury Hotel Shocking Guests with $373 Fee for ‘High Speed’ Internet

A luxury hotel in Cannes, France hits guest with an extremely expensive and unexpected charge for Wi-Fi usage.

The Majestic Barriere hotel in Cannes may have the world’s most expensive Wi-Fi fee. A recent guest claims she was charged around $373 for one night of internet usage at the hotel. The unnamed woman shared her experience with the Telegraph, alleging that she was not informed of the Wi-Fi cost before requesting the password.

“When I was checking out an amount of €300 appeared on the bill,” she told the Telegraph. “I asked for the GM, as there was no way I was going to pay this, and eventually they reduced it to €9 ($11). He backed down quite quickly — perhaps they hope people just won’t notice it?”

The Majestic Barriere confirmed the cost of Wi-Fi, but noted that the expense was good for 24 hours of “high speed” service. Guests also have the option of choosing between “medium speed” service for €200 ($249) and “low speed” service for €9 ($11).

According to the hotel, guests are frequently surprised by the high cost of internet, but all the terms and conditions are explained prior to usage. This three-tiered system is new to The Majestic Barriere, and most guests prefer to use the affordable “low speed” internet. Previously, all guests were charged a flat rate of €15 ($18) for one day’s use of the same speed. The new system was introduced in October.

These days, most hotels in Europe no longer charge for Wi-Fi usage. A small percentage of properties still maintain fees, however, even in the face of studies showing that free Wi-Fi is more important than a hotel’s location to U.K. travelers when choosing accommodation. In fact, an ongoing poll on the Telegraph has found that more than 60 percent of guests refuse to pay for hotel Wi-Fi usage.

[Photo: The Majestic Barriere]