I have found the more expensive the hotel the more the internet rate is. I hate this. To pay $179 a night and then $10 to $15 a day for internet is obscene

I can expense this whenever traveling on business. Which I think is the key to why it is charged. If you are self-employed or at a small business, I am guessing that FS Marriotts are out of the question. So, the lower brands offer free Internet to that market segment.

If you are a corporate executive or consultant, then the FS Marriotts are expected, and so is the ability to expense the charge. So, they charge it.

If I am traveling on leisure with my family, I will go to JW or FS Marriott with my points or $. Then, I don't want to even bring my laptop. My blackberry will alert me to any corporate calamities that require my attention.

So, I am not surprised that they charge $9.95 at the FS Marriotts.

I find this thread amusing, as I am sitting in a Hilton now with free internet access. The Marriott down the street charges $9.95 a night (plus $0.50 tax). I am only here because I am tacking on a one-night stay at Hilton for each week of travel the rest of this year to get Gold, hopefully Diamond.

albatross

to follow up on the above...

hotels routinely ripped guests off on phone charges.

They charged the "AT&T operator assisted rate plus a xx % surcharge" which worked out to about $6 total for a 2 minute call. Their cost - what - 3-4-5 cents a minute?

As soon as folks had an alternative, they dropped the use of hotel phones like hot potatoes...and poof!!! there went those big profit margins...and phone revenue.

Now I am not a techno-geek...for sure...but someday, I imagine all computers will come equipped with a satellite sensor that allows us to connect to the internet thru cyberspace...and we won't need those $10 a day connection fees...and when that happens, the hotels will complain about all the lost revenue...

same old, same old...

Clearly, charging $9.95 a day is a blatant ripoff. As others have mentioned, I simply expense it so it doesn't come out of my pocket. Naturally, the Marriott people know this since the vast majority of their guests are business travellers.

Some tips for those of you that can't expense it:

1) Stay on a lower floor. I've heard that you can piggyback on the hotel's wireless service if you stay close enough to the business center (usually on a lower floor). I've seen people sitting outside the airport lounges doing this.
2) If you work for a large company then suggest that they try to negotiate a rate that includes internet access for you and other employees. Some hotels will do it if you can provide enough business for them.
3) Some hotels (ex. Marriott Miami) provide in room net terminals for free for guests on the concierge levels. True, it's just a browser and no local storage but it's good enough for most things and it's free.

One other thing. I've heard that WayPort (the company that provides internet access in many hotel chains) has monthly passes for around $39.95. If you travel a lot then it's way cheaper then $9.95 a day and you might be able to talk your travel department into springing for it

For those who use high speed consistenly at Marriott/Ren, sign up for a $21.95 all you can eat monthly (no contract) at boingo.com. It includes roaming at many Marriotts.

Cool. Thanks for the tip.

I've found pluging my cell phone into my laptop (using the cell as the modem) works great for checking email. I don't know what the charges are now but when I signed up (Sprint) I got all you could eat data for an extra $10 month. I probably run 100 to 150 megs through my phone every month (much more sometimes). It's certainly not as fast as hs, but it's a heck of a lot faster than dial-up. You can get the software and cord from Radio Shack or futuredial.com.

Pretty obvious from this thread why full service hotels charge for internet access - because most people can stick their client or employer with the charge.

Alas, I travel about 25 nights a year on my own dime, so this doesn't work too well for me particularly when I book via priceline. However one plus to the Marriott policy is that it disincentivizes me from lugging my laptop on short leisure trips as I am better off simply checking email from my phone or an internet cafe. Also means less time spent in the room and more time spent on the beach.

When I do have a choice, however, I will definitely favor Hyatts, Hiltons and possibly Courtyards or RI which offer free terminals or even better free in-room wireless.

The ball continues to roll downhill at fs properties. The new Conrad in downtown Chicago offers free hs internet. Will be interesting to see if the Marriott down the block will continue to charge.

For business travelers, if your company use's IPASS for remote access they have roaming rights at just about every Marriott (and all t-mobile hotspots which includes Starbucks, Kinko's, Barnes and Noble, Borders, etc.). IPASS is really great for the road warrior. Don't know if it is available on an individual basis or only on a corporate basis.

--Jon

Does this provide access in Marriott hotel rooms that are wired as well as those hotels that have wireless. All the Marriotts that I use regularly have only wired Internet service in the guest rooms.

I am currently staying at the Omni Parker House in Boston, where they very proudly display a brass sign at the front desk confirming they offer free high speed internet access in every room. The desk clerk said this was the policy at all Omni properties, and it works WELL, as I'm on it now. I do admit it is a pet-peeve to get charged for high-speed internet at full service Marriotts when an increasing number of their competitors do NOT charge for this service. I am a Platinum Premier, so I have been pretty loyal over the years. On some occasions, I'll ask that the rate be bumped by $10 per night and the internet charge NOT be reflected on my hotel bill. I travel on business, but bill out my travel expenses to my clients, who on occasion have inquired about the internet charges. In the future, I may ask that the charges be waived altogether. It will be interesting to see what the reaction is, given the increasing competitive pressures from the market place.

You have to go to boingo.com and check the specific property for more information. I'm currently on a six month gig and boingo roams free on the in-room wired network at most of the Marriotts here (STSN/iBahn). Three days of access already pays for the boingo monthly plan. Another plus is that boingo also roams at a handful of airports.

Most of the Apple Stores have free wireless for your MAC. At least those around home here in Los Angeles.

I presume most of you know about this site to look for free WIFI:

http://www.wififreespot.com/

While not specific to Marriott, I find the whole T-Mo setup to be ludicrous.

The nice thing about my SBC DSL account is that I can add WiFi access for $1.99/mo, so now I can go log on a the Coffee Bean, Barnes & Noble, McD's, and UPS Store.... between those 4 majors, I have plenty of coverage, and keeps me out of Starbucks and Borders.

But still... WiFi can't be THAT expensive, and I think it should ALL be free. Togos, Diedrich's Coffee, other private coffeehouses, many airports (SNA, LAS, even LAX T4 ticketing area), etc. Heck, the City of Hermosa Beach, CA had plans to make the entire city WiFied!