$.59 *per* minute?!
Is a hotel money hungry when they charge per minute for the use of their internet?
Last week, I attended some work-related training at a Doubletree hotel near the Pentagon. At a point where we were given a break, I walked past their Business Center and decided to see if I could check my email only to be greeted with the following message on the screen:
$2.99 to connect (first minute included), $.59 per minute. Please swipe your credit card.
Well shit! That’s as expensive as a damn pre-paid cell phone, if not more so.
On some level, I can understand the need to charge for access. The Business Center is easily accessible by anyone, meaning non-guests of the hotel like me could sit and hog their bandwidth all day if they didn’t have some limitations in place. Many airports do this for their wireless access, but at least they charge more reasonable fees like $5.99 for two hours. Two hours on the computer at that Doubletree will set you back over seventy bucks!
You know hotels like that aren’t hurting for money with their $150+ per night room rate along with the fees they charge for groups to use their meeting rooms. I just think it’s overkill.
By Kendra, January 20, 2008 @ 9:16 pm
Yeah, hotels usually just want to milk as much money out of you as they can. The funny thing is, the western-style hotels that I stayed at in China a few months ago had a free internet.
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By sara, January 23, 2008 @ 2:36 am
i agree that is a bit too much.anywhere i have stayed at they have all had free wifi.but there could be a reason as to why they charge so much.
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By Marsha, January 25, 2008 @ 6:35 am
Whoa… that sure is very expensive! But who doesn’t want to make money, huh? :/
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