To not want to pay for wifi

[Pastperfect]

Paying £220 a night for hotel and I'm expected to pay another £15 per night for wifi so I can MN surely that's taking the piss?!

It is, can you get the cloud any where

Totally. Whereabouts?

I think it's penny-pinching and bloody cheeky. I much prefer the feeling that I'm getting a freebie and would give a place a better review based on it. How come scummy shit-holes in the majority world can give you free WiFi (and Facebook in China no less) for $10 a night but posh places can't?

That's bizarre. I stay in business hotels that charge £40-50/night with super fast (free) Wifi.

I agree it's unreasonable of the hotel to charge. Name and shame?

However if you're travelling for pleasure take the opportunity to cut off and reduce your screen time.

I find that with higher end hotels. Ridiculous when travelodges and premier inns all have free wifi.

They are robbing bastards. It'd put me off that hotel/chain.

It's mad. I live in E Europe and have never ever had to pay for Wi-Fi in a hotel here.

In fact it's also free in almost all restaurants and cafes (without needing to sign up to anything) and in the capital city there are special places in the parks with it (and one even has plug sockets under the benches in case you need to charge your phone/laptop).

I was in the UK a few weeks ago and couldn't believe how hard it was to find free Wi-Fi somewhere!

Most hotels have free wifi in the lobby, but actually only a few (and I stay in a lot of hotels in different countries) have free wi fi in your room

They don't want you sitting in your room using wifi - they want you in the bar drinking.

In the Fifties some hoteliers resisted putting TV in guest rooms for the same reason. Probably the same with radio once but ancient as I am I don't remember that.

I totally agree, you are definitely not being unreasonable. I have just stayed in a similar place in Europe. They also had a mini bar that charged 7.5 euros for a chocolate bar which probably sells for about a euro in the shops. I made a point of dining out of the hotel as, guess what, their restaurant was grossly overpriced too.

I hate the feelng that I am not a welcome guest but an object to be fleeced! I often now opt to stay in b and bs out of preference, as the upmarket ones are generally much more hospitable and make more of an effort - especially if it is a family run business, as many are - everyone wants good internet feedback!

I agree, it's very poor business. Where I work, we quite often have to travel and also go to hotels for big conferences etc, and the people who do the bookings deliberately look for hotels with free wifi. Translate that across several big companies and the hotels that charge must be losing thousands of pounds' worth of business.

Premier inns give you 30 mins, that does my mn during brekkie habit and nothing else
Holiday Inns give free wifi if you're a points collector
Travelodge also give nothing free!

Last time I stayed in premiere inn I actually paid £3.50 for internet.

Pastperfect, is that by any chance a Bahia Principe hotel?

quite quite normal for high end hotels to charge for it. Part of the business model.

Its all part of why you chose to be there. IIRC in budget hotels things like free wifi are a major discriminator for potential guests but at the high end, you are chosing for luxury, location, facilities etc. They also know that many will be people on expenses of for whom a tenner isnt much money.

linky explains far better than i do - it is about price sensitivity and to an extent cross price elasticity of the good.

And it might seem penny pinching and it is - but they are playing a margin game like the scummy little hole on the wrong side of the tracks. Same reason they charge a tenner for the smallest toblerone in christendom, because they can and people will pay.

I suspect the wifi is free for business meetings that are held in the hotel. It makes the business people feel they are important

Why can't you just use 3G/4G?

frequently it isnt - of if it is it is as a result of the negotiation for the room rate for the meeting (which is always up for negotiation). Different market though - that is extremely competitive, therefore great rates can be achieved.

Not a question of feeling important, more of a case of - if you haven't got free wifi for our sales conference we will go over the road for the same price.

So you will often find that wifi will be free for the conference but charged in the room.

Or as part of the deal for everyone staying associated, they get the free code. Had that a few times myself. If you are booking a conference room, 50 bedrooms for 3 nights and dinner for 2 nights for 50 people you get to call shots like that with the big hotels. If you are staying on a weekend break to get pampered you dont.

Also you will find that the best room goes to the person doing the booking - as part of the sweetner. Which is how the CEO's PA gets a suite while no one else does! (and that included the CEO sometimes) which always causes wailing and gnashing of teeth_

I think it should be free in hotels etc.

But I went to a pub once which had a sign saying

"No WIFI - talk to someone, make new friends and drink more! (Responsibly!)"

Which made me giggle

Last week when we were at Premier Inn, I had planned to buy 3 nights of wifi for £9 but because our check in was delayed by an issue at the hotel, we were given it free, which was great. We got 4 codes for the room, so each device got wifi. I will be happy to pay it again when we go to Premier Inn again.

But I grudged paying £15 at Express by Holiday Inn.

It's cheeky. I could understand them charging in a budget type place but YANBU as you have paid enough.