Relatively cheap free publicity

IN YEARS to come we will look back at hotels that charged for Wi-Fi with a kind of incredulous nostalgia. But how far in the future will that be? So far, only one big hotel chain, Hyatt, has—belatedly—been won over by the idea of free, no-strings-attached access for all its customers. A few others, like InterContinental and Starwood, have taken tentative steps, though they are not yet willing to commit fully. Their free access comes with demands, such as insisting guests join loyalty programmes or book via the hotel’s own website, rather than Expedia and the like. Others seem conflicted. Since January, Marriott has allowed those with loyalty cards free access, but last year was caught blocking the personal hotspots of some of its customers, presumably in an attempt to force them to sign up for expensive in-house internet. A few laggards, including Hilton, are still charging their guests as a matter of course.

For those hotels still in doubt: asking guests to pay for Wi-Fi access is spectacularly shortsighted. It is the number one gripe of…

… – Source      

Relatively cheap free publicity