I work for a Marriott in NH, so I'll tell you what we have and how it works at most Marriott's anyway. First off, we have had broadband access in all of our rooms since about 2000. We got it a bit early since NH is very popular around election time. We now have several ways for internet access in the rooms. First, we have STSN DSL in the rooms for a charge of $9.95 per day. Their is a little box on the desks in the rooms with a ethernet and a USB port. You can connect to that with either a ethernet card or a USB port if you don't have one. Additionally, we have laptop network cards available at the desk we can let the guests use. There is no charge for using the ehternet card, unless you keep it. 
There is a bag in the closet in every room with 3 ft USB and CAT5 cables.
Second, as of this year, we now have Wifi that is the same price as ethernet in your room....$9.95/day charged to your room. We have all these damn Centrino signs everywhere. :frown: A lot of guests are surprised our little hotel up here in NH has it..
The third option wouldn't really help you with a laptop, but each room has a wireless keyboard with the TV which can be used to access the internet through the TV (via a dialup speed connection), like WebTV for a charge of $9.99 per day. This is popular among weekend pleasure travelers who do not have a laptop with them like the business travellers.
Finally, you can connect the old fashioned way with the phone line, and you pay for the relevant phone charges. At our hotel, local calls are $1 each, no time limit per call. Our long distance rates are handled by a third party comapny, and like most hotels, are astronomicaly high. I always tell guests not to make any direct LD calls unless they want to pay through the nose. One problem with connecting in hotels is most PBX systems have very noisy lines, and the speeds you connect at will not usually be that good.
We also have a business center that is home to a brand new Dell 2.0Ghz P4...with a burner even! You can use that computer at any time, and get high speed access for $3.95/15 minutes. If you wanted, you could hook a laptop up there by unplugging the Dell and connecting the laptop, but it's still $3.95/15 minutes which is much more expensive than in the rooms.
One last thing, the $9.95 charge for broadband, be it corded in the room or wireless in the hotel, also includes you in the "Wired For Business" program, which entitles you to free LD and local calls. So for $9.95/day, you get wireless or corded broadband, and free phone calls to anywhere...not a bad deal for our business travellers...
I hope this helps...as I said...most Marriotts will be similar. I can't speak for the other chains..
There is a bag in the closet in every room with 3 ft USB and CAT5 cables. Second, as of this year, we now have Wifi that is the same price as ethernet in your room....$9.95/day charged to your room. We have all these damn Centrino signs everywhere. :frown:
A lot of guests are surprised our little hotel up here in NH has it.. The third option wouldn't really help you with a laptop, but each room has a wireless keyboard with the TV which can be used to access the internet through the TV (via a dialup speed connection), like WebTV for a charge of $9.99 per day. This is popular among weekend pleasure travelers who do not have a laptop with them like the business travellers.
Finally, you can connect the old fashioned way with the phone line, and you pay for the relevant phone charges. At our hotel, local calls are $1 each, no time limit per call. Our long distance rates are handled by a third party comapny, and like most hotels, are astronomicaly high. I always tell guests not to make any direct LD calls unless they want to pay through the nose. One problem with connecting in hotels is most PBX systems have very noisy lines, and the speeds you connect at will not usually be that good.
We also have a business center that is home to a brand new Dell 2.0Ghz P4...with a burner even! You can use that computer at any time, and get high speed access for $3.95/15 minutes. If you wanted, you could hook a laptop up there by unplugging the Dell and connecting the laptop, but it's still $3.95/15 minutes which is much more expensive than in the rooms.
One last thing, the $9.95 charge for broadband, be it corded in the room or wireless in the hotel, also includes you in the "Wired For Business" program, which entitles you to free LD and local calls. So for $9.95/day, you get wireless or corded broadband, and free phone calls to anywhere...not a bad deal for our business travellers...
I hope this helps...as I said...most Marriotts will be similar. I can't speak for the other chains..
Be careful of places that advertise "broadband access," one friend stayed at such a place and found out that their "broadband access" was WebTV.
kranky
Elite Member
- Oct 9, 1999
- 21,014
- 137
- 106
My dinky little ISP has an affiliation with something called IPass. For a monthly fee (which you owe only in months when you use it) you can use local access numbers all over the country. It's pretty cheap but you have to pay for the phone call which could be steep through a hotel. AOL/Juno would have the same issue.
A hotel with the $10/day all-you-can-eat internet access is probably the best deal if you are going to use it a lot. If you just need to jump on briefly, see if your ISP offers IPass and it would probably be cheaper.
A hotel with the $10/day all-you-can-eat internet access is probably the best deal if you are going to use it a lot. If you just need to jump on briefly, see if your ISP offers IPass and it would probably be cheaper.
MOst hptels have some form of free local calls.
just use a local number. If there is now local number than you can use a prepaid calling card (I have done this)
Some hotels do offer high speed access for bussiness travelers.
just use a local number. If there is now local number than you can use a prepaid calling card (I have done this)
Some hotels do offer high speed access for bussiness travelers.
rudder
Lifer
- Nov 9, 2000
- 19,441
- 86
- 91
Originally posted by: Squisher
I did that in Vegas, at the Venetian.
I paid $20 an hour on a cruise ship a year ago March, ran up a $200 bill in 7 days. On the cruise I'm going on next March the ship has data ports in the room. I wonder what the charges are going to be?
no wonder you geeks can't get laid. You are on a cruise ship playing wth your laptops.
I stayted at mostly Holiday Inns when I traveled and Best Westerns was my sevond choice. Local calls can usually be bartered if they aren't offered. I have asked for and have always recieved free local calls.
I always sign up for whatever points system they have (if it's free) and MOST of them offer free local calls and a free paper delivered to your room.
Fritzo
Lifer
- Jan 3, 2001
- 41,887
- 2,129
- 126
Yeah, I've always used my Bluetooth cellphone. I get 128K speed through the cell phone. It's like an extra $10/month, so I only activate the service the months I'll need it. If you can use your cell like a plain modem, get an unlimited long distance plan and you're gold
Whenever I've stayed at hotels, the business center had free internet access. No charges whatsoever. This includes the Crowne Plaza chain, as well as Hampton Inn, Sheraton, and one other chain that I forgot.
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