Anger as Australian Hotels charge up to $35 per day for Internet access

[mella2007]

And they're just doing an article about this now? Perhaps the writer needs to get out more and notice that charges have been extreme in this country for years and we continue to put up with sub standard internet access

Interesting to see the Hilton get a mention straight away

http://www.news.com.au/national/ang...for-internet-use/story-fndo4eg9-1226542332593

 

[RWJ777]

Internet charges in Australian hotels are a damned disgrace; and I welcome anyone who brings attention to them. Internet access these days is a business requirement for the business traveller and I think it's terrible that Australian hotels seek to turn this business requirement into a source of revenue at many times the actual cost. When I used to travel frequently for work, I would either negotiate a no-cost internet access (on booking) or go elsewhere. My hand was significantly enhanced when I was a frequent traveller whereas these days I have to suck it up like everyone else -- much to my annoyance!

 

[Flashback]

And they're just doing an article about this now? Perhaps the writer needs to get out more and notice that charges have been extreme in this country for years and we continue to put up with sub standard internet access

Interesting to see the Hilton get a mention straight away

Anger as Australian hotels charge up to $35 a day for internet use | News.com.au

IHG is just as bad!

 

[markis10]

IHG is just as bad!

All chains and hotels are bad, but its a reflection of the costs of data downunder as well. Providing wireless or wired Internet to the room costs around $500 for equipment and installation per room, and has ongoing costs of $5000 a month if its done properly.

 

[harvyk]

All chains and hotels are bad, but its a reflection of the costs of data downunder as well. Providing wireless or wired Internet to the room costs around $500 for equipment and installation per room, and has ongoing costs of $5000 a month if its done properly.

Have you got figures to back this up? Because in my mind this is very expensive... Whilest a commercial installation is more expensive than a home, you start getting ecconomies of scale pretty quick.

 

[markis10]

Have you got figures to back this up? Because in my mind this is very expensive... Whilest a commercial installation is more expensive than a home, you start getting ecconomies of scale pretty quick.

A home is one single pipe with a few users, when it comes to data provision for business users its does not scale as you think, it also comes with business grade SLAs that you don't get in a home service that are costed in.

When you use the facilities in a hotel, chances are the equipment providing the connectivity was sold through my employer, last week I was working on some wireless gear for the new PNG HIX, while we also supply many of the home modems preconfigured as well including iiNet/Transact. We work closely with the ISPs as well as the likes of Docomo, Reivernet and Global Gossip, so the costings are accurate as they can be without an NDA in place .


Edit: My costings might be a tad conservative if you go with Telstra, their 10mb Business Grade service with unlimited data is $7931 ex GST, of course you could go with a 100Gb limit for $1700 odd per month but a hotel with 250 rooms that means just over 3 Gb a day before an excess kicks in.

 

[Simo]

I prefer to use my own internet connnection as it is generally faster as I am in BNE Hilton right now and using my wi fi hotspot which is 4G.

 

[markis10]

I prefer to use my own internet connnection as it is generally faster as I am in BNE Hilton right now and using my wi fi hotspot which is 4G.

I am here as well and using telstra 3G on the iPad, although the Notebook is connected to the hotel service. $88 for an air conditioned sleep and great breakfast as well as 2000 QFF points was too good a bargain to miss.

 

[Simo]

I am here as well and using telstra 3G on the iPad, although the Notebook is connected to the hotel service. $88 for an air conditioned sleep and great breakfast as well as 2000 QFF points was too good a bargain to miss.

We could have had another person at our Xmas drinks last night. It was just benmay and myself last night.

Very poorly organised nothing like the organising for 2012 Xmas in MEL

 

[Pablo]

I've always thought that if the cost was much more reasonable more people would pay to use it and so the hotel would make more money. I find today I only use the hotels Internet when I'm overseas as most locals would have data on their phones - so you don't need to use the hotels Internet.

Glad Accor properties are now introducing free Wifi as that's where I mainly stay.

 

[nlagalle]

GHA hotel groups give you free Internet access as a member on any level.

Markis10 the cost to provide data these days is not that expensive, other providers like Optus and Evolve do much better deals than Telstra. And that is just off the price list, better deals are had if you have a corporate account.

 

[markis10]

Markis10 the cost to provide data these days is not that expensive, other providers like Optus and Evolve do much better deals than Telstra. And that is just off the price list, better deals are had if you have a corporate account.

The figured I quoted is also covering the provision of the business with helpdesk support etc and as I suggested its conservative. When you look at a true business grade 1:1 contention unlimited data service using metro ethernet (DSL wont work) with 24x7 SLAs (as opposed to the norm 8x5) its not cheap unless you happen to be in a data centre.

 

[notzac]

I'm told that getting a metro ethernet service these days is far cheaper than it was even two years ago - competition between the various fibre providers has seen to that. Dark fibre to a DC somewhere (hotels typically aren't far from one) and then pick up a transit feed from one of the many providers from there..

Edit: back on topic, I think it's ridiculous that hotels charge what they do for Internet access. If staying for more than a couple days, it's probably cheaper to go out and buy a 3G dongle thingy .. that just doesn't seem right to me.

 

[coyote25]

It is a joke. Outside of Australia I've stated in hostels and hotels 1 star to 4.5 and almost all have free and decent wifi. Some exceptions are the big chains in the USA.

I doubt I'd ever book a hotel overseas doesn't include wifi. In Australia however you have wag less choice so it is usually my mobile hotspot I use.

 

[dot]

I would like to know where these "international travellers" are from - having spent 168 days overseas this year, mainly in 4 to 5 star hotels when on the ground, almost every hotel I stay at has a charge for internet access. At some, it is bundled with my corporate room rate, others (such as IHG and Hilton) I get it for free because of my status - but a normal punter would be paying for it. In terms of costs, around $30/day is what I expect to pay - sometimes, there is a cheaper rate for longer stays (ie. $30/day or $100/week).

Personally, I prefer to use wired connections in the room as it allows me to use my portable router and have secured WiFi and any number of devices - typical WiFi in a hotel will be for a restricted number of devices - and using my own router prevents anybody sniffing the WLAN to see any of my traffic in the clear.

As for the backpacker/hostels offering it much cheaper, I think it comes down to scale. A 4 star hotel with 800 rooms will need a pretty big (read expensive) pipe to provide good speed to all customers and corporate type SLAs, as compared to a hostel with (say) 50 room where 8-10 WiFi access points and a decent soho internet connection would be good enough - after all, it's a hostel, you don't expect to have a great internet connection.

 

[lovestotravel]

Don't like it ? Don't use it, and/or use an altenative

Always easier to whinge than vote with your feet/$$ though

 

[amaroo]

I would like to know where these "international travellers" are from - having spent 168 days overseas this year, mainly in 4 to 5 star hotels when on the ground, almost every hotel I stay at has a charge for internet access. At some, it is bundled with my corporate room rate, others (such as IHG and Hilton) I get it for free because of my status - but a normal punter would be paying for it. In terms of costs, around $30/day is what I expect to pay - sometimes, there is a cheaper rate for longer stays (ie. $30/day or $100/week).

Personally, I prefer to use wired connections in the room as it allows me to use my portable router and have secured WiFi and any number of devices - typical WiFi in a hotel will be for a restricted number of devices - and using my own router prevents anybody sniffing the WLAN to see any of my traffic in the clear.

As for the backpacker/hostels offering it much cheaper, I think it comes down to scale. A 4 star hotel with 800 rooms will need a pretty big (read expensive) pipe to provide good speed to all customers and corporate type SLAs, as compared to a hostel with (say) 50 room where 8-10 WiFi access points and a decent soho internet connection would be good enough - after all, it's a hostel, you don't expect to have a great internet connection.

Stayed in a few of the following brands this year - Peninsula, Mandarin Oriental, Park Hyatt.......Internet has always been included in the room rate. Out of 8 countries & 11 different hotels - I was only slugged internet access twice.......bloody Palazzo Versace:evil: (the worst place we stayed this year) & Covent Garden Hotel, London @ 20 quid per day.......(the best place we stayed this year).

 

[JessicaTam]

Don't like it ? Don't use it, and/or use an altenative

Always easier to whinge than vote with your feet/$$ though

When I plan my OS travel free wi-fi is one of my criteria for anywhere I stay, above even an included breakfast.

 

[Blinky]

I prefer to use my own internet connnection as it is generally faster as I am in BNE Hilton right now and using my wi fi hotspot which is 4G.

Same here. My company refused to pay for hotel internet access because of the chance (okay, likelihood) of staff accessing, ahem, inappropriate material.

 

[dot]

Same here. My company refused to pay for hotel internet access because of the chance (okay, likelihood) of staff accessing, ahem, inappropriate material.

How then do staff access basic company tools like email, file sharing, HR systems, Expenses, intranet access and enterprise social networking tools?