How frequently do you stay in hotels that make you pay for the wifi?

[Martinus]

I just got back from Amsterdam and was pleasantly surprised the hotel we stayed in had free wifi covering the entire hotel area and did not make this a paid service (in July, for example, I stayed at a 5 star hotel in Spain and they made you pay for the wifi). I think in this day and age, making guests pay for wifi is becoming a bit like making guests pay for electricity or water in their rooms - it is becoming a service that is expected and should not be charged extra.

So my question is - is this trend (hopefully) spreading and if so, how fast, in your part of the world?

[Eddie Teach]

I don't travel often and not sure I've ever stayed at a hotel that had free wi-fi(not that I'd have needed it before getting my tablet this year).

[Vricklund]

Don't think I ever payed extra for wifi in a swedish hotel. Only place that I can think of that still charges a specific fee for wifi is when I travel by train 2nd class (in 1st class it's included).

I also find myself using my phone as a hotspot more often so I think landline access when traveling is getting less and less of an issue. I can imagine it being nice to have when traveling abroad though to keep from getting ruined by roaming charges.

[Richard Hakluyt]

The EU would garner some much-needed popularity if it cracked down on those extortionate roaming charges.

[Zanza]

The EU would garner some much-needed popularity if it cracked down on those extortionate roaming charges.

It already did.

Of course I don't expect a British to know about it. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulation_on_roaming_charges_in_the_European_Union

[Zanza]

I don't stay in five star hotels even on business trips, but I noticed that free wifi becomes more usual in the hotels I stay in. Sometimes it's still limited to a certain volume or to just 30 minutes or whatever.

[Brazen]

The EU would garner some much-needed popularity if it cracked down on those extortionate roaming charges.

It already did.

Of course I don't expect a British to know about it. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulation_on_roaming_charges_in_the_European_Union

It's not that RH is British, it's that he doesn't have a mobile phone. You can't cross a border without an automated text telling you about rates - it never exceeds £4 a day for British phones in the EU.

To answer the original question, this year I stayed in one UK hotel for leisure and didn't even bother to see if it had wifi as my phone was sufficient, and two for work. One had free wifi that you had to ask for a new password for each day, the other charged but I got the password from reception by smiling sweetly.

[Richard Hakluyt]

The EU would garner some much-needed popularity if it cracked down on those extortionate roaming charges.

It already did.

Of course I don't expect a British to know about it. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulation_on_roaming_charges_in_the_European_Union

I knew that there had been some improvements, but not the extent of them. The articles I read focussed on the immediate price reductions rather than the (more important) future phases of price harmonisation.

Hmmm..........I might get a mobile phone now 

[Tamas]

Hmmm..........I might get a mobile phone now 

[katmai]

Haven't had a hotel charging for wifi in years.

[Caliga]

I've got mobile broadband built into my laptop, so I typically don't care whether or not wifi is free.  In Chicago at least, some of the hotels I stay at do have free wifi, and others charge by the day.

[Josquius]

I've no idea, I've never used wi-fi away from home or occasionally a friend's place, its too much of a hastle,

[Zanza]

I've no idea, I've never used wi-fi away from home or occasionally a friend's place, its too much of a hastle,

When I connect my phone to wifi, it shows me a list of available networks and I tip one with my finger. How is that "too much of a hassle"?

[Sheilbh]

I've no idea, I've never used wi-fi away from home or occasionally a friend's place, its too much of a hastle,

When I connect my phone to wifi, it shows me a list of available networks and I tip one with my finger. How is that "too much of a hassle"?

I agree in the case of a hotel, or if you're staying somewhere a while. But if you're just in a cafe then I'll often just use my phone rather than the hassle of getting a code etc.

[Grey Fox]

I don't travel much but the hotel across the street has free wi-fi, so does the McDonald a little further down.