Should Disney offer Free Internet service for its guests?

[Pungodingy]

if you are in your room on the internet, no matter who's paying for it, you are not spending money in the parks, shops, restaurants...

 

[Dawn68PA]

Yes, I think they should. Good heavens, for the price of most of the rooms, it should definately be included.

True, as the PP stated, you're not in the parks spending money, but if they would think about it....a mid-afternoon break to reboot myself....makes me want to spend more time in the parks and DTD later in the day/evening.

 

[bicker]

It seems like a waste paying for room service for a full ice bucket but I suspect that would be the answer.

Yes, the service model is remarkably different, when comparing deluxe versus economy venues. I think a lot of budget customers think that the deluxe customers get a lot of stuff "for free" when in reality, as often as not, the deluxe customer is often required to pay for things that the economy customer gets "for free". The distinction is often just a matter of what is available for purchase.

What's amazing is Disney is able to charge prices that approach "real deluxe hotesl" without having the staff to provide the level of service that's generally given in those kinds of resorts.

The location premium really throws a lot of folks off. My rule of thumb is to consider about 35% of the deluxe room rate pure premium, so a room at the deluxe resort with "ROOMS FROM $215 per night" is really comparable to a room at a hotel off-site that charges from $140 per night. If you don't think the benefits of staying on-site (i.e., JUST the proximity and the park perquisites, such as early entry) is worth that much, then don't stay on-site. You'll be disappointed.

I'd peg the on-site premium for the moderate resort at about 20%, and for the budget resorts, about 10%. Again, none of these percentages reflect any better service. They just represent the privilege, and the perquisites.

 

[bicker]

Starbucks is switching from T-Mobile to AT&T and will be giving limited internet service for free.http://www.charlotte.com/business/story/489514.html

What's involved in getting/using a Starbucks' Card? Is there a fee? or a premium for use? Two free hours a day of online time is pretty cool. Isn't there a Starbucks in the Swan? But, I'll bet you that Starbucks' new AT&T offering for those two free hours will not be offered in the Swan.

 

[Lewisc]

What's involved in getting/using a Starbucks' Card? Is there a fee? or a premium for use? Two free hours a day of online time is pretty cool. Isn't there a Starbucks in the Swan? But, I'll bet you that Starbucks' new AT&T offering for those two free hours will not be offered in the Swan.

https://www.starbucks.com/customer/faq_qanda.asp?name=card

AFAIK it's just a pre-paid card. Some companies give them to customers as a promotion.

 

[simonkodousek]

I think with the room prices and wide-range of technology available today, Internet access should definitely be included for guests.

 

[Mouseaholic!!!]

Just double checked the Four Seasons website - besides having a staffed business center - free wireless service is available at no charge. Now add TRUE delux hotel staffing and service....on WDW property with a tidy - brand new golf course to go along.......again.....Anaheim may have a tough lesson in standards in the next few years.

Anaheim's decision to concentrate on DVC construction and allow outside hotels companies to develop on property will be fascinating to watch. Will they be forced to offer what is standard outside the gates?

Will Anaheim still enforce the .75 outside call telephone charge when the new hotels on property offer it for fee....as most outside the gates do?

I will be watching - I'm curious how Anaheim will react when the genie is out of the bottle INSIDE the gates!

 

[Lilolvr]

Marriott doesn't offer free internet in what they consider to be their full-service hotel brands (Marriott, JW Marriott, Renaissance, Ritz-Carlton). Bill Marriott touched on this subject in his blog last summer. An excerpt is below:

In our full service hotels in the U.S. and in Canada, we will bundle, on request, high-speed with unlimited local and long distance phone calls for a flat rate. We responded to business travelers who worried that a cell call might be dropped in the middle of an important business conversation, and who also wanted a predictable, all-in-one price.

Meanwhile, high-speed and WiFi are complimentary at Courtyard, Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn, TownePlace Suites and SpringHill Suites. A couple of those brands had already offered free local calling.

When we introduced complimentary broadband three years ago, demand for high-speed was just building. Back then, the economy was weak and occupancy was down. Many hotels in the moderate tier were looking for a competitive advantage.

Times have changed now. Today, nearly every business traveler demands fast access to the Internet. They're also downloading and uploading larger files. And many of our hotels are often sold out. The combination can put a strain on the system. That's why our approved high-speed vendors must be able to manage bandwidth so connections and downloads remain very fast.

Soon, we'll begin replacing high-speed connection boxes in our hotels. They'll be more reliable and they'll reduce guest complaints. But providing high-speed connections and service improvements must be paid for by each hotel, and it's very costly. It affects the bottom lines of our hotel investors-and, as I have mentioned in the past, we don't own our hotels, we manage them for their investor owners.

Occasionally, we hear rumors that Marriott, or one of its competitors, is about to make high-speed free in full service hotels. In the end, they are just rumors. I know this is a controversial topic, but that's why I blog, to have a frank conversation with our guests.

Yes, I stayed at the Townplace Suites in Burlington, Vermont and it was offered. It was also offered at the Sheraton Braintree the last two trips I stayed there and I will be at the Fairfield Inn Deptford in April. It's not a matter of having to draw guests in but just a thank you. For all the money people spend at WDW, it should be included.

 

[wilde_oscar]

Their house, their rules. I rest assured that they know more about running a resort than we do.

Hm, would that include WDW knowing more about how they wish to enforce and apply their rules?

 

[n2mm]

If I had to pay a higher price for my room, then no I don't think it should be offered. I don't want to pay more for my room so someone else can have free internet. We know that they have to pass the cost on to someone.

 

[ElizabethB]

There are always numerous things included in your room price that you don't necessarily use that are nonetheless included because some people do use and want them. Internet is becoming one of those things.

If you start picking out everything you don't use (telephone, newspaper, iron + ironing board, shampoo, conditioner, telephone operator, TV, radio, mini-bar, refrigerator, pools, exercise room, parking lot, spa, beauty shop), you would end up with nothing more than a bed and, perhaps, sheets for it if you're lucky.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Leaving out the spa and the beauty salon (and possibly the exercise room) because those are self-supporting features - Guests pay the entity directly (and extra) for their use - ALL the items listed in the post above are available in the room or at the resort for each Guest to use or not as they choose. Internet access is available to only the Guests who choose to provide their own computers. There is no reasonable argument in favor of Guests without computers to pay for that service for other Guests.

 

[angelmav]

kaytieeldr, that only bears out though if they are truly incurring some large cost for providing the service vs just having it available. In this day and age, I think that it is really a neglidgable cost to offer and is pure profit (like buying a soda at a restaurant) when it is purchased.

 

[donaldndaisy]

YES!!!!! I've always thought free internet to all guests, staying on property, should be available.