Why do they charge for...

[sunkissed212]

...internet access?

I dont understand why an "empire" such as Disney has to charge resort guests a daily fee to access the internet from their resorts.

I mean, come on. Just about every hotel in the country...and probably the world now a days...has internet access in their hotel rooms and usually at no additional cost to guests. It amazes me that a place as large and well off as Walt Disney World has to charge a fee.

I might be alone here but I'd be willing to give up the free shampoo and facial soap that gets left in my room every day if it would help alleviate what it would cost to offer internet service free of charge at the resorts.

 

[pearlieq]

I agree! Just got back from Contemporary concierge. Was the $300 or so a night just not enough for them to justify making the internet access complimentary? Did they really need the extra $9.95 per day?

Of course, it probably makes good business sense. If you're using the internet access, you're not in the parks buying $4 frozen drinks and $25 T-shirts. They may as well tack a fee on to "recoup" some of that money and discourage you from connecting too often!

 

[sunkissed212]

Realistically though....I'm not looking to spend all day sitting on the boards. I definitly would still be at the parks but it would be nice to be able to come back to the room and check my email or check on airline reservations or see what's going on back home without having to PAY extra for it!

It might end up kicking them in the butt though if people really need the internet access for business or school purposes...the hotels right outside the gate are offering it for free.

I don't think it's enough to make me choose an offsite hotel but there are some people that it probably would. I mean choking down the $10 or so charge for offering the internet access would be alot easier for Disney to swallow than a $200 a night room that they could lose out on to an offsite hotel for the simple "luxury" of free internet access.

 

[Bojangles]

I wouldn't want to spend any part of my vacation surfing the internet.

 

[music777.com]

I travel and stay at many different hotel chains and don't ever remember the internet access being free. I always have to pay about a $10.00 charge for 24hrs. Some are a little more and some are less but never free. Maybe I need to find the ones that have free access.

JJ

 

[metivier]

But with the "free" refrigerators now (at least at the deluxe and moderates) instead of priced at $10/day, I look at it as a "wash".

 

[Aimeedyan]

I completely agree!

I have not stayed in a hotel in the last 6 months that didn't have FREE wireless internet at the hotel. Wireless is extremely cheap for someone to offer... The Holiday Inn up the street from me offers it, but Disney deluxe dont... I know they are putting it into some of the DVC resorts, but still going to charge.

Maybe they'll add it eventually =)

And for some, it IS imperitive to get online a bit each day... not everyone can drop everything when they go on vacation.

 

[sunkissed212]

When we travel we usually stay at Hilton or Hampton Inn hotels and every one that we have been in within the past year or so has had highspeed internet access...in the room...for free.

I think I like the idea of the refrigerators being free more than I need the free internet but it would be a nice addition that I think, overall, would be a minimal cost for them...compared to other amenities that they already currently offer.

 

[safetymom]

Most of the hotels that I stay at still charge for high speed internet. Just returned from a Hilton on the Concierge level and the charge was 9.95 a day for internet.

I don't think you will see everyone offer free access for awhile yet. I don't have a problem paying that for the use and the fact that I don't have to find a local dial up number.

 

[Cris]

a couple comments: the highspeed was put in all of the convention resorts because most conventions resorts in the country have high speed internet now and they had to have this to sell the resorts to potential clients. Also all the wiring for the highspeed was installed by Smartcity and the revenue goes to them. But they have to maintain the wiring and provide tech support.

 

[purplebelle]

Originally posted by sunkissed212
When we travel we usually stay at Hilton or Hampton Inn hotels and every one that we have been in within the past year or so has had highspeed internet access...in the room...for free.

Wow, I just stayed in a Hilton suites recently and we were charged $10 for 24 hrs and it was soooo slow. Not worth it at all.

 

[ckj]

Originally posted by Bojangles
I wouldn't want to spend any part of my vacation surfing the internet.

Bojangles, ITA. But right now would be great to have high speed here at pofq.

 

[Bojangles]

I think they should just leave it as an option and charge guests for it if they want to use it. When they start offering it as a "free" perk for guests, that's when the cost of rooms will go up or we will start seeing a per night resort fee.

 

[harlock_jds]

i'm actually glad i didn't have net access at the AKL, i would have had a harder time relaxing if i had had high speed internet because i would have worried about work too much.

BTW i travel a lot for my job and i allways stay at places with free high speed access, many chains are moveing in this direction so if you stay somewhere that still charges, look around for one that doesn't

 

[LoraJ]

We stayed at CBR and found that it was much more worth it to dial in at 75cents a call instead of the $9.95 plus tax we had to pay at the second hotel we stayed at.

If you want to check email or other quick things at WDW and need to access the net, do dial-up. If your ISP does not provide nationwide dial-up service, get an AOL account (it won't cost you a thing as long as you remember to cancel) and you are on

 

[KathyTX]

There is a cost to the resort to provide wireless web access, in wiring, wireless access point hardware, bandwidth, tech support.

Some hotels choose to build these costs into the price for all customers, some choose to pass the costs only to the customers who use the service.

Both pricing models make sense, just different approaches.

 

[macs4us]

When I stay at the Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton they charge me $15/day for high speed, but when I stay at a Hampton Inn I get it for free...

I would say that 50% of the places we have stayed at have free access. Some Hiltons are free, others are not. When we were in NOLA for our anniversary this year the Monaco had free access, but when we stayed at the RC Maison Orleans last year we had to pay. A lot of upscale business hotels charge because they can - they know business travelers will pay for it. Just like the hotels that say they are pet friendly, but charge a non-refundable cleaning fee of $150, and $75/day per pet, or they don't take kitties.

 

[whjoyjr]

And am finding that more hotels are including it in their normal room rates. The Hilton's in Denver and New Mexico were free. The Embassy Suites in Nashvill was $10 per 24 hours. The Hilton at the El Paso Airport only had it at the business center.

As far as offering it at WDW, I am of the type that I leave it ALL behind when I am there. I do not take work calls on the cell, I don't read the papers, no watch the news or network programming. Maybe a compromise would be to offer 'net access via a business center at each hotel.

But, on the other hand, if they did not offer it, we would not be getting updates during the storms.

 

[sunkissed212]

I totally understand that there is a cost for Disney to maintain the service. I also understand that not everyone wants to use the internet while they are on vacation. Actually, the main reason that I brought this up is that I am taking an online class and was hoping that I could get online to check discussion boards and assignments like I do when we go on other vacations and stay at hotels that do offer free internet access in the room. It wasn't a necessity but it would have been nice. I'm not so cheap that I'm not willing to pay for it I just think that when Disney is already charging $300+ a night for rooms at some hotels, it would be a nice amenity to have. I mean, you can't tell me that they aren't making enough money to cover some lousy wiring and stuff.

I agree with the person that said they'd be worrying too much about work if they did have the internet access while they were on site...I probably would have done the same thing.

I guess it's just odd that they are on the cutting edge of everything yet...a $59/night Hamptonn Inn hotel offers a service such as this when a $300/night Deluxe resort at WDW doesn't.

 

[Jen D]

I think WDW is just behind the curve on internet access because except for the convention hotels, it just isn't a priority for their guests, who are primarily leisure travelers.

We do bring our laptop and just use dial-up when we travel. I'm using it right now!