HotelChatter

Tips

Joe Sharkey Last Man Standing in Hotel Business Centers

July 13, 2006 at 9:30 AM | 0 Comments

In his recent column, Joe Sharkey griped about the outrageous fees the Grand Hyatt Washington DC business center which amounted to $43.55 for 22 minutes of internet use and 10 pages of printouts.

While we agree these are ridiculous fees that Hyatt is charging at its business centers, we can't help but wonder why Sharkey, a reporter who writes about business travel, is still using a business center?

Doesn't the Times pay for him to have a laptop so that he can get wireless access? Since most Hyatt hotels partner with T-Mobile Hotspots, all Sharkey has to do is pay $9.95 for a 24-hour period. Maybe he likes to keep it old school but either way, it doesn't keep him on top of the business travel beat.

Regardless, his column goes on to profile some of the very legit gripes hotel guests have with hotels today such as not allowing hangers to be removed from the closets, luxury hotels that charge for bottled water, harsh bathroom lighting, difficult alarm clocks, monster pillows and valet parking.

Still, Sharkey contends his biggest peeve is that higher end hotels charge higher fees for internet use while mid-level hotels offer it for free.

Sharkey, if only you read about our WiFi report back in March, we could have saved you the $43.55. Oh, that's right. You don't get WiFi.

Related Stories:
· They sure beat airlines but hotels could still... [NY Times]
· Worst WiFi Hotels 2006 [HotelChatter]
· Best WiFi Hotels [HotelChatter]
· Grand Hyatt Washington DC reviews [TripAdvisor]