In Africa, Depend on Hotel Business Centers for Internet
HotelChatter's newest contributing editor Scarlett Lion is filing her stories from Uganda. Every now and then, she'll be sending us dispatches about the hotel scene here and around Africa. Got questions? Send 'em to us and we'll get them answered. Enjoy.
This is actually a hotel business center in San Francisco.
The average internet café, dotted throughout any big city in Africa, will cost less than a dollar an hour. But, it might take about an hour to open your webmail. The average luxury hotel business center, however, will cost about $10 an hour. It will provide the user a connection speed that reminds him or her of the days of AOL and that grinding modem sound, now oh-so-obsolete.
This will be the fastest internet you can find in Africa. And no, it's not fast enough to watch YouTube.
The Serena chain of hotels (an African equivalent of Four Seasons - sort of), offers business solutions beyond a basic broadband connection, including conference rooms in the middle of the Serengeti and secretarial services (and stationary!) in Nairobi.
Hiltons can be found in selected corners of the African continent, but don't expect free WiFi. The Western staple, when found in Africa, will charge a pretty penny for you to check your email. The Hilton Addis Ababa in Ethiopia says there is a fee on their website though does not specify the cost.
But, when the power is out everywhere else in town, and generators flicker on and off in other cafes, those $10 per hour connection will seem like a bargain.
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