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Tags: Infamous Hotels of the Week / Hotel WiFi / Hotel Porn / Bill Simmons / Hotel Conspiracies / → All Tags
Is This The Real Reason Why Hotels Have Bad WiFi Connections?
Porn jammers! Old men in the club! Fergie! Hotel Strikes!
It always seems that no matter how much Celebrity Scoop we write about in a given week, there's also lots more that we didn't have time to get to. So from now on, every Friday we'll be rounding up the week's Infamous Hotels. This weekly list will include hotels that celebrities visited (and it made the news) but also hotels that really up the "Eww" factor. This can easily done by manipulating the WiFi connection for guests.
The Sports Guy aka Bill Simmons recently offered up his take on Hotel WiFi after spending four weeks on the road promoting his new book. According to Bill, he stayed in nine hotels and all of them had wireless. (Hey that's an improvement from the past!) But he noticed that the connection was also worse at night than in the morning. We've noticed that too and just chalked it up to more people being in their rooms at night, doing work, surfing the internet, downloading episodes of "Glee" and the like. But Bill has a different and way better theory.
It's my belief thatcertain hotels scramble their wireless at night to discourage guests from surfing for porn. Why? So they will order adult entertainment from the hotel's pay-per-view system. I know ... it's dastardly. But if you're the hotel, why give the milk away for free when you can make people pay for the cow?
More importantly, would you really put it past them? This is the same business that built motion detectors into mini-bars; they're going to give up the in-room porn business without a fight? It's evil, it's desperate, it's despicable and brilliant. The Porn Jammer is my Great Call of the Week.
Well said, Sports Guy. Well said.
Tags: Digital Nomad Hotels / Hotel WiFi / Hotel Lobbies / Fort Lauderdale Hotel Reviews / W Hotels / → All Tags
Digital Nomad Lobbies: WiFi By The Beach At W FLL
There has been a lot of talk recently about the lifestyle of digital nomads -- folks who work from wherever they might roam. HotelChatter has been covering hotel wifi since the beginning, but as we cited in our 2009 annual hotel wifi report times they are a changin'.
Hotel: W Fort Lauderdale
Location Layout: There are three main lobby, or living room levels and the pool/patio area. The property is vast, which is great for a digital nomad because you can tuck yourself away and bother no one.
Outlets: Peppered around the lobby. Get this, at Steak 954, the onsite restaurant they actually offered to move me with a seat near an outlet.
Furniture: Couches, chairs, stools, you name it you can find it.
Digital Nomad Tolerance: High. You can move from floor one to floor two, even outdoors to the patio where you will find plenty of shade that allows you to read your screen with ease.
Phone Calls: Not a problem, pick a quiet spot and go for it.
Overall Mood: Business at the beach.
Digital Nomad Grade: A
Tons of furniture choices, the inside outside option, enough outlets, other business meetings going on, and, they offer free wireless internet in the lobby if you don't have a broadband card.
Tags: Hotel WiFi / WiFi Hell / Starwood Hotels / Seville Hotels / → All Tags
The Alfonso XIII May Be Seville’s Grandest Hotel, But Its Wifi is Less Than Grand
Relaxing weekends never pan out the way you planned them do they? And our trip to Seville this weekend was no exception. Leaving aside the whiplash from the crashy landing on Sunday night (thanks Ryanair) and the fact that we didn’t partake in enough cerveza sessions, we spent much of the two days seething about the dire internet situation at the Hotel Alfonso XII, where we were shacked up.
Switching on the laptop as is our wont on arrival at a hotel, we were sad to see no WiFi networks showing. Yes there was an ethernet cable, but our 'pooter lacks the requisite hole.
We called reception, who told us not to worry, that there was a computer downstairs for us to check our email. So we worried. Is there no wireless, we asked. The answer came back: "Yes, but it’s better to use our computer. " Ugh, we worried even more.
Tags: Twitter / Washington Hotels / Hotel Deals / Hotel WiFi / → All Tags
Hotel Murano Rewards Twitter Followers With Discounts and Free WiFi
Any hotel that links directly to TripAdvisor from their homepage has a lot of gall. Guest ratings can sometimes make or break a hotel's reputation, but if service is up to snuff and they know it, then no harm done.
Not only does Tacoma's Hotel Murano include said link on their website (with predictably positive ratings, save for a couple service stumbles), but they've gone the Twitter route (@hotel_murano) to stay connected with potential customers. While you won't find gossipy tweets about what goes on behind the concierge desk, you will find need-to-know information about insider deals, like this recent post advertising $79 rates (marked down from $99) plus free Wi-Fi for bookings from October 15-18. You'll have to make your reservation by the 15th to get the discount, so commence rapid fire clicking now.
Tags: Twitter / Hotel WiFi / → All Tags
Hotels That Charge for WiFi Are Probably On Famous Writer's Blacklist
Earlier today, New Yorker writer and novelist Susan Orlean re-tweeted a very profound statement made by another Twitterer, Dadigan with a resounding "YES!":
Shouldn't they've amended the constitution to make free wifi a basic human right? I boycott hotels that charge for wifi."
Hmm...to all the hotels out there currently charging for WiFi, just let that sink in for a moment. You loved The Orchid Thief and the movie "Adaptation" didn't you? Now just think about how Susan Orlean probably won't be staying at your hotel. Just think about that. Think a little longer...a little longer...ok, that will do for now.
Travel writer and Twitterer David Farley also pointed out via another Twitterer (this Twitter thing is crazy, no?) that 100 years ago, hotels charged for hot water. But of course, that's now free. Hopefully, hotels will be quick to pick up on this free WiFi fad soon.
Tags: Digital Nomad Hotels / Hotel WiFi / Hotel Lobbies / Viva Vegas / → All Tags
So What? The Ace Hotel is Still a Rock Star (For Digital Nomads)
There has been a lot of talk recently about the lifestyle of digital nomads -- folks who work from wherever they might roam. HotelChatter has been covering hotel wifi since the beginning, but as we cited in our 2009 annual hotel WiFi report times they are a changin'.
The biggest change on the tech side is the growing popularity of the usb broadband card. As more and more people buy into these cards (and more and more GMs pray to the hotel gods they do) there are a growing number of digital nomads that no longer tap into a hotel WiFi network.
Instead, these nomads are in search of killer hotel lobbies to comfortably work in. That's right, digital nomads have no problem coming in, kicking back on hotel lobby couches and doing an hours worth of work. So once again hotels have a choice -- welcome these folks, pay no mind to them, or actively try to kick them out.
With this in mind, we figured it was time for us to start rating hotel lobbies on their digital nomad quotient. In our latest edition, the The Ace Hotel New York.
Tags: Digital Nomad Hotels / Hotel WiFi / Hotel Lobbies / Viva Vegas / → All Tags
Digital Nomad Lobbies: Encore's Lobby Bar and Cafe
There has been a lot of talk recently about the lifestyle of digital nomads -- folks who work from wherever they might roam. HotelChatter has been covering hotel wifi since the beginning, but as we cited in our 2009 annual hotel wifi report times they are a changin'.
It's time for us to start rating hotel lobbies on their digital nomad quotient. We continue this series with the Encore Las Vegas where we found ourselves hanging out yesterday at the hotel's Lobby Bar and Cafe.
Tags: Hotel WiFi / WiFi Hell / Westin Hotels / → All Tags
Westin's Beds May Be Heavenly But Their Wireless Internet is Not
Heavenly beds at the Westin Bonaventure in LA.
Most of us agree that the Westin Hotels Heavenly Bed feels quite nice and those of us who have tried the hotel brand's new Heavenly Bath toiletries would agree that the shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, et.al, go above and beyond what we would expect from hotel toiletries. But when it comes down to Westin WiFi, the experience is more hellacious than heavenly.
Westin is part of Starwood Hotels and while the WiFi is free in the lobbies, in-room guests have to pay. Usually the fee starts at $9.95 and goes up from there, depending on the hotel.
Paying for WiFi is akin to those ridiculous checked baggage fees that airlines charges, but if we pay for it we want that internet connection to be faster than Usain Bolt. Unfortunately, many hotels just take your money and leave you surfing the web at a snail's pace. But the worst is when you call down for help and they tell you to contact their service provider.
Tags: Digital Nomad Hotels / Hotel WiFi / Hotel Lobbies / Manhattan Hotel Reviews / Times Square Hotels / → All Tags
Digital Nomad Lobbies: Millennium Broadway
There has been a lot of talk recently about the lifestyle of digital nomads -- folks who work from wherever they might roam. HotelChatter has been covering hotel wifi since the beginning, but as we cited in our 2009 annual hotel wifi report times they are a changin'.
Hotel: Millenium Broadway New York Times Square
Location Layout: There are three levels. The street level is the busiest level, level two is bound to have a conference going on and level three is fairly open.
Outlets: Plenty of 'em.
Furniture: Each level has a set of couches and good lighting. Aside from the street level, which is a bit darker.
Digital Nomad Tolerance: Light. If you are there during non busy hours you stick out like a sore thumb, and if you are there after 6 PM the place turns into a full fledged bar.
Phone Calls: Not a problem. There are three levels of lobby/conference rooms -- just pick the quietest level for your call.
Overall Mood: Business Time.
Digital Nomad Grade: A
Lack of outlets, bad furniture for working, dim lighting loud music -- they don't want digital nomads here and you don't want to be here. Keep searching.
Tags: Hotel Video Tours / HotelChatter Reviews / Hotel Amenities / Germany Hotel Guide / Hotel WiFi / → All Tags
Five Things We Love (And A Few We Hate) About Roomers Hotel Frankfurt
HotelChatter's Eric Rosen recently spent some time in Austria and Germany. All this week, he'll be rounding up his hotel observations. Any tips, suggestions, questions? Let us know.
During a recent trip to Germany, we got the chance to check out the city’s newest Design Hotel, Roomers (from the same folks behind The Pure and The Bristol). Check out the resumé of our love-hate relationship with the hotel below.
First, the love…
Rotating TV Sets!: Call us a sucker for fancy gadgets…or maybe just the fact that we can’t live without our BBC World while we primp for a night out, but we absolutely love the swiveling flat-screen TVs that let you watch German language soaps with equal ease from the bed or from the bathroom sink.
Tags: Digital Nomad Hotels / Hotel WiFi / Hotel Lobbies / Manhattan Hotel Reviews / Times Square Hotels / → All Tags
Digital Nomad Lobbies: W Times Square
There has been a lot of talk recently about the lifestyle of digital nomads -- folks who work from wherever they might roam. HotelChatter has been covering hotel wifi since the beginning, but as we cited in our 2009 annual hotel wifi report times they are a changin'.
Hotel: W New York Times Square
Location Layout: You enter around the corner from Times Square, but have to get yourself to the 7th floor before you are actually in the lobby. Once there, expect dim lighting, base pumping music, and fembot servers asking you if you want a drink regardless of the time of day.
Outlets: Could not find one.
Furniture: Low set couches coupled with low set tables make working comfortably difficult. Wheat grass is present, of course. Oh, and there is this cool old typewriter on one of the tables near the back.
Digital Nomad Tolerance: Light. If you are there during non busy hours you stick out like a sore thumb, and if you are there after 6 PM the place turns into a full fledged bar.
Phone Calls: Not recommended, unless you like your conference calls set to drum and base backgrounds.
Overall Mood: Millennial shiek.
Digital Nomad Grade: D
Lack of outlets, bad furniture for working, dim lighting loud music -- they don't want digital nomads here and you don't want to be here. Keep searching.
Tags: Digital Nomad Hotels / Thompson Hotels / Hotel WiFi / Hotel Lobbies / → All Tags
Digital Nomad Lobbies: Working It Out at Smyth Tribeca
There has been a lot of talk recently about the lifestyle of digital nomads -- folks who work from wherever they might roam. HotelChatter has been covering hotel wifi since the beginning, but as we cited in our 2009 annual hotel wifi report times they are a changin'.
The biggest change on the tech side is the growing popularity of the usb broadband card. As more and more people buy into these cards (and more and more GMs pray to the hotel gods they do) there are a growing number of digital nomads that no longer tap into a hotel WiFi network.
Instead, these nomads are in search of killer hotel lobbies to comfortably work in. That's right, digital nomads have no problem coming in, kicking back on hotel lobby couches and doing an hours worth of work. So once again hotels have a choice -- welcome these folks, pay no mind to them, or actively try to kick them out.
With this in mind, we figured it was time for us to start rating hotel lobbies on their digital nomad quotient. In our latest edition, the The Smyth Tribeca Hotel.
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