We're all for hotels that take good care of their WiFi service and that's why we're giving the thumbs up right now to the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi.
They've just upgraded their internet service in a big way, so they've now got an Ethernet-based, dual 10MB load balanced links system, and their wireless coverage has been extended too. This means that we should be able to get a fast connection no matter where we are in the resort, in guest rooms or in public areas, and even by the pool or on the beach.
Emirates Palace staff said that there'd been "extraordinarily high demand" from guests to have an improved WiFi service, a fact that we already know is true, yet most hotels don't bother to recognize.
We're working out of Madrid today, staying at the Hotel El Coloso. We're a bit hard-pressed to say anything good or bad about the room, the service or the location, mostly because we're so floored by the WiFi Fee: 17 euros, or $26, for 24-hours worth of access.
That's only if you want to surf the Internet and instant message people ("OMFG srsly? $26 for IM??!!?" is how we imagine those real-time chats will go.) But if you want to branch out and go wild with e-mail attachments, downloading files and opening a VPN? Well, that will cost you 22 euro ($34) for a mere 24 hours worth of surf time. Plus, this is a ticking clock, people--not one that deducts how much time you use in one sitting and then saves the rest for later.
To be fair, there is free WiFi in the lobby, which the seemingly embarrassed front desk clerk suggested we use when we inquired about Internet access. Perhaps we're just high maintenance, but when we have a day's worth of work to do, we want to be in the confines of our hotel room. And so we ponied up the Amex to the Internet provider, Swisscom.
We know upscale hotels have a penchant for ripping off guests when it comes to WiFi, but this hotel certainly isn't any Four Seasons. If you have a more horrendous story of WiFi extortion, share it with us in the comments. Don't be shy.
Now that we've squared away the Best and Worst WiFi Hotels stateside, it's time to look at what's happening abroad.
Baby bro Jaunted has continued its WiFi Week by publishing yesterday some helpful tips on finding wireless when traveling outside the U.S. and typically, you can always get some sort of access in a cafe.
But here we'll be looking at the hotels abroad where HotelChatter editors and contributors found or didn't find WiFi. We've been keeping tabs on the International Hotel WiFi scene all year long and unlike what's happening here at home, the Hotel WiFi trend seems to be improving in other countries.
For instance, we traveled to London and had complimentary WiFi in our hotel near Hyde Park. Also, several small UK-based chains have decided to give up WiFi for free to its guests. Over in Spain, Best Western continues to offer free WiFi and we even found out that there's WiFi in the Hilton in Cairo. Of course, it's at a fee of $7 but still, that's improvement.
Something that totally makes us melt? Radisson SAS hotel in Europe publishing a list of their hotels that offer free WiFi. Life is good again!
Keep reading for more of the Best and Worst International Hotel WiFi Report
Last time we visited Egypt it was sans laptop, but we're intrigued to know how the WiFi situation is doing there now. According to the website of the Nile Hilton in Cairo, their hotel "boasts wireless internet access throughout" and they plug it a second time when describing the rooms by enticing guests with the opportunity to "keep in touch with wireless internet access".
Simply called The Residence, there's a hotel in Bath, England, that seems to hark back to Jane Austen days of exclusive clubs and high society--except that if we've got the cash, we can stay there too. There are just six rooms for guests but they are part of a larger complex inside an old Georgian house, with a restaurant, bar and gardens also accessible to members of the private club.
Recent guests at TripAdvisor can't speak highly enough of The Residence, with everyone loving the luxurious rooms and a few mentioning the "adults only" drawer, too! But a UK Telegraph review over the weekend was not quite as over-the-top impressed, citing short showers, erratic bar service and inadequate reading lights in bed--but it sounds like they might be a bit on the fussy side.
After finding that the Best Western Madrid does pretty well in the WiFi stakes, we weren't surprised to discover that the same chain is advertising good access in Dublin, too. The Best Western Academy Plaza Hotel in central Dublin boasts free WiFi throughout the hotel; they emphasize that this is throughout the property, including guest bedrooms.
We've been hunting for feedback, but haven't yet heard from anyone who's used the WiFi service. There is also an internet service in guest rooms if you don't have a laptop, and it seems to operate via the television set--one recent guest complained that their room didn't have a remote control for the TV and it had to be operated using the attached keyboard. Really?
Another guest complained this internet access was almost impossible to navigate and they went downstairs to use the computer provided in the lobby instead. Still, connectivity sounds good and if you're prepared with your own equipment, the Academy Plaza is keen to get you wirelessly online for free.
Good hotel WiFi isn't always found where you'd expect. In relaxed Spain, our expectations aren't too high, but at the Best Western Arosa in Madrid, they're very proud of offering free wireless internet access throughout the entire hotel.
Judging by some recent guest reviews, the Best Western Arosa has only one major drawback--it's quite noisy, and you can hear other guests, the street, and even some bathroom noises. But everything else is pretty much okay, with a good central location, good service and some recently-updated rooms, and the price is reasonable too, averaging under $200 a night. Curiously, they also have 16 Japanese-style rooms, which complement their well-regarded Japanese restaurant.
But beyond the normal hotel basics, quite a few people have been enthusiastic about the free WiFi service. The hotel itself advertises it multiple times on its website and previous guests suggest that alone is a good enough reason to pick the Arosa. And unlike the Japanese instructions in Hiroshima, this Japanese-themed Spanish hotel doesn't seem to make it too hard for guest to get online.
In case you haven't noticed, we are really, really big fans of free WiFi. Which is why we were pleased to see that the already well-performing Radisson SAS hotel brand have extended their WiFi even further.
For a while now, Radisson SAS hotels across Europe have been offering free WiFi to guests in their hotels--and they say that in most cases, this includes in-room access, not just front lobby. We're not quite sure how widely this actually applies, but the policy itself is a great start, and Radisson publishes a long list of their hotels with WiFi.
And this week, Radisson announced that visitors to their hotels will have access to free WiFi too. That means that if you're attending a meeting or conference being held at a Radisson, you can ask the reception desk for a free log-in pass for WiFi access for the day. Do note, though, that if you're wanting to use dial-up or any other kind of access with a physical line, then you'll have to pay.
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by amandak
