Introduction
Some accommodations plans offered by hotels like this one do include wireless Internet access
A common gripe I have heard from travellers in relation to Internet access at hotels, especially the “big-time” hotel chains is that they charge too much for Internet access rather than providing it as a complimentary service.
There are two ways you can benefit from this access without having to pay extra.
The business-focused accommodation deal
Some hotels offer a business-focused deal which includes at least accommodation, breakfast served in the main restaurant along with the Internet access for the duration of your stay. Most often, some of these packages are offered through the weekdays and, in some cases, may be cheaper that the standard accommodation-only rate. Different properties may throw in extras like reduced business-centre costs, or a rebate on your food or drink bill.
This is in a similar vein to how some of the accommodation+breakfast deals may cost slightly more than the accommodation-only deals yet you have the breakfast which would cost significantly more as part of the package.
Examples of these include:
- Online Over An Omelette deal offered by Rydges Melbourne (breakfast in restaurant, Internet access)
- All Inclusive Corporate Access deal offered by Rydges On Swanston (breakfast in restaurant, Internet access, welcome drink in bar, AUD$10 towards drinks in the minibar)
- Business Sense deal offered by Intercontinental Melbourne The Rialto (breakfast in restaurant, Internet access and 25% of business-centre services)
It is also worth paying attention to the club-floor or concierge-floor programs that some of these hotels offer which will have complimentary or reduced-price Internet access. These premium-priced programs are related to a cluster of rooms on a particular floor where you also have access to an exclusive-access lounge, complimentary food and drinks amongst other things depending on the program.
That frequent-lodger program that the hotel offers
Some of the hotels who run a frequent-lodger program may offer cheaper or inclusive Internet access for all members of the program. An example of this is the Marriott Rewards program which provides inclusive Internet access to guests checking in using this plan. Another example is the PriorityGUEST program which reduces the standard property-specific Internet access costs by half for members who check in at a Rydges, QT or Art Series hotel with their PriorityGUEST card.
Conclusion
It makes sense to spend extra time trawling through Websites and similar material offered by a big-name hotel chain or other hotel that charges for Internet access and look for the accommodation packages or frequent-lodger programs that integrate access to this service.
It is worth knowing that any particular package or promotion that I mention in this article may be subject to change.
