Why Do Some Hotels Charge So Much For Internet Access?

I’m currently in the Intercontinental Hotel in Prague. Up until an hour ago I was staying in the Hotel Praha, also in Prague.

Both hotels are 5 star.

But while the Hotel Praha offers free internet access throughout the building via wifi and good speeds via ethernet in your bedroom, the Intercontinental is charging me an arm and a leg for a service that they advertise as being 3 Mb/s.

In Brussels the Hilton City not only charges premium rates for internet access, but also imposed a cap on uploads!

I travel quite a bit for business. Once I leave Prague I’ll be heading back to Brussels for another event and again I’ll be hit with a disproportionately high bill for using internet access in my hotel room.

It’s 2010.

Internet access in a hotel bedroom is not a “premium” service. For any hotel that expects to attract business travellers internet access is a very basic requirement. In 2010 I’d almost see internet access for a business traveller as being on a par with clean sheets and running water.

So why on earth are so many hotels charging such high rates for it?

It’s not as if they’re charging incredibly low rates for the rooms and have to compensate with the “extras”.

And of course I know that ranting about it probably won’t change anything, but it feels good to get it “off my chest”.