Wifi/Mobile Data Friendly Hotels?

[gemz4the1]

Following from customer backlash, one chain of hotels, the Marriot Hotel, has announced that it will no longer be blocking its customers from using personal wifi hotspot devices in its establishments.

However, the hotel chain will keep the block in place in its meeting and conference rooms.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-30827706

I have always found hotels to have may 'black spots' in their establishments.  Even when I try to use my own mobile data or tether with another device, I tend to get little or no signal, but if I pay the hotel to use their wifi, then I have good signal.

I have a similar problem when I go on holiday.  Sometimes it is cheaper to pay the daily rate of mobile data than it is to buy wifi from the hotel (if free wifi is not available), however my mobile data signal seems to be extremely poor.

There are a few possible reasons for this:

• it is a common tactic with all or most hotel establishments in order to increase the number of customers paying to use their network.
• the volume of customers trying to access the same wifi network is too high and it is making the signal unstable.
• it is just a coincidence that signal is sporadic due to the infrastructure of the building.

Recently, Microsoft teamed up with Google (not exactly known to be the best of friends) to try to stop the petition from numerous Hotel chains where they seek to allow them to block the use of personal wifi hot spots.  http://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft-google-oppose-hotels-blocking-personal-wi-fi-hotspots

[sheepdog]

Having used a lot of hotels in the last few years, I've always put it down to the size of the building and the great big steel infrastructure making the mobile signal range from good to zero. I wouldn't say its congestion as I have had two phones on different networks with identical signal issues. 

Even hotel wifi is a bit hit and miss. One hotel chain I use has an incredibly variable wifi strength depending on which room you're in so its a case of where they've situated the access point. Sometimes the mobile signal is better! Though in comparision, UK hotels have a tendency to charge for wifi whereas in Canada it was free in nearly every hotel we stayed in. 

[jonsie]

I have always found hotels to be hit and miss especially in Europe where most hotels charge. Many hotels in the UK also like to lump you with a charge.

All hotels and bars in Thailand are free and quality of connection is normally very good. The odd bars that don't have wifi isn't a problem as you can up the bar next door. As they all tend to use the phone number as the password it's not a problem here.

[gemz4the1]

In a bar that I go to in Spain, the wifi used to always be very good,  It used to connect right away and the strength would be good.  However the last few times I have been, it has been difficult to connect to it.  The staff said that it is due to there being so many people wanting to use it.  It seemed like it was a 'first come first serve' thing - the people who were in the bar first were able to connect, whereas people who got there later on couldn't connect.  Oh well.....it's an excuse to be in the bar longer.....

[Anonymous]

Thanks for sharing @gemz4the1 I would say that the reason is because the volume of customers trying to access the same wifi network is too high... People are consuming more data every day...

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Thanks for sharing @gemz4the1 I would say that the reason is because the volume of customers trying to access the same wifi network is too high... People are consuming more data every day...

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People who are too fat because they are eating too much data are causing problems connecting to t'interweb wirelessly?  Who'd have thought it!!!