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(why) expensive internet access in hotels

Last week I was invited to give presentations in Yogyakarta. The venue was in a 5-star hotel. The hotel and the event was great, but ... my (biggest) complaint is internet access.

Internet access in this hotel was expensive. For 24-hour access, it costs US$16. Okay, to some of you this might be acceptable but not for me. Not far from the hotel, on the street outside the hotel area, there were internet cafes. Internet access there was much cheaper. I think this situation is not unique to Yogyakarta. It happens in all parts of the world.

I still don't understand why hotels charge an arm and a leg for internet access. They are not in the business of making money from telecommunication, right? If they are, then they should open game center or internet cafe (with lots of computers). They should offer free internet access as part of their service. Focus on the service.

Many friends told me that I should get 3G/3.5G/UMTS access (from cellular companies) instead of relying on hotel services. It is cheaper and more predictable. Maybe they are right.

What do you think?

Comments

Anonymous said…
They do it because they can. I was in HKG a couple of weeks ago. The Mandarin charged me HK$160 a day for internet access (not even wireless), compare with one-month connection to the city's wifi for HK$180!

You're right: internet access should be free.
Anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said…
yeah very expensive, i think that's what we call executive services for vip person :-P. Good to have internet access via cellular services connected to our notebook. The price is reasonable.
Anonymous said…
I agree that they shouldn't charge (too much) on the internet, but i think Brett was right here - they do it because the hotels is their hotels, and what you can do is you can choose another one which may be free of charge!
Unknown said…
I use TSEL 3G access for my primary connection. On Halo, it's good service but expensive. On Prepaid, it's a shitty fucked up service but available.

My recommended solution is get a USB HSDPA modem, arm yourself with TSEL/IM2 cards, swap around as necessary, and steal wifi wherever possible.
Anonymous said…
In some fancy hotel somewhere that encountered the most expensive broadband Internet charge.

Flights,Cars rental,Hotels,travels
Anonymous said…
Yes, I suggest using 3G/3.5G internet services like IndosatM2, Matrix, or Telkom Flash. They are cheap. Just 100-160k per month for unlimited quota access. speed is limited of course, you have to pay more to get more speed. But I guess it's still acceptable
Anonymous said…
gone to lot of hotels.

free wifi.


yeah, its un-understandable why need to pay for in-tar-nat.


maling's yessman
Keith said…
Having worked in hotels, I accept and understand that they will make money on any convenience they offer you, especially if it can be bought cheaper

Hotels live by a convenience philosophy. Even if the base service is very affordable, all special servi8ces come at a premium
Anonymous said…
Indonesia is still way behind other countries and yet they charge it double everywhere. Aside from hotels, I don't understand why shopping malls also charge us for using wifi service, and it's more ridiculous when one coffee shop has one and another has a different one, and we end up collecting wifi cards. It should be free.
Anonymous said…
Wah kalo dimurah2in ane bisa pindah kos dong bang :)

Lagian namanya juga hotel bintang apa2 didalamnya ya pasti mahal. Padahal akses internet seharusnya sudah termasuk fasilitas seperti handuk, sikat gigi, sabun, shampo, dll. Bukan begitu, bang?

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