Hotel Chain Internet Access Guide

The definitive guide to US hotel Internet access and hotel wifi

Welcome to TravelPost.com's Hotel High-Speed Internet Access Guide. Over the last decade, high-speed Internet access has grown from something found only in a few hotels to an amenity that's just as expected as an in-room coffeemaker or hairdryer. And just like those amenities, high-speed Internet access is something the vast majority of travelers want for free.

Arguing that room rates are already high enough, business travelers are starting to demand free high-speed Internet access. The battle cry for free high-speed Internet access has led many of the more affordable brands like Best Western, Courtyard Marriott and La Quinta to let guests log-on for free. Not surprisingly, at hotels where customers are already shelling out big bucks for rooms, hotels are banking on guests' willingness to continue paying the daily rates for high-speed Internet access.

We investigated 44 of the top U.S. hotel brands and gathered information about their high-speed Internet amenities, including daily fees, coverage areas and additional information we found helpful for travelers. Our guide will also help you to decide which hotel loyalty programs to join, and, in the case of hotels partnered with specific high-speed Internet service providers, the guide may influence your decision to sign up for a membership.

Internet Access Guide to 44 Hotel Chains

Hotel Chain	Daily Price	Internet Access Available?	Coverage Details	Comments	Hotel Directory
Best Western more information (pdf)	Free	Yes	All rooms and at least one public area offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access.		Best Western Hotel Directory
Comfort Inn more information	Free	Yes	All rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access.		Comfort Inn Hotel Directory
Conrad more information	Free	Yes	All rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access.	The Waldorf-Astoria is the only Conrad property without free high-speed Internet access. The daily fee is $9.95.
Courtyard by Marriott more information	Free	Yes	All rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access.
Crowne Plaza more information	Free-$9.99	Yes	All rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access. Wi-Fi is available in lobbies.		Crowne Plaza Hotel Directory
Days Inn more information	Free	Yes	All rooms and public spaces offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access.		Days Inn Hotel Directory
DoubleTree	$9.95	Yes	All rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access. Wi-Fi available in lobbies and common areas.	At Hilton brand hotels, approximately 50 percent of the rooms offer wired high-speed Internet access, and the other half offer wireless Internet access.	DoubleTree Hotel Directory
Embassy Suites	$9.95	Yes	All rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access. Wi-Fi available in lobbies, atriums, "prominent" guest dining areas, business centers and meeting/conference rooms.	At Hilton brand hotels, approximately 50 percent of the rooms offer wired high-speed Internet access, and the other half offer wireless Internet access.	Embassy Suites Hotel Directory
Fairmont more information	Free*-$15	Yes	All rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access. Wi-Fi available in lobbies and lounges.	Guests in Fairmont Gold Rooms and President's Club members receive free Internet access. Membership is free.
Four Points by Sheraton more information	Free	Yes	All rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access.
Four Seasons more information	$9.95-$12.95	Yes	All rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access.
Hampton Inn & Suites more information	Free	Yes	All rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access. Wi-Fi available in lobbies and common areas.	At Hilton brand hotels, approximately 50 percent of the rooms offer wired high-speed Internet access, and the other half offer wireless Internet access.	Hampton Inn & Suites Hotel Directory
Hilton	$9.95/day	Yes	All rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access. Wi-Fi available in lobbies and common areas.	At Hilton brand hotels, approximately 50 percent of the rooms offer wired high-speed Internet access, and the other half offer wireless Internet access.	Hilton Hotel Directory
Hilton Garden Inn	Free	Yes	All rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access. Wi-Fi available in lobbies and common areas.	At Hilton brand hotels, approximately 50 percent of the rooms offer wired high-speed Internet access, and the other half offer wireless Internet access.
Holiday Inn	Free	Yes	All rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access.		Holiday Inn Hotel Directory
Homewood Suites more information	Free	Yes	All rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access. Wi-Fi available in lobbies and common areas.	At Hilton brand hotels, approximately 50 percent of the rooms offer wired high-speed Internet access, and the other half offer wireless Internet access.	Homewood Suites Hotel Directory
Holiday Inn Express more information	Free	Yes	All rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access.
Howard Johnson	Free	Yes	All rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access.		Howard Johnson Hotel Directory
Hyatt more information	Free-$10	Varies	At some locations, rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access.	Of the 236 U.S. Hyatt properties: 126 U.S. Hyatts offer some form of high-speed Internet service; 117 U.S. Hyatts offer wired high-speed Internet access; 77 U.S. Hyatts offer wireless high-speed Internet access. Additionally, 78 U.S. Hyatts are T-Mobile Hotspots; The daily charge for WebTV may differ from daily wired and wireless usage rates.	Hyatt Hotel Directory
Ian Schrager Hotels more information	$10	Yes	All rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access.
Indigo more information	Free	Yes	All rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access.
InterContinental more information	$9.95-$14.07	Yes	All rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access.
Kimpton more information	Free	Yes	All rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access. Wi-Fi available at many locations.
La Quinta more information	Free	Yes	All rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access.		La Quinta Hotel Directory
Loews	$9.95-$14.95	Yes	All rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access.
Marriott more information	$9.95-$12.95	Yes	All rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access.	Fee also includes unlimited local and long-distance calls.	Marriott Hotel Directory
Motel 6	n/a	No	High-speed Internet access is not available.		Motel 6 Hotel Directory
Omni more information	Free	Yes	All rooms and public spaces offer Wi-Fi Internet access. Wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access is available in meeting rooms and there may be a fee for use.	Wireless adapters are available to guests without wireless cards. Fees may apply for high-speed Internet access in meeting rooms
Radisson more information	Often free but may be a daily fee.	Yes	All rooms, lobbies, restaurants and meeting rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access. There may be a fee for usage outside the rooms.		Radisson Hotel Directory
Ramada	Free	Yes	All rooms and public spaces offer Wi-Fi Internet access.		Ramada Hotel Directory
Red Roof Inn	$9.95	Yes	All rooms and public spaces offer Wi-Fi Internet access via T-Mobile.		Red Roof Inn Hotel Directory
Renaissance more information	$9.95-$12.95	Yes	All rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access.	Fee also includes unlimited local and long-distance calls.
Ritz-Carlton	$9.95-$12.95	Yes	All rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access.
Sheraton	$10-$20	Varies	Availability of high-speed Internet access varies by location.		Sheraton Hotel Directory
Sofitel more information	$9.95	Yes	All rooms and public spaces offer Wi-Fi Internet access via T-Mobile.
SpringHill Suites more information	Free	Yes	All rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access.
St. Regis	$10-$20	Yes	All rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access.
Super 8 more information	Free	Yes	All rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access.		Super 8Hotel Directory
Travelodge	Free	Varies	All rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access. (by Jan 1, 2007)	Travelodge was not able to provide information specifying the number of U.S. properties that currently offer high-speed Internet access.
W Hotels	$10-$20	Yes	All rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access.
Westin	$16	Yes	All rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access.	Price includes local and domestic long distance calls.
Wyndham	Free*-$10.95	Yes	All rooms offer wired ethernet or Wi-Fi Internet access. Wi-Fi available at many locations.	High-speed Internet access is free to Wyndham By Request members; joining the program is free.	Wyndham Hotel Directory

The state of hotel Internet access

While compliling this resource, we found some interesting trends:
• Budget, value and low mid-market chains were much more likely to offer free high-speed Internet access than upper mid-market and luxury brands.
• Conrad by Hilton and Kimpton were the only two upscale hotel brands to offer free high-speed Internet to guests at all of their locations and without restrictions.
• It pays to join as many customer loyalty programs as possible. Multiple brands offer free high-speed Internet access to program members, but charge non-members $9.95 and up for daily usage.
• Hotels are increasingly bundling local and domestic long-distance calls into their high-speed Internet access plans. Before you use minutes on your cell phone, check to see if you are entitled to free long distance calls during your next hotel stay.

Methodology, Disclaimers and Definitions

Color Key	Internet Access Available for a Fee Free Internet Access No Internet Access
Methodology	The information in this chart was collected by TravelPost.com's editorial team. All information was accurate at time of publication, but hotels may change their policies at any time. Pleasesend us any updates, corrections or additional information.
Approach	• For each brand, we sought definitive information about high-speed Internet offerings that apply to all U.S. properties underneath that brand. • In the Availability column, high-speed Internet access could mean that the brand offers wired, wireless or both. In many cases, wired and wireless access availability varies from hotel to hotel. In cases where wireless access is a brand standard, we noted that. • In a few cases, a brand's Internet amenity standards were clearly described online, but most required confirmation through company representatives, including public relations departments and customer service representatives. • For large brands where daily Internet usage fees vary according to location, we called six properties in different parts of the country, including three large cities and three smaller cities, to determine pricing. The range you see on our chart reflects the highest and lowest fees we were quoted over the phone. • For smaller brands like Loews, Conrad, Ian Schrager and St. Regis, we called every U.S. location to determine high-speed Internet daily usage fees. • This chart addresses brand standards and does not account for any services that individual hotels may have implemented independently. Hotel guests may find high-speed Internet amenities or wireless networks other than those listed here due to individual hotels' own initiatives.
Disclaimer	Before you travel, it's always a good idea to double check availability of the high-speed Internet amenities you plan on using at your destination by calling the hotel directly or checking the hotel's TravelPost.com page or the hotel's official web site. In the fast-paced world of techie travel, we've found that Internet amenities change often - usually for the better - but you never know when an individual hotel will be experiencing an untimely Internet access meltdown. Happy travels!

Last updated: 8:02pm PT, December 19, 2006