Internet on the Road

On a recent trip to London, I was staying at my favourite little hotel- The Flemings Mayfair. A great rate thanks to Uniglobe- $165 pounds including breakfast and VAT. Only problem- like so many hotels- is the internet charge. 22 pounds per day. I opted to grab a coffee at the nearby Starbuck's on 2 afternoons and get free internet with my 2 pound coffee. Internet is the still the common and chargeable item with most better hotels. Odd because the Hampton Inns of the world have free Internet (and often half the room rate of the better hotels). With all the portable devices that we all have, isn't it about time that all hotels provide it as part of their offering?

Online Travel- Update

So now to update the post below and to really emphasize the point that online retailers display what they want and choose to display, here's the next part of the story. Expedia has announced that they have dropped American Airline's fare altogether (and from Hotwire and TripAdvisor as they own those as well). Orbitz has removed AA fares as of December 21st. The story is not over and will probably increase in magnitude. Let the buyer beware when dealing online! The key point for you, the consumer, is- are you seeing the full choice of travel options?