SSSBlog

I spent part of the day in the basement of the State Capitol with Suzie’s group, where I was treated to a free and fast wireless connection to the internet.

Flash forward to 4 p.m.  After checking in at the Hyatt, I pop my computer out to check work emails, only to discover that I have to pay for wireless access.  That didn’t particularly phase me; it was expected, if annoying.  What got me was the two-tiered connection fee — $9.95 per day (hardly chicken feed) gets you a wireless connection that seems to download at the measly rate of 80 kbs.  If you want to have faster service, it’s $15.95 (I think; I frankly was so hacked off that I don’t remember the exact figure).

I understand hotels have to make money, but if the State of California (and the Citizen Hotel, where we stayed last night) can offer free wireless and still stay in business, then why not Hyatt?  (Ha, ha, ha, I made an inadvertent joke there, sorry, State of California.)  The real point is that what I’ll remember about my stay at the Sacramento Hyatt won’t be the nice corner room or the comfy bed or the friendly older lady who greeted me as I was taking my stuff onto the elevator, it will be getting shafted by having to pay for a service — a crummy slow service, at that — that should have been free.  I imagine Hyatt spends millions and millions on advertising to build up good will; you’d think they’d be reluctant to lose it all for ten bucks.