Thursday, March 16, 2006
On the morning run with my like-minded TIDA attendees we fell to talking about what people who travel a lot talk about: hotels and airlines. Business travel is a funny thing: although it is interesting to see different places, quite a lot of the time what you actually see are lobbies, conference rooms and airports. I was thinking that I haven't been doing so much travel lately as I used to, but upon reflection I am probably doing as much, or more. It just blends in.
Something that has really been frosting me lately is paying for internet connectivity at my hotel. Paying for connectivity at all is irritating, frankly. I know I pay for it at home and in the office, but when I'm out in the wide world, I want to be able to launch into cyberspace. Hotels are expensive enough-- it is simply chintzy to charge an extra $10.95 so that I can check my mail, or go to Westlaw, or goof around for a while reading blogs. Worse are airports that charge: the Buffalo-Niagara airpot does, and I think this sends a terrible message about our region (probably an accurate one, though). In Federal Court, of course, you are held incommunicado, but I see no reason whatsoever for connectivity to be fee based in New York State Supreme.
Worse than that, though, is when hotels charge extra for health club access. The hotel on the campus of the iconic American restaurant's headquarters wanted ten bucks, but worse than that was Paris Las Vegas, which wanted $25 bucks. If I'm going to pay $25 bucks to go to the gym, I want to see the Laker Girls there. Obviously in Vegas they would prefer it if you don't go to the gym, but c'mon. When I unpack, I want to be able to do something to work the pooled blood out of my legs, and I don't think it is at all reasonable to hit me for $25 bucks for the pleasure.
Something that has really been frosting me lately is paying for internet connectivity at my hotel. Paying for connectivity at all is irritating, frankly. I know I pay for it at home and in the office, but when I'm out in the wide world, I want to be able to launch into cyberspace. Hotels are expensive enough-- it is simply chintzy to charge an extra $10.95 so that I can check my mail, or go to Westlaw, or goof around for a while reading blogs. Worse are airports that charge: the Buffalo-Niagara airpot does, and I think this sends a terrible message about our region (probably an accurate one, though). In Federal Court, of course, you are held incommunicado, but I see no reason whatsoever for connectivity to be fee based in New York State Supreme.
Worse than that, though, is when hotels charge extra for health club access. The hotel on the campus of the iconic American restaurant's headquarters wanted ten bucks, but worse than that was Paris Las Vegas, which wanted $25 bucks. If I'm going to pay $25 bucks to go to the gym, I want to see the Laker Girls there. Obviously in Vegas they would prefer it if you don't go to the gym, but c'mon. When I unpack, I want to be able to do something to work the pooled blood out of my legs, and I don't think it is at all reasonable to hit me for $25 bucks for the pleasure.
// posted by Bill @ 5:16 PM 
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