IanForbes Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 I've stayed at a number of medium priced hotels (1000 baht/night) in Bangkok and other cities in Thailand and very few if any offer free wi fi for the internet. I would think in a competitive market where there are almost as many hotels as tourists that free wi fi would be an attractor. I once had a fancy time share in Jomptien and it was the same thing... no internet. I've stayed at the Great Residence and the Queens Garden in Bangkok and neither offered internet sevice. In this modern world that is surprising. In the USA you can ge free wi fi at most any MacDonalds cafe. Is it the same Thai system where when tourism drops, the common marketing ploy is to INCREASE prices? Right now I'm sitting in the Hong Kong airport and it has free internet everywhere... including free wi fi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tw25rw Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Just a bit behind the times. Quite a few do offer it though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
citizen33 Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 (edited) Tai Pan is one medium priced hotel that does - a bit more than the ones you mention though. Edited March 29, 2012 by citizen33 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendix Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Some offer it. Some don't. Is that any different from any major city. I regularly stay in hotels in London, Beijiing, Shanghai, Singapore, Jakarta and Tokyo. Again, some offer it and some don't. If it's a concern, look on the hotel website. If it doesnt offer it, choose one that does. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swiss1960 Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Within Europe, many hotels charge you for Internet usage... lately at a conference in London in an expensive Business hotel, they charged £10 / day for Internet usage... in December in Jomtien Beach Penthouse, free Wifi Internet usage with high connectivity... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inthepink Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 (edited) Many in Bangkok do offer free access. The exceptions, in my experience, seem to be those hotels at the more expensive end of the market, such as the Four Seasons, which charge a fairly ridiculous rate for WiFi access. Edited March 29, 2012 by inthepink 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David48 Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 I F ... I must agree ... free Wi-Fi is a pre-requisite for me when choosing a Hotel in Bangkok. I don't need lot's of data download, but I need long time connectivity ... and it’s the hours of connection, not the downloads that you pay for. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewlyMintedThai Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Agreed. I will not stay in a hotel that does not offer free internet. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taninthai Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 I've stayed at a number of medium priced hotels (1000 baht/night) in Bangkok and other cities in Thailand and very few if any offer free wi fi for the internet. I would think in a competitive market where there are almost as many hotels as tourists that free wi fi would be an attractor. I once had a fancy time share in Jomptien and it was the same thing... no internet. I've stayed at the Great Residence and the Queens Garden in Bangkok and neither offered internet sevice. In this modern world that is surprising. In the USA you can ge free wi fi at most any MacDonalds cafe. Is it the same Thai system where when tourism drops, the common marketing ploy is to INCREASE prices? Right now I'm sitting in the Hong Kong airport and it has free internet everywhere... including free wi fi. Why don't you hong kong then next time instead of Thailand. Lol On a serious note alot off hotels only have customers 5-6 months of the year they are not making a fortune therefor need to charge for everything they can simPle really. My misses runs a resort had 1 laptop with one internet connection Internet charges 1 bht a minute customers are always saying why only 1 computer and Internet connection , well the dongle cost us 7500 bht then 900 bht a month then we have 2 iPhones which is another 1600 bht a month for Internet so we are spending over 2500 a month for Internet this is why it isn't frer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4evermaat Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Some offer it. Some don't. Is that any different from any major city. I regularly stay in hotels in London, Beijiing, Shanghai, Singapore, Jakarta and Tokyo. Again, some offer it and some don't. If it's a concern, look on the hotel website. If it doesnt offer it, choose one that does. Right. It all depends. USA not all the airports /hotels offer free internet. the Hilton chain often times charged $10-15/day, but if you are a gold/diamond member, then you get 1-2 free upgrades. The ritz carlton barely had free phone service, let alone free internet. But many clients have their aircards / cell phones. Its all relative and it would depend on if there is a comparible place to stay. So many places are unadvertised, like isara city hotel in wong wien yai (near BTS). Ironically, those places fill up quickly, especially on the weekend (560 baht/night for nice room). I still have a 3g aircard service to carry me through for short periods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmarlin Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 (edited) 1000 baht a night is a medium priced hotel according to who? Not in Bangkok and maybe that is the problem with you finding free WiFi. Edited March 29, 2012 by pmarlin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
x5david Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 I've stayed at a number of medium priced hotels (1000 baht/night) in Bangkok and other cities in Thailand and very few if any offer free wi fi for the internet. I would think in a competitive market where there are almost as many hotels as tourists that free wi fi would be an attractor. I once had a fancy time share in Jomptien and it was the same thing... no internet. I've stayed at the Great Residence and the Queens Garden in Bangkok and neither offered internet sevice. In this modern world that is surprising. In the USA you can ge free wi fi at most any MacDonalds cafe. Is it the same Thai system where when tourism drops, the common marketing ploy is to INCREASE prices? Right now I'm sitting in the Hong Kong airport and it has free internet everywhere... including free wi fi. Why don't you hong kong then next time instead of Thailand. Lol On a serious note alot off hotels only have customers 5-6 months of the year they are not making a fortune therefor need to charge for everything they can simPle really. My misses runs a resort had 1 laptop with one internet connection Internet charges 1 bht a minute customers are always saying why only 1 computer and Internet connection , well the dongle cost us 7500 bht then 900 bht a month then we have 2 iPhones which is another 1600 bht a month for Internet so we are spending over 2500 a month for Internet this is why it isn't frer Sounds like you need to complain to the great overpriced ISP's here in Thailand then... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taninthai Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 I've stayed at a number of medium priced hotels (1000 baht/night) in Bangkok and other cities in Thailand and very few if any offer free wi fi for the internet. I would think in a competitive market where there are almost as many hotels as tourists that free wi fi would be an attractor. I once had a fancy time share in Jomptien and it was the same thing... no internet. I've stayed at the Great Residence and the Queens Garden in Bangkok and neither offered internet sevice. In this modern world that is surprising. In the USA you can ge free wi fi at most any MacDonalds cafe. Is it the same Thai system where when tourism drops, the common marketing ploy is to INCREASE prices? Right now I'm sitting in the Hong Kong airport and it has free internet everywhere... including free wi fi. Why don't you hong kong then next time instead of Thailand. Lol On a serious note alot off hotels only have customers 5-6 months of the year they are not making a fortune therefor need to charge for everything they can simPle really. My misses runs a resort had 1 laptop with one internet connection Internet charges 1 bht a minute customers are always saying why only 1 computer and Internet connection , well the dongle cost us 7500 bht then 900 bht a month then we have 2 iPhones which is another 1600 bht a month for Internet so we are spending over 2500 a month for Internet this is why it isn't frer Sounds like you need to complain to the great overpriced ISP's here in Thailand then... I don't like to complain and compare it to the west tit and I accept it and love it for how it is P.s the power pack needed replacing on the laptop this week so that's another 2000 spent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inthepink Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 (edited) 1000 baht a night is a medium priced hotel according to who? Not in Bangkok and maybe that is the problem with you finding free WiFi. Spending more money is no guarantee but I think you are right in as much as 1,000 baht a night is at the lower end of the market rather than in the middle (when looking at the range average). Edited March 29, 2012 by inthepink Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PattayaParent Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 (edited) They charge for wifi so they can make more money. Those places that "don't" charge for it have just added it into the price already which is why they're more expensive. It's like the rooms with 'free' breakfast that you can get cheaper if you exclude breakfast. Edited March 29, 2012 by PattayaParent 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisinth Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Truthfully, it is laziness on the hotel owners in this day and age. As has been mentioned, the majority of the higher level hotels charge a very expensive fee for internet and again in this era, very hard to justify. With the availability of wireless routers and access points readily available, there should be no excuse not to provide free wi-fi. There is practically no networking to be done. If the hotel is using the internet connection for business, then providing a service will cost them bandwidth restriction only on their connection. If it becomes too much, get another line! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew55 Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 (edited) They charge for wifi so they can make more money. I think you're onto something PP. Edited March 29, 2012 by andrew55 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisinth Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 I've stayed at a number of medium priced hotels (1000 baht/night) in Bangkok and other cities in Thailand and very few if any offer free wi fi for the internet. I would think in a competitive market where there are almost as many hotels as tourists that free wi fi would be an attractor. I once had a fancy time share in Jomptien and it was the same thing... no internet. I've stayed at the Great Residence and the Queens Garden in Bangkok and neither offered internet sevice. In this modern world that is surprising. In the USA you can ge free wi fi at most any MacDonalds cafe. Is it the same Thai system where when tourism drops, the common marketing ploy is to INCREASE prices? Right now I'm sitting in the Hong Kong airport and it has free internet everywhere... including free wi fi. Why don't you hong kong then next time instead of Thailand. Lol On a serious note alot off hotels only have customers 5-6 months of the year they are not making a fortune therefor need to charge for everything they can simPle really. My misses runs a resort had 1 laptop with one internet connection Internet charges 1 bht a minute customers are always saying why only 1 computer and Internet connection , well the dongle cost us 7500 bht then 900 bht a month then we have 2 iPhones which is another 1600 bht a month for Internet so we are spending over 2500 a month for Internet this is why it isn't frer Sounds like you need to complain to the great overpriced ISP's here in Thailand then... The dongle works off the mobile networks and depending on the area you are, maybe the better internet packages aren't available. That said, if it is a decent connection, you can make this wi-fi also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilgore Trout Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 I've stayed at a number of medium priced hotels (1000 baht/night) in Bangkok and other cities in Thailand and very few if any offer free wi fi for the internet. I would think in a competitive market where there are almost as many hotels as tourists that free wi fi would be an attractor. I once had a fancy time share in Jomptien and it was the same thing... no internet. I've stayed at the Great Residence and the Queens Garden in Bangkok and neither offered internet sevice. In this modern world that is surprising. In the USA you can ge free wi fi at most any MacDonalds cafe. Is it the same Thai system where when tourism drops, the common marketing ploy is to INCREASE prices? Right now I'm sitting in the Hong Kong airport and it has free internet everywhere... including free wi fi. Why don't you hong kong then next time instead of Thailand. Lol On a serious note alot off hotels only have customers 5-6 months of the year they are not making a fortune therefor need to charge for everything they can simPle really. My misses runs a resort had 1 laptop with one internet connection Internet charges 1 bht a minute customers are always saying why only 1 computer and Internet connection , well the dongle cost us 7500 bht then 900 bht a month then we have 2 iPhones which is another 1600 bht a month for Internet so we are spending over 2500 a month for Internet this is why it isn't frer Sounds like your trying to justify paying for your own personal usage by charging guests. Your costs seem the same as mine and I live alone in a condo. Maybe I should charge my friends 1 baht per minute to connect when they come over Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rionoir Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 (edited) Who doesn't have a phone that they can use to connect their iPad/Laptop to the internet? Talk about being behind the times... Not to mention 3G is typically faster than the wifi anyway! Edited March 29, 2012 by Rionoir Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thaikahuna Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Bourbon Street Bangkok offers free WiFi....Soi 63 (Ekkamai). I have seen higher end places in Jomtien, which will trmain nameless to protect the guilty, chage customer 500THB PER DAY for the privelige. If I must pay, I'll go to an internet cafe before I'll pay that much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurentbkk Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 I travel for my work almost 5 months per year ... every hotels I have stayed usually dont have free WI FI .. either you pay for it or you have it free in the lobby ..some places such as Dubai , Moscow and many other cities dont have free wi fi or very little ... I only choose hotel with WIFI ... if I can it free otherwise I pay for it ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisinth Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 (edited) I've stayed at a number of medium priced hotels (1000 baht/night) in Bangkok and other cities in Thailand and very few if any offer free wi fi for the internet. I would think in a competitive market where there are almost as many hotels as tourists that free wi fi would be an attractor. I once had a fancy time share in Jomptien and it was the same thing... no internet. I've stayed at the Great Residence and the Queens Garden in Bangkok and neither offered internet sevice. In this modern world that is surprising. In the USA you can ge free wi fi at most any MacDonalds cafe. Is it the same Thai system where when tourism drops, the common marketing ploy is to INCREASE prices? Right now I'm sitting in the Hong Kong airport and it has free internet everywhere... including free wi fi. Why don't you hong kong then next time instead of Thailand. Lol On a serious note alot off hotels only have customers 5-6 months of the year they are not making a fortune therefor need to charge for everything they can simPle really. My misses runs a resort had 1 laptop with one internet connection Internet charges 1 bht a minute customers are always saying why only 1 computer and Internet connection , well the dongle cost us 7500 bht then 900 bht a month then we have 2 iPhones which is another 1600 bht a month for Internet so we are spending over 2500 a month for Internet this is why it isn't frer Sounds like your trying to justify paying for your own personal usage by charging guests. Your costs seem the same as mine and I live alone in a condo. Maybe I should charge my friends 1 baht per minute to connect when they come over Sounds a bit close to true the first bit. And you don't charge your friends? Maybe thats why you have more friends than me................. Edited March 29, 2012 by chrisinth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smileplur Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 I find the US the worst for this. There always seems to be a charge when I go back for an annual visit. Free wifi isn't a common thing in Honolulu which is a major tourist destination; although, it is definitely aimed at the higher end of the market. Here in Thailand, I virtually always have free wifi in a lower price range that you are paying. If there connection is poor in the room itself, it is often quite strong in the restaurant/lobby areas. I have never had to pay for it in Thailand unlike the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewlyMintedThai Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 I find the US the worst for this. There always seems to be a charge when I go back for an annual visit. Free wifi isn't a common thing in Honolulu which is a major tourist destination; although, it is definitely aimed at the higher end of the market. Almost all the mid-range chains offer free wifi in the US now. The Hamptons, Homewood Suites, Holiday Inn Expresses, and the like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendix Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Truthfully, it is laziness on the hotel owners in this day and age. As has been mentioned, the majority of the higher level hotels charge a very expensive fee for internet and again in this era, very hard to justify. With the availability of wireless routers and access points readily available, there should be no excuse not to provide free wi-fi. There is practically no networking to be done. If the hotel is using the internet connection for business, then providing a service will cost them bandwidth restriction only on their connection. If it becomes too much, get another line! I dont understand how it is laziness. It is the freemarket. To argue that it is unjustifiable for large hotels to charge for it is nonsense - they charge for it because there are enough people willing to pay for it. If there weren't it wouldnt exist. It's self-evident. It doesn't matter how much it costs the hotel to provide it - that's a bogus argument. It costs next to nothing for Apple to make an iPhone, but they are able to command $600 for each unit because . . . . . wait for it . . . there are enough people out there willing to pay that much for it. As with iPhones, so with hotels and free wifi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daiwill60 Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Taksila Hotel Mahasarakham . free wifi in rooms at all room standards , bloody whingeing Yanks, expecting everything in the world to be same standard as at home, stop spending all your Govt funds on trying to govern the world and help it instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thaibeachlovers Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 If you go on a travel forum, posters are always asking for hotels with free wifi, so I guess the cheaper hotels are the ones offering the service. I stayed at a 297 bht a night place in Chiang Mai that had free wifi- bit slow, but OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h90 Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 1000 baht a night is a medium priced hotel according to who? Not in Bangkok and maybe that is the problem with you finding free WiFi. Last time I checked the Hotels were all super cheap in BKK. Riots and floods are keeping the prices down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brit1984 Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 As other posters have alluded to, it is a matter of economics. Free wi-fi is just one of many items that each hotel has to decide between offering as standard (and hence adjusting their standard room rates accordingly) or offering as at extra cost to be borne by any guests who want it (and therefore offering a lower standard room rate). Although there are some notable exceptions, the hotels that charge extra for Internet are usually budget hotels (1000 THB/night in Bangkok certainly fits into this category). Such hotels are fighting to keep their standard room rates down so they can appear as close to the top as possible in booking websites (like Agoda) when potential customers sort by lowest price first. I hope this answers the question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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