Comments on: By grace of Starbucks

By: Sam

Sam — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 19:40:59 +0000

Starbucks, McDonalds and other free internet places are a lifesaver for people like me who rely on being online while on travel with work duties. There should be more wifi hotspots in the UK.

By: Pandarooms.com

Pandarooms.com — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:17:29 +0000

If you are looking for a place to stay in London please try pandarooms.com

By: Doc Searls

Doc Searls — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 16:40:07 +0000

In fact I usually stay at Club Quarters, and will be there on my next trip over. But you’re right that it’s hit-or-miss with the free wi-fi. Speeds in my experience so far have ranged from slow to adequate.

I also carry a Verizon EvDO card, which is very handy. I’m using it now, in fact. But the slow upstream speed minimizes upoading photos, which I like to do.

By: Stowe Boyd

Stowe Boyd — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 15:43:56 +0000

Doc -

When in London, I have been happy with the Club Quarters chain, with free wifi. The have hotels in several US cities, as well. Likewise, the Hoxton Hotel in Shoreditch was equally good. But its very hit or miss.

My solution in the States is to use a Verizon access card, so I can just circumvent the whole thing.

By: unit2a

unit2a — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 16:42:00 +0000

Hi Doc,
I’m a documentary filmmaker, and I always have to travel cheaply. Last November we went to a conference in London and the conference hotel was prohibitively expensive for our wee little budget. At the suggestion of my in-laws via the Portland, Oregon newspaper, we stayed at the clean, fun, small-roomed but rather inexpensive Portobello Gold in Notting Hill. I don’t remember how fast the internet connection was, but it was free. There’s a restaurant/bar downstairs with friendly people; it can get a little noisy, but we didn’t mind. http://www.portobellogold.com/
Tracy

P.S. I am writing you from a Starbucks! Yes, they are expensive but they have saved me so many times over the years. Though I love the groovy, little neighborhood place that offers free internet, sometimes it just doesn’t work out for whatever reason. So far, SB hasn’t failed us yet.

By: Andrew Leyden

Andrew Leyden — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 10:56:15 +0000

Hi Doc,

My two hotels of choice in London right now are the ParkCity, a small boutique hotel in South Kensington (net £6 a night though) and the Hoxton, which is £99 a night (if you can get a room) with free internet. Both are very clean and relatively accessible.

The ParkCity is in a residential neighborhood, and I’ve also had some luck ‘borrowing’ stray signals from time to time while staying there.

Park City: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g186338-d621785-Reviews-Hoxton_Hotel-London_England.html

Hoxton: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g186338-d621785-Reviews-Hoxton_Hotel-London_England.html

FWIW, I stayed at the Radisson SAS in London and had to call an 845 number to get help on my Internet. A 90 second call cost £50!!!. They offered to reduce it to £45 and I said no, paid the bill, and never returned. Three years later I sent over a copy of £10,000 in hotel bills I had in London over the past few years and said ‘your short term greed for a phone bill has lead to this long term loss of £10,000 in business’. Never got a reply.

By: JTH (Chip)

JTH (Chip) — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 18:59:28 +0000

Doc

1) price range … I’ve moved up from no-name fleabag (G) to moderate to high (depending on budget at the time)
2) price range too … See the hotelchatter, Marriott covers a range of offerings, I sometimes use Courtyard. Just depends on where I am.
3) Copley can be pricey – the mall
Use to use the Marriott next to the Aquarium, then, when family moved to Brookline – used one there, walking distance to daughter’s place.

Also of note, seems to Muni-Wifi’s have not been living up to promise

Ciao
Chip

By: Jean-Francois Noel

Jean-Francois Noel — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 18:55:29 +0000

I don’t know if it’s all Hyatt, but I was at the Grand Hyatt in San Francisco this summer and the wifi was provided by T-Mobile. I didn’t had to pay a separate fee for the access, but the coverage was spotty in the underground conference rooms.

By: Doc Searls

Doc Searls — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 18:35:35 +0000

I don’t recall any bad experiences at a Mariott, at least not in recent years. I seem to recall paying for the privilege, though. That policy may have changed. Generally Mariotts are out of my price range. (Which is from cheap to less cheap.)

The Holiday Inn where we stayed a couple weeks ago near St. Louis had a very fast free connection, for what that’s worth.

I’ve tried a number of Caribou Coffees. Their wi-fi, while free, has usually been slow. Same with Panera Bread. In some cases, their wi-fi has been present but not active.

Thanks for the advice on the CharlesMark Copley and hotspotr. I’ll check them both out (or, in the case of the former, send folks there).

By: JTH (Chip)

JTH (Chip) — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 16:47:14 +0000

I seem to recall reasonable service at Marriott’s and some Hilton’s (belong to both “frequent stayer” plans so little other examples of late.

With visits to Chicago (family) I stay at the Palmer House
( a Hilton property ), and it works. Ethernet vs Wifi, but that’s OK for light work with a desk.

Observation : good service is not a “surprise” nor should it be, bad service is what sticks in our craw.

Your post triggered a quick search:
Found
http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2007/4/29/175723/520/hotels/Best_WiFi_Hotels_2007

Ciao
Chip