Who Delivers Free – and FAST Hotel WiFi? You May Be Surprised!

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Last week lifehacker shared an infographic on hotel WiFi speeds versus availability of free WiFi in those chains. (The original study comes from hotelwifitest.com) Fast hotel WiFi seems to be a rarity, especially those charging for that service!

free fast hotel wifi — Hotel WiFi Test checks out the speed of hotel WiFi connections.

Surprisingly, some the chains most likely to offer free WiFi in most of their properties also have the fastest speeds.

I’m not shocked to see the chains I stay with ranking low – I’ve grown accustomed to abysmal WiFi speeds in many hotels.

Frankly, if it’s not included in my room rate or one of my status benefits, I’m no longer likely to pay for hotel WiFi. Instead, I’ll get my work done on the plane (via my Gogo Inflight Wireless monthly subscription) or stop off at a local Starbucks or McDonalds for a more reliable connection. And as far as my in-room needs, I can always use the 4G on my iPad if I need to surf.

Notably, the Sheraton New York Times Square where I stayed last week had a 1.7 Mbps speed – no wonder I found myself reminiscing about dial-up when I tried to connect!

What are your experiences lately with hotel WiFi? Worth it? Or not?

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