Having travelled exensively around the globe, I have never found anywhere where hotels offer such poor value for money as the UK. One thing that particularly annoys me is a charge for guests to access the internet.
I was annoyed enough when I was staying in the Dundee Hilton at £110 a night, and being charged another £10 for internet access. But here in the Coorwne Plaza in Birmingham I am paying £130 a night, yet being chraged another £15,99 for internet access.
Complete rip-off. I would certainly never advise anybody to visit the UK on holiday.
Derek,
Re: FON etc. – bloody hell, BT are doing something sensible? Thanks for the info! It’s daft that in built-up areas there are many times more wireless signals than are needed; it’s wasteful, and there could be health risks.
David,
I don’t think it morally wrong to use a bit of bandwidth, but it is against the law, as you say.
I don’t want people getting wrong ideas about Linux. It’s bad enough that the term ‘Hacking’, which once described programming, has been hijacked to mean achieving unauthorised access. Linux isn’t about getting something for nothing, it’s about a community of programmers and users sharing their knowledge to create a system that is superior to that offered by commercial concerns. Big Business is only too eager to discredit this endeavour, just as the Mainstream Media are eager to discredit the blogsphere and independent news sources. It must never be admitted that people can do something for themselves, or the centralised control might start looking redundant.
In my more paranoid moments I speculate that the virus-prone nature of certain commercial operating systems may be semi-deliberate; the Powers That Be like us to regard the uncensorable Internet as a Dangerous Place, to scare us back to the ‘safe’ voice of the Mainstream Media.
The thing i find most heartening about this blog entry of Craigs is that not too far into the distant past I remember when Craig was really skint. Now he can afford to stay in expensive hotels.
Despite the best efforts of the establishment and the system to keep him down they have obviously failed.
Its like the old saying…. ” You cant keep a good man down”
Worse stay – 1 night at an easyhotel. 5 pounds, non-returnable to hire a remote control in order to watch the television, the ‘free internet’ broken.
“Non-returnable, so I am *buying* this remote control? It’s mine?”
“No…”
Well spotted Wendy – yes I got the nuclear deal swop on presstv.ir and englishradio.ir two sites I use to cross check facts missing or obscured on main media sites.
Vronsky
I absolutely love your story! Initially I thought you meant you were the only guest, but you mean there weren’t even any members of staff either? That’s just hilarious, I would almost consider going there just to experience something so bizarre.
There are several unsecured wi-fi households on my street. If something has gone really awry with both my broadband providers, I can use these.
It occurred that failing to secure wifi is not actually that silly – just make jolly sure the machine itself is locked down, preferably by using Linux or MacOS.
That way if a question were ever raised about your Internet usage, you can always claim plausible denial. Heck, it wasn’t me who downloaded films, music and sundry dodgy content, and then uploaded a bunch of subversive commie propaganda – that must have been done by the swine who’s been stealing my bandwidth. Throw the book at them when you’ve caught the culprit, officer!
Mate. next time stay at my place..3 mins from the train station and 30 mins to Birmingham City Center, and it’s free !!
@ Rich at May 17, 2010 5:13 PM
Glad to see my perceptions of the ‘customer experience’ has a testimonial. Even though there are strong elements of encouraging rampant consumerism, I’m sure they do have a very good standard in dealing with people – at least on the small scale.
Why can’t that aspect of the US be what the US is known for instead of acting as Israyhells poodle.
Totally agree about UK hotel chains. The motto of the British service industry as a whole should be, “Non serviam!” to reflect its policy towards customers in general.
If it’s any consolation, it’s just as bad in Germany.
I agree … for half the price I can get twice the service in Paris.