Weinberger is Spoiled

David Weinberger posted on Worthwhile that he is Spoiled. Why? He was at a lovely hotel with all the luxury most people want and all he can do is complain that there is no broadband ;) His conclusion is great:

_First, that I have become a complete brat when it comes to Internet access. Second, that the Hyatt Regency is mistaken if it thinks that because it’s a resort, it doesn’t need to offer broadband in the bedroom; it’s not just for Net geeks any more. Third, that with my particular pathology I can no longer tell the difference between relaxing and being bored._

They all seem to be ringing a bell. It’s hard for me to just sit arround relaxing but also hard to get bored really. As for geeks and broadband though, at least I try to leave stuff like a laptop at home when I go on holiday to relax. That’s time to finally get the reading list down and do some creative thinking.

But one thing about broadband and especially free broadband in Hotels. I recently talked to a friend about it and it did become clear why they don’t offer free or even cheap broadband. It’s all a question of competition. If everybody charges $3 per minute, nobody has a problem. If you then do it for free, you have a competitive advantage … for a week, then everybody also does it free and everybody has a problem.

So there goes the reason for no free broadband in hotels. Still, not having broadband at all is a pain. Even not having WiFi is a nogo already I have to admit, at least in a semi-holiday setting or business trip.