Bytemarks
Hotel room Net access still variable

By Burt Lum

Over the course of 2001, I was lucky enough to get in a fair share of travel. Odd as it sounds, the first thing I do when I get into a hotel is go over the hotel info pamphlet, looking for the best way to satisfy my Internet fixation.

As you might imagine, access to the Internet varies from one hotel to another and from place to place. As a cyber road warrior, my most important Internet application is e-mail. If I don't keep constant pace with e-mail I am sure to have to deal with messages numbering 100 times the number of days gone, upon my return.

An essential element for any road warrior is an account that is accessible in as many locations as possible. I have chosen AOL. Before heading off to points beyond, I check the AOL access number list. The only place I went without an AOL access number was Palau. (Not to mention, the hotel I stayed at, the Sunrise Villa (sunrisevilla-palau.com), had an old PBX phone system that I was warned would fry my modem had I plugged into it.) The best bet in Palau is the Internet cafes.

In Japan it was great. At the Ginza Dai-Ichi Hotel (www.daiichihotels.com/hotel/ginza/), they have a nice write up in the room with instructions to connect directly to the phone. The front desk provides a free phone jack coupler if you need one.

The New Otani Hotel in Tokyo (www.newotani.co.jp/tokyo/en/) was the most sophisticated. They provided a separate unit where you could connect directly with your Ethernet connector and get blazing broadband access. If you forgot your Ethernet connector they also provide, in the room, a USB connector as an alternative.

At Harrahs in Las Vegas (www.harrahs.com), I found no mention of Internet access in any room documentation. After much searching, I did find an auxiliary data port on the phone that worked for dial-up. What a relief! I suppose in Vegas, staying in the room is not what they want you to do. ;-)

Reach Burt Lum at burt@brouhaha.net.