Marriott, Ritz-Carlton hotels to offer free wireless Internet

All members of Marriott Rewards and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards loyalty schemes will enjoy free in-room wireless Internet access at over 3,800 hotels from January 15 next year.

The deal extends right down to the programs’ entry-level tiers and even guests who sign up to either program during their stay.

But there's a catch: free Wi-Fi is yours only if your visit was booked directly with the hotel group, rather than through a travel agency or hotel booking mega-sites such as Expedia.

The free wi-fi deal is only for each hotel's 'standard' low-speed package, which should be sufficient for basic Web browsing, email and social media, although Gold and Platinum Elite members will enjoy faster access that’s suitable “for downloading large files faster or streaming movies”, Marriott says.

The free connection won’t just be available at the chain’s top-tier hotels, such as The Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott, and Marriott Hotels, but also at other brands across its portfolio.

Included on that list are Autograph Collection Hotels, Renaissance Hotels, Gaylord Hotels, AC Hotels by Marriott and Marriott Executive Apartments.

There are however a number of hotels which don't participate in the program – among them The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore, Hotel Ritz-London and the entire Protea chain.

Marriott’s other brands including Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites, Fairfield Inn & Suites, TownePlace Suites, Courtyard, Marriott Vacation Club, Edition and Moxy Hotels already provide free in-room internet to all hotel guests.

Click through to marriott.com for more details.

Marriott recently came under fire for jamming its guests’ Wi-Fi devices that convert 3G or even 4G mobile data into a personal wireless hotspot, allowing travellers to side-step the fees of using in-house Internet.

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Chris C.

Chris is a a former contributor to Executive Traveller.