GOOD QUESTION FROM QUORA DIGEST – go to… quora.com

I am staying at a nice hotel in a major western city that wants to charge me $25 a day for WiFi! What should my reaction to management be? Is there a way to approach this so they provide it to me for free?

[Suggested answer below by Maxwell Arnold: “I’ve stayed in them all; you name it, from hostels to five-star luxury palaces,

Go down to the front desk. It helps if a manager happens to be there at that time (though it’s not required). Ask them the following questions, in order…

(The polite start) “Hi, I tried to connect to the Wi-Fi… but it’s asking me to pay $25… but that doesn’t make any sense… I’m already paying $_X__ per night, is there any way you can waive that?

(If they say “no, it’s policy” or some BS like that, it’s time to make a jab) “Oh, no problem. Is there a Starbucks nearby. I’m going to go there to use the Wi-Fi so I can book a room at another hotel… and when I come back, you can cancel the rest of my stay here at the front desk, right?”

(This should make them all “oh, no, please don’t leave us!”… if it doesn’t get it done, it’s time to show you weren’t bluffing). “Okay, no problem. I’ll be back in 20 minutes… actually, make that 30 – I’ll need a little longer to write a negative review about this hotel online. You’ll need my ID and credit card to process the cancellation, right?”