We are excited to have Don Dunnington, an expert on online marketing and currently teaching a graduate level online communication course at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ; Don's 'Short Takes on Travel' series will provide insight and commentary on topics relevant to the online travel industry. 

This month's post talks about the pitfalls of charging for wireless Internet connectivity in hotels.

Frommers posted an article by Christopher Elloitt that should be a wakeup call to every upscale hotel brand that thinks it can pad its bottom line at the expense of those who go online from their hotel rooms. In "Wireless Charges That Make You Want to Stay Home"  Elloitt reports how an anticipated $11 a day Internet charge for wireless Internet morphed into $33 because he had used three different devices.

Since he was at a resort, it was likely an extended stay; five nights would have added $165 to his bill, not counting tax. In this age of wifi enabled smartphones, tablets and e-books it's quite easy for a single traveler to have need for multiple connections. Add a family of three or four who all have mobile devices, and the potential for hefty Internet fees grows even higher.

In this age of always-online consumers and business travelers, these are the same travelers who are writing online hotel reviews on travel sites, tweeting their pleasure and displeasure with the places they stay, posting their comments on Facebook, and perhaps even writing their own blogs. Now, why would you want to alienate this demographic with over-the-top Internet fees?

Elloitt points out that it's not the budget properties that are squeezing higher fees out of their wired customers; many of them offer free Internet and wifi access. He reports it's the more upscale and luxury brands that are maximizing their fees. These are the same brands that frequently spend considerable time and resources to maximize their positive image in the online travel community.

Christopher Elloitt, may be an extreme example of today's online consumer. He is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine and the co-founder of the Consumer Travel Alliance, a nonprofit organization that advocates for travelers. In addition to writing article that appear on a wide number of travel sites, he has his own blog. For every travel writer like Elloitt, there are thousands more amateur writers who echoing his sentiments in online forums.

The next time you think about increasing revenue by jacking up your Internet access fees, consider all the Christopher Elloitts out there who have the means to not only find more online-friendly hotels for their own stays; they can influence a lot of others to do the same.

Don Dunnington began his communications career as an account executive at a Washington, DC agency specializing in hotel and restaurant PR and has continued to write and consult for travel organizations. He is currently Director of Internet and Marketing Communication at a leading global manufacturer and teaches a graduate level online communication course at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ. He has recently been focusing on B2B online communication employing multilingual websites and SEO, blogs and social media, apps for Android, iPhone and iPad platforms and eBooks. He earned a B.A. in Sociology from The Ohio State University and M.A. in Public Relations from Rowan University.

www.sabrehospitality.com