A real wireless rip-off at the Rio
Wow! Count on a hotel in Las Vegas to find a new way to rip off its guests.
I paid for 24-hour Internet access upstairs in my room at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino Las Vegas with LodgeNet, but when I went downstairs to the convention center and tried to log into LodgeNet, it didn’t work. It requires a separate log-in — and, you guessed it! — a separate charge!
Why?
“We do it that way because that’s the way we do it,” said Charles Willis, who said he was the manager on duty.
Now there’s customer service for you.
Then, he added, “That’s wireless and upstairs is wired. Wireless is handled by the business center.”
Since I can’t be in two places at once (and thus can’t be using the two at once), there’s only one word for this: “Ripoff.” Pure and simple.
Solution? No access in the conference center — just pay for it and use it in my room. Since it’s almost a 20-minute walk from the conference center to my room, that’s a pretty unacceptable solution.
But it’s far less acceptable to pay the Rio twice for something I’m only using once.
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Comments
5 Responses to “A real wireless rip-off at the Rio”
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I am agreeing in concept but I see their point. If it takes you 20 minutes to walk they are obviously far apart. The center is receiving revenue from the conventioneers and likely has a different provider for wireless. The management of the center is likely under a different contract and the management has the right to the revenue.
Does the lodgenet agreement say Wireless for the entire property or just the room?
I hear you and see what you are saying but I am not thinking this is such a huge rip off.
Hotels routinely do this anymore, although I think more are now providing free wireless in the lobby/restaurant/bar area. However, I’ve stayed at hotels in the DC area where I paid for a connection in my room and couldn’t log on from anywhere else in the hotel.
The amusing sidelight to all of this, that most fancy hotels seem to charge for internet access, upwards of 10.00 a day, sometimes way upwards…
But the cheap places, the Super 8’s and Days Inns etc that may give you nothing else in the way of amenities, will give you free internet.
@Janice, I have noted the same thing. When you are paying $200 and up per night, it seems like the internet could be included, no?
Fairmont gives free internet (both in-room and WiFi in lobby areas) if you join their Presidents’ Club, so I have been booking with them as much as possible.
Why is this a surprise? Full service hotels are perpetually finding ways to extract money from the customer.