If the choice is between a nice hotel that offers free Wi-Fi-hotspot access and a nice hotel that charges for access, which will you choose? Obviously, all things being equal, free wins every time.

But things aren't always equal. A user survey recently found that a majority of hotel customers that have experienced free, but slow or unreliable, Wi-Fi service won't return to that hotel. In fact, 44 percent of travelers blamed the hotel for bad wireless access, not the vendor that is providing the service.


So while free access is being used by hotels such as Marriott Courtyards and restaurants such as Panera to attract customers and keep them loyal, the opposite occurs if venues don't make the investment to do wireless right. The lesson to both hotspot vendors and venue owners is clear: Reliable, fast service is the most important issue for those who access hotspots. Free isn't enough.


The survey also confirms that IT managers should continue to increase their involvement in how users access corporate networks via hotspots. Most IT shops—hopefully—already require use of virtual private networks or other security measures when mobile workers use hotspots.


However, IT managers also should start educating users about hotspot quality and, perhaps, even start keeping lists of acceptable and unacceptable hotspots. After all, frustrated mobile users will call the company help desk when they encounter bad hotspot service, and there is virtually nothing the help desk can do to solve such problems.


The survey also strongly suggests that venue owners that use free hotspots as a marketing tool can't afford to save money by cutting quality. With 3G just starting to ramp up and mobile-wireless broadband still a dim light on the horizon, hotspots are often the best way to stay in touch while mobile employees are out and about. But even free hotspots cost too much for all concerned if they don't work as advertised.