I Chose My Hotel For Free WiFi and Amenities

(MoneyWatch)  I went on a mini-vacation recently, mostly to visit family and write, and stayed at one of my favorite places -- the Comfort Suites in downtown Visalia, Calif. Because it's in a agricultural/agribusiness area, the clientele always seems evenly split between business and pleasure.

Aside from the free continental breakfast with waffles and breakfast burritos, they also have free wireless Internet access. Previously we have written about how high-end hotels are less likely to offer such amenities, while budget or midrange lodgings often advertise their free service. (While some may think paying $80 a night is budget, at least in the San Joaquin Valley it's enough to expect a nice, up-to-date room.) The password was printed on my receipt and it was so painless to log on, that I almost thought there was a catch.

The hotel has a parking garage with security, it's within walking distance to restaurants, nightspots and even the local multiplex. The staff was informative but never hovered, always pleasant but also sentient. My experience there for the last three years has been so consistently good I would never stay anywhere else. (It seems that Choice Hotels, parent company of Comfort Suites, Comfort Inn and Econo Lodge, is taking customer service seriously by investing in analytical software.)

So, why can't people have that kind of experience everywhere they go? Supposedly hotel trend gurus are projecting that in 2010 guests want better service rather than more service. It sounds like marketing gobbledygook, but it's supposed to mean that for a struggling hotel manager, an extension of happy hours or a manager's wine reception would go a long way for goodwill. Also, bringing in local (read cheap and/or free) experts, artists or chefs for guest demonstrations can help get your name out to the community. And at the end, it's all basically about concentrating on the simple elegance of the hotel experience rather than dropping loads of money (that means 300-count sheets and cheaper, local wines are OK, but designer brands are unnecessary.)

That being said, why not throw in free WiFi?