Just heard an interesting rumor
The big elephant in the room in the hotel industry is American Express and their Fine Hotels & Resorts amenity program. I have learned that the 2015 Amex Platinum contract, to be made public on September 1st, will add free internet as a standard amenity for every FHR booking.
This will start the dominoes falling, and the same will happen for Virtuoso and Signature hotels sooner rather than later. It will certainly become something for which every TA should negotiate and expect to prevail!
[Editorial comment: I assume everyone agrees it's well past time for luxury hotels to build the cost of internet into their room rates.]
Some luxury chains have already begun providing free internet for all guests (Peninsula, Shangri-La), others for members of their frequent guest plans (Mandarin Oriental, Fairmont), while still others do provide free internet as a Preferred Partner amenity (many FS, for example).
And as if these are not enough rumors, I am told that one major luxury chain has already decided to provide free internet as an added perk for any booking made by one of their preferred partner agencies on top of any Virtuoso, Signature, or other amenities.
The big elephant in the room in the hotel industry is American Express and their Fine Hotels & Resorts amenity program. I have learned that the 2015 Amex Platinum contract, to be made public on September 1st, will add free internet as a standard amenity for every FHR booking.
This will start the dominoes falling, and the same will happen for Virtuoso and Signature hotels sooner rather than later. It will certainly become something for which every TA should negotiate and expect to prevail!
[Editorial comment: I assume everyone agrees it's well past time for luxury hotels to build the cost of internet into their room rates.]
Some luxury chains have already begun providing free internet for all guests (Peninsula, Shangri-La), others for members of their frequent guest plans (Mandarin Oriental, Fairmont), while still others do provide free internet as a Preferred Partner amenity (many FS, for example).
And as if these are not enough rumors, I am told that one major luxury chain has already decided to provide free internet as an added perk for any booking made by one of their preferred partner agencies on top of any Virtuoso, Signature, or other amenities.