Marriott Wi-Fi Jamming Plans Resoundingly Opposed by the Public
Photo Credit: Marriott International has been running into the public's opposition to the hotel chain's desire to jam bring-your-own Wi-Fi devices in its conference rooms. Pictured is the Broadway Ballroom at the New York Marriott Marquis on September 3, 2014. Marriott International
Skift Take
Marriott is claiming that its plans are misunderstood and that it merely seeks permission from the FCC to jam others' Wi-Fi in its conference rooms only. But travelers are telling the FCC that they don't want to be reliant on hotel Wi-Fi in conference rooms and other areas of the hotel.
"To set the record straight it has never been nor will it ever be Marriott's policy to limit our guests' ability to access the Internet by all available means, including through the use of personal Mi-Fi and/or Wi-Fi devices. As a matter of fact, we invite and encourage our guests to use these Internet connectivity devices in our hotels. To be clear, this matter does not involve in any way Wi-Fi access in hotel guestrooms or lobby spaces." [See the full statement at the end of this post.]
To make matters worse for Marriott, the New York Times came out with an editorial January 3, headlined Brazen Attempts by Hotels to Block Wi-Fi, u