I haven't heard of the connectivity panel in Marriott's till now...I did stay in a Hyatt Place that had one, and it was amazing!

Note the PR machine's posting:
Marriott News
What's Hot? Free WiFi and Marriott's Got It
Five Marriott Brands Blanket the U.S. and Canada with More than 1,500 Free WiFi Hotel Hotspots
CONTACT:
John Wolf
(301) 380-5718
john.wolf@marriott.com
Washington, DC - 24 July 2007 -
Today's fast-paced world demands mobile communications, but never at the expense of value. Five Marriott International (NYSE:MAR) brands including Courtyard, Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn, TownePlace Suites and SpringHill Suites, now offer guests free WiFi hotels in the U.S. and Canada. That's more than 1,500 hotspots, and that's pretty cool.
Having introduced free guest room high-speed and WiFi Internet access three years ago, these five Marriott brands are again responding to guests' needs, eliminating WiFi charges for guests in lobbies and other public areas.
In fact, in the Costa Mesa CA Marriott, there's no in room wi-fi, which I can live with, as there's hardwired ethernet, but at $12.95/day. For a serious Marriott customer (Platinum), there's a cognitive disconnect at the advertizing (free) v. $12.95 for daily internet. In addition most business users are not in their rooms all day, and use their internet only sparingly (1 hr?) in their off hours, after spending all day, a business lunch and/or dinner, out of the room. C'mon Bill, compete with Hilton, or I'm gone.

As a pilot who stays on the road quite a bit, let me just say this, regarding your incomprehensible decision to charge the unbelievable fee of $10.00/night for internet service.... I AM DONE!
No more. Sorry, there are just TOO MANY competitors who are just as good or better than Marriott. My employer will not pay for this ridiculous charge and I cannot justify paying it myself either, for the privilige of checking my email.
As a side note, please be aware that MANY in the pilot community feel this way. It is ricdiculous.
Finally, I recently stayed at your Dulles Airport Marriott Suites location. While the rooms were nice, there was, of course a fee of $10.00 for the internet. Better yet, or worse still, there WAS NO BUSINESS CENTER because as a desk clerk explained, Kinko's is next door. You're kidding, right? I'm staying at your hotel and I need to walk next door to Kinko's to use a computer and printer? Like I said, I'm DONE!

I stay in hotels over 200 nights a week, and understand that internet can be expensive over a period of time, but my work needs to be done in a precise manner this means that my speed security and ability to make long distance phone calls are most important, after staying almost all hotel chains , I have to say that i don,t mind paying for a quality comnection recently I stayed at the Doral Resort in miami and I was experiencing connections up to 4.5 mbps per second I don,t mind paying for that and getting free phone calls included. I wouldn't mind free but I prefer to pay for a quality service.
A Paltinum Member

I'm staying at a hotel that has the new HDTV. (Tarrytown NY)
I am not impressed. The USB cable is not connected to anything, so attaching the ZUNE is pointless, the HDMI port can not display the content from my XBOX 360 elite, it simply display invalid format'. The component ports on the side and back of the TV are disabled and there are no component ports on the panel. The input button on the front of the TV does not let you select the source so if you do have a game and your laptop connected, you must disconnect one to get the TV to switch.
When I am playing XBOX over standard definition composite port, the audio from the TV comes on any time the audio on the game is silent for 15 seconds.
I don't understand why you would advertise connecting a game, or MP3 player, when clearly no one has tested the functionality of the system.

Bill,
I love the new beds so much that I'm disappointed when I get a Marriott that hasn't upgraded (hasn't happened much recently). Two suggestions from me. First, I'm on the free internet crusade at the Marriott brand hotels. I would stay at them more often if I didn't have to justify the internet expense on my expense reports. Secondly, more power plugs that are easily accessable near the bed. I carry a CPAP machine with me (like 10 million other travelers) and I hate having to pull out the bed to find a buried outlet.
Thanks, Mark

I am writing to you from a Courtyard in Jacksonville, Florida. As a Marriott timeshare owner and frequent user of Marriott hotels, I am concerned about the humidity in the rooms. I bring a temperature/humidity gage with me in my travels because of a mold allergy. The gage right now is reading 90% humidity, close to raining in the room. Why are the motel air conditioning units not removing humidity? I have noticed this in all of my stays in Marriott's. This level today is the worst. Internet access is great but healthy air is more important.

Dear Mr. Marriott, I truely enjoyed & benefited alot from your blog, it is a useful tool to stay connected to the wonderful Marriott world, as usual Marriott is always on top of technology.

I am a lifetime gold member and owner of 5 Marriott Timeshares. In today's world, I would think more and more people traveling on pleasure take their computer with them. To charge $10.00 a day, (that's $300.00 a month) for internet access is a little over the top. I only pay $24 a month for internet service at home. Also, you if you want to be on the leading edge of Service, then you should not charge at all for internet access. Many of you brands do not, so why not make it free across all brands. Thanks for listening

I really think free internet access is a standard feature that business people have grown to expect from a hotel. When the organizer of my next conference told me the venue is a Marriott, I winced because I knew I will have to explain to my boss the reason for expensing an daily amount that is enough to pay for a full month's broadband internet in my home country.
Bill, please, listen to your customers...if not at least think about why this question (why no free internet) even came up to you on the CEO Exchange!!!

I think it is inevitable that free internet is here. In line with other hotel elite programs, Marriott should seriously consider offering free internet access in its full service Marriott facilities. I am a Platinum Premier customer of Marriott and has lately been switching to Hilton due to the fact that Hilton is offering free internet access to its premier customers. I urge that Marriott is seriously matching Hilton. I have been a loyal customer of Marriott for years and I think Marriott can step up to at least match what other chains do. After all, internet cost is minimal to the hotel and in this day and age free internet is considered a standard amenity. Come on Mr. Marriott, take a look at your competitions.

This past weekend, I stayed at what appeared to be a brand new Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in the still-under-construction Newport News (VA) City Center. Our room was beautifully appointed, including a nice flat-panel HDTV. Unfortunately, it was being fed a crappy analog signal that wasn't even stereo, much less 5.1 surround sound. The TV was also configured to stretch everything to 16:9, no matter what the actual aspect ratio of the source was.
I was able to find my way into the setup menu of the TV to reset the aspect ratio to use the original aspect ratio of the program , but when I turned it on again, it had reverted back to 16:9. Most guests would not even know there was anything wrong. They would think they were seeing an HDTV signal, and not be impressed.
Surely the Marriott corporation has the resources to mount an antenna on the roof to get a digital signal over the coax cable into every guest room. It shouldn't take 2 or 3 years to accomplish.
I would also like to add my vote against charging for Internet access. The night before my stay at the Marriott, I was at a Ramada. They had no bar, no garage, scratchy sheets, and many other drawbacks, but they did have free WiFi. It is really shameful to squeeze your guests for the equivalent of $300 a month to check their email a few minutes a day.

Bill,
Congratulations for what Marriott has achieved, positioning itself as the best hotel chain for executives! I extensively stay at Marriott international hotels and would really appreciate if High Speed Internet Access becomes an standard feature through out all of them, specially in Central and South America.
Thanks,
Otto

I have read this blog with great interest. I am a Platinum as well as a time share owner. I have been staying for years at Marriotts. I laud your efforts to Blog and listen to your customers and I hope some of the suggestions will find a home at Marriott. I have two comments (actually I have many more but two will suffice for today) regarding the internet connectivity and the new beds.
First, with the rates being paid and the taxes-tariffs-surcharges in each city on hotels, airline tickets, cars and so on I believe that all brands and hotels in the Marriott fold should have no-charge connectivity be it Wi-Fi or hard wire.
Second, not everyone likes to sleep in marshmellowly comfort and softness. I for one like a firm bed/mattress and find it a chore and distraction to get a bed board of plywood to firm things up. Perhaps it would help to have several rooms dedicated to Sleep Number type beds. I have one at home (not sleep number brand but like it) and it is WONDERFUL!!!!! Give those of us who don't like to sink into softness a chance! Thanks for listening.

Do you have ready an emergency solution in south Florida and Lousiana hotels in the event a hurricane cuts communications (Internet Access, Phone, Reservation System)?

Dear Bill, I just want to congratulate the oustanding dedication of Rosa ******
Assistant General Manager from Courtyard by Marriott JFK.
Prior to my arrival she provided several very usefull information by emails in her day off! Employees like Roosa are the ones that makes us go back to your hotels!
You are very lucky to have Rosa!
best regards,Paola

Hello,
I found this blog entry while I was searching for Marriott's stated intent about internet access at your hotels. Why/Where/Importance/etc. I think it answers my question and I applaud your intent. But I have to say, it does not match what I've experienced at some properties. While the staff have been very eager to help, it's not their area of expertise and the outsourced provider for access generally proves to be a dismal failure at resolving real problems. For example, currently I'm at a hotel where I and some other guests have not had good access for over 5 days while the provider fails to do more than say they are monitoring for a problem. Each day's call is treated as a brand new problem instead of a continuation of the same issues. It is clear that individual guests are not given much priority. I have been left with the impression that individual guests dealing with a vendor is inadequate. I would like to see Marriott take a more active role in such matters. No voice has more clout than the one paying the bills.
Thank you,
Dave

I recently stayed at your Boca Raton, Fl property and after paying over $300/night I was shocked to have to pay for internet access. I will not stay at a Marriott that charges for internet access again when on business when most of your competition does not. At these rates this is shameful practice. Platinum member/owner

i am currently undertaking a strategic management assignment in my final year at UNI in England. I have decided to analyse your company's strategies and am finding it very interesting. However, i can't seem to find one particular mission statement for Maiott int. as a whole, could you provide me with one?i would be very grateful. Thanks.

This blog is very good! Congratulations

DNP
Happy birthday. I am currently at the Buying & Selling eContent conference in your Camelback Inn property. I apreciate Internet access in my room, but would truly love to have wireless access in other parts of the hotel complex. We'll be talking about blogs, podcasts, wikis and other technologies during the next two days. Do drop by!

The tide of competition, growing selections available to travelers, and the ease of technology insertion make charging for internet service in hotels rooms and in conference centers passé. Your competitors no longer do this. Charging for what is now considered a required part of a room's service suite now has questioanble acceptablity to the people that pay the travelers' expense reports. This charge is fast becoming a major item of contention. Indeed at a recent conference at a competitor of yours, they wanted $75 per person to connect to the internet wirelessly, when one can buy a good wireless router for $100. Needless to say, the multibillion dollar customer did not buy the service. Marriott should lead the market here, and advertise it to draw more conferences. I bet the sales there would offset the revenue loss. Just my 2 cents- Platinum Premier Elite and Platinum For Life.

I really prefer wireless access.
I wasn't able to figure out where to post this and it has nothing to do with technology but I wanted to let you know that YOUR BEDS ARE FABULOUS! My co-workers and I frequently discuss accomodations and when I mentioned how much I enjoy sleeping in your hotel (I happen to be in Fort Collins CO now) the response was YES that's the one place I sometimes oversleep! Thank you. You should really market the mattress and bedding.

I am a Marriott Platinum member who sometimes stays at other chains - it amazes me that Marriott does not have free Wi-Fi. Please add this feature soon!

I don't get to spend much time in your full service properties, but you have given me another reason to go see my son in San Francisco for a weekend! (He can visit me and plug in his iPod.)