I was pleasantly surprised yesterday when I checked into my hotel here in Columbus.  They offer broadband Internet access.  At $10.00 per 24-hour period, I wouldn’t want to spend too many days here, but this is going to be very useful for three nights.  Now rather than paying $10.00 for an in-room movie, I can get some work done.  DSL Reports tells me I have 1,475 Kbps up and down.  That’s better than what I get at home with my cable modem, and better than what I usually get at work, having to share a T1 line with the rest of the office.  The service is offered through Guest-Tek, which offers the service in many hotels in the U.S. and Canada.

This type of service is becoming more common, with new hotels being wired for broadband access.  Some older hotels are offering wireless 802.11b connections.  I understand that some hotels are even offering the service as a “free” incentive.  I just might start liking travel with this laptop.