As I prepare for the twice-a-year confusion/ritual known as Daylight Saving Time — how in the world is “spring forward” supposed to help me? — I am checking out Wi-Fi at hotel chain that is new to me.
Comfort Suites. in Exton, Penn. Suites, inns … lots of hotel chains are lumped together in my mental storage space, but it appears there are some differentiators. (Doesn’t Exton sound like an Internet start up?)
Get this. Even though it is Saturday, I came downstairs at 6:30 a.m. for breakfast. The chef was still unboxing the scrambled eggs, so I had to wait a bit.
So, what did I do? Well … I do what I do … I got online.
For several days at this Comfort Suite, I have used the Wi-Fi network in my room — with no problems. Great signal, passcode protected, 54 mbps .. all the comforts of home.
But this impressed me, and in all of my travels this is a first. As I sat in the lobby, waiting for coffee and such, watching my old friend Betty Nguyen interview Dolly Pardon on CNN about Barrack Obama (thats a mouthful and a heady thought) … I heard a voice.
“Sir, how is the wireless Internet working for you?”
What? This hotel has gone to the next level and added Wi-Fi to their customer service checklist. Color me impressed. Yes, pretty much everyone has Wi-Fi now, and most of the staff and baristas or whoever know it’s there. Most still don’t understand it, but they have seen people in in chairs with laptops. But, this is the first time in my four years of wireless exploration when someone has asked me if it is hunky dory (to use an archaic term that is NOT in my vocab).
It got better. When the drawbridge came down, and the breakfast buffet was opened, me and the hungry horde stormed the waffle machine. And the guy serving the hash told me that there were lots of plugs around the wall where I could plug in my computer. Two references two my computing needs in less than five minutes!
Luckily, this Dell laptop has great battery life … but still … It was the thought that counts (and tallies pings in my Wi-Fi reviews).
Otherwise, this Comfort Suite has a great bed (or maybe my dirty jobs gig is making me appreciate it more). There is a nice LG HDTV poised in front of my pillow, and like I said, the Wi-Fi in the room is great.
While most service staff are still stuck in “How’s everthing tasting?” mode, Comfort Suites cares about my wireless experience (Twitter habit), so they must care about me — 6 pings.
Know what I sayin?
