Just as easily as I hopped on Southwest Airlines to leave Phoenix for the press conference at San Francisco International Airport, I am now going to blog backward in time.  Yes … I had to leave paradise behind, to go do some self promotion at SFO.  Here is what I left behind, the previous day …

So, I hope the staff at Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort at Gainey Ranch were forewarned. “There’s a blogger here … guard the silverware.” Hah! Man … the resort is extraordinary!

So many pools and so little time … moonlit gondola rides on the pond separating the resort from the golf club … a classical guitar/flamenco ensemble playing in the lounge area … beautiful palm trees and truly awesome saguaro cacti (carnegiea gigantea) everywhere.

But alas, today’s topic is Wi-Fi … I mean, I have Wi-Fi in “my name” and when I booked the reservation that was my reason for making a quick stop in Scottsdale, before journeying on to San Francisco for the press conference.

So what do you think happened? I checked into my room, and headed for the Regency Club on the same floor. As I downed about a gallon of lemonaid to combat the desert’s attack on my fluid levels, I fired up the laptop. (Note to management … that fork I took is in my room …)

Cool enough. A splash page pops up and it lists several options. The premium option says the user can experience optimum bandwidth — a 24-hour dose, for $14.95 — a good option especially for uploading presentations and other large documents.

The second option (“the blogger option,” I’ll call it) offered the basics, with a little less bandwith … but more than enough to blog, twitter, IM or whatever. Two prices levels — $4.95 for 5 hours, or $9.95 for 24 hours.

Open-air Lounge

I would only be at the hotel for a few more hours, so I went cheap … imagine that!

But what’s this? I entered my name and room number and the system froze. I tried again. I tried several times. Are you kidding me? The concierge was out of the room, so I comandeered her desk and used her phone to call the front desk.

I thought this was weird too … they transfered me to an off-site IT department. Well … I was now tethered to the house phone (landline) and my laptop was across the room, near the huge selection of cookies, candies and dried fruit … coincidentally. Bottom line, I was unable to start reconfiguring my machine as the techie was requesting. (Chances are, I wouldn’t change any settings anyway …) I thanked him for his time …

Thank goodness. The concierge came back and she checked up on me, and took note that the Wi-Fi was not working. Man … she went into action too. She got on the phone, even though it was not her specialty and gave me a report about there being a problem. She assured me they would take care of it, and invited me to have more treats and to get back on later in the afternoon.

Water Hazard

Rats … I was kind of in the middle of a big project and needed Wi-Fi … so I went exploring for another workspace.

BUT … here is the takeaway. Connectivity will never be perfect … not as long as it involves 1) humans and 2) technology. Things are going to break. Granted, we all want that minimized … but it is going to happen.

Here is the other important part … what matters MOST to me and to many travelers like me is what the people do when there is a problem.

My hat is off to the team at this Hyatt resort. They got on the phone and had someone working on the issue immediately. They filled me with high-octane sugar. They gave me transportation options to find another hotspot.

I needed to see some of Scottsdale anyway … so I headed out, admiring the property as I left.

It gets better. When I came back that evening, I tried the Wi-Fi again, in the lobby where the guys were ripping through Flamenco tunes like Estaban on a caffeine high. I fired up the laptop expecting to find a dry hole. I was already resigned to the fact that despite all of the grandeur of this hotel … my Wi-Fi mission at this property was dead in the water. Or was it?

WRONG! The Wi-fi was up and running perfectly. Of course I went cheap again, and selected the five bucks option.

The signal was strong inside the lounge and also a few feet outside under the stars, beyond the huge open doors overlooking the water gardens and outdoor firepits.

Awesome.

So that is the lesson. Things happen. Technology is no more perfect than me. But great hosts recognize circumstances and how their guests are affected … AND they make good things happen.

What could have been a negative experience was actually turned around to be one of the better stays in my journey … which is well over 50 cities, cumulatively.

In an earlier blog, I said I wouldn’t post another six for Scottsdale — not three times in a row — and true to my word, the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort At Gainey Ranch gets 6.2 pings. Unbelievable landscaping (sort of feng shui meets Clint Eastwood), great people/people watching, classy music, desserts to die for, the best service and excellent Wi-Fi in the end.