Wow…. Hotel Wi-Fi has to be one of the biggest rip-offs ever. At the Tel-Aviv Crowne Plaza, I signed up for a 2 Plus Wi-Fi service, which is a whopping $105 for seven days, and it is not even that reliable. Now I don’t mind paying for broadband access but this is just way too much money. The seven day package is better than $5 for 30 minutes prepaid offering. Anyway, with that out of the way, it is time to resume posting.
The conference is going to take up most of my time today, but tomorrow morning, after plowing through all the email and voice mails, I am going to pen my thoughts about the city, and some of the start-ups I have met so far.
Meanwhile a photo of the Tel-Aviv sunset.
oh yeah. In Israel we’re big on innovation and initiative, but small on the simple notion of adequate service. Some say the sunsets are worth it all.
You’re right but the great thing about TA is that almost all the cafes have free wifi … you’re not very far from some: would be happy to show you round if you mail me
Om
don’t complain, that’s cheap. The cheapest I’ve ever paid for in Australia is around $20 US per day. One hotel I was paying $8/ hour.
Outside the U.S., most hotels charge you an arm and a leg for internet connectivity. So Israel is no different than India, Germany and other places I have been. Other than that, I am sure you will enjoy Israel, with its vibrant hi-tech community and many, many startups.
Actually, in Israel it is much easier to find free hotspots than anywhere in the U.S…. For example at Ben-Gurion airport access is free… Pretty much all the coffee shops provide free service… This includes all the big chains such as Aroma, Arcaffe, Cafe Joe, Max Brenner and more..
Same thing at the Crowne Plaza in Geneva a couple of days ago. And almost ANY hotel I’ve stayed so far (in Europe).
The weirdest thing is that even business lounges at airports don’t have free wifi! Everything else is free, you can drink, eat, take away newsspapers, but no free wifi!!!
That’s funny Om, 99% of the Wifi in Israel are usually open network and free.
I also remember walking on the beach few days ago, and being able to connect to 80% of the hotels Wifi network [with my phone], it might be that you had bad luck with this specific hotel.
Anyway, you can always go to a cafe and connect from there, they are very reliable, a coffee cup cost 2 dollar at most and you can surf the internet.
Thanks Om,
When I travel in Europe, I sometimes get remarks from the readers of my modest Latvian-language blog (accessible through http://www.nozare.lv) for complaining about high WiFi rates at airports and some hotels. I am glad to see that I am not alone and this is a legitimate complaint.
The sunsets, the food, the women. It is all worth it. Although, I am staying at the Crowns Plaza right now and they haven’t charged me at all. I think they just don’t like you, Om. (jk)
Oh Om, you mean, heaven forbid, San Francisco and Silicon Valley is not the Center of the World?
Oh Gavin Newsom, oh Google free Wifi mesh network this mesh network that.
Google is everything, Google is “god”, Google Google Google you are the world Google. Nothing else exists anywhere on the planet named Earth. Its Google in Silicon Valley or nothing else.
Such a revelation. Om needs to travel and get out of S.F. more often and not just to the East.
Oh Copernicus, where art thou Copernicus?