Free hotel Wi-Fi coming, with strings attached

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide -- with more than 1,200 properties including the brands W, Westin, Sheraton, Four Points and St. Regis -- announced that standard in-room Internet will be free to all Starwood Preferred Guest members starting Feb. 2. The move mirrors a decision announced by Marriott International to offer free standard Wi-Fi to members of its loyalty rewards program, starting in January.

With the Starwood offer, loyalty reward members get the Wi-Fi if they book through Starwood’s online sites or the SPG app. Without a loyalty membership, guests pay up to $20 per day for basic Wi-Fi service, with even higher prices for Internet with premium speeds. Guests pay nothing to join the Starwood rewards program. Industry experts say hotel companies value loyalty membership because it enables the hotels to pepper guests with offers and shower them with perks to keep them loyal.