Net access is a lodging priority

TechBlog blogged Adina Levin has a post on her BookBlog in which she talks about her changed priorities when it comes to booking a hotel:

Lately, I've been choosing less fancy hotels with complementary wifi over nicer hotels with similar discount room rates, but add-on charges of $10 - $20 per day for network access. The algorithm worked splendidly, resulting in a number of quite comfortable, moderately priced stays thanks to the Orbitz search engine.

Hey, me too, Adina! Though I wouldn't use anything Orbitz-related because of the company's history of infesting the Web with some of the most relentless pop-up-and-under ads around . . . I now find myself avoiding hotels that don't have high-speed Net access, and seeking out those that offer free Net access. And here's a tip for Galveston visitors: The Commodore on the Beach, while not the swankiest, has free WiFi and a webcam mounted atop the hotel. You can check the surf conditions without ever leaving your room! It doesn't get any geekier than that . . .

I notice Orbitz lists high speed internet access on many hotel listings, but it does not say whether they are free or whether there is an add-on charge for their use. I wish they would expand things and even include a "Let me choose amenities" option for free internet access.