Hotel Services: Included? Extra? Fair? Foul?

I am staying at the historic Midland Hotel in Manchester, UK. Many VIPs have stayed in this gorgeous and historic hotel since it first opened its doors in 1905. Mr. Charles Stewart Rolls and Mr. Frederick Henry Royce first met here. I love walking through the lobby and along the wide corridor lined with historic photographs and other interesting framed items en route to my room.

However, and there's always a "however," such ambiance carries an unexpected and unwelcome price. It is costing me £15 for 24 hours of high-speed Internet access to check my E-mail, do on-line research or post new items on this blog. At the current miserable dollar-to-pound exchange rate (miserable from the American viewpoint), that is $30. If I wished to make a direct local phone call from my room, it would cost me £1.60 ($3.20). If I wanted to access certain premium TV channels, a day's access would add £10 ($20) to my bill. I cannot imagine what it would cost to park a car wherever the valets whisk vehicles, if I had one here. All this is usurious.

I have often wondered why many fine and expensive hotels do not include the same kinds of services that mid-priced hotel or motel chains manage to offer free. Just as an single example, Choice Hotels (Choice Hotels, Sleep Inns, Comfort Inns, Rodeway Inns and other brands) provides free high-speed Internet access and free local phone calls to guests across the price ranges of their brands.

Other mysterious aspects to this hotel involves my room, a standard guest room facing an interior courtyard -- not landscaped but a wide open-to-the-sky area that in New York would be called an air shaft. It is small, which is OK. There is a lovely armoire for hanging clothes, but not a single drawer. No bureau; no even a small drawer in each of the teensy nightstands. That would be OK too for a night or two, but this hotel is right across from the convention center, which means I am one of many guests who are here for multiple nights. Living out of a suitcase is not pleasant. The bathroom is small, and that's OK too. But one small bar of soap is provided every second day both for face and body. The other toiletries are shampoo, conditioner and shower gel but no moisturizer.

Before departure, guests are invited to fill in an on-line commentary form. And I will, if I haven't used up all of my $30 Internet access fee.