Corporate business travel managers are taking advantage of the downturn in travel to negotiate the prized service, says DeAnne Dale, a sales executive at online business travel management firm Travelocity Business.

They're also getting free service from big hotel groups such as Hilton, Marriott and Starwood. And they're getting it at the same time the chains say they're not changing their policies and will continue to charge guests from $9.95 to $14.95 a day for Wi-Fi.

Some upscale hotels, such as Hyatt's new Andaz chain, are including it in their rates. Some others, such as Fairmont and Omni, provide it free to members of their loyalty programs.

Having a free Internet connection is something that corporate business managers say their travelers want most, Dale says.

But hotels, which are suffering from their worst year financially in more than 20, are reluctant to make Internet connections free for everyone.
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