Jeanne Leblanc of the Hartford Courant blogs today in Coach Class about the availability of hotel wi-fi and her experience with wildly varying fees at similarly-priced hotels. Jumping off of her post, I have two suggestions for travelers:

1. Check out TravelPost.com’s Hotel Chain Internet Access Guide for the standard Internet policies in place at U.S. hotel chains. That way, you’ll know in advance what you’re going to have to shell out to get online.

2. If you’re traveling with a companion, consider springing for an Apple AirportExpress. Since the device turns any wired Internet connection into a wireless one, multiple laptops can use the Internet while paying just one connection fee.