Marriott fined for blocking personal Wi-Fi hotspots
Marriott International has agreed to pay a fine for one of its hotels’ illegal blocking of guests’ own Wi-Fi connections and then charging up to $1,000 to connect to the hotel Wi-Fi system.
Federal Communications Commission handed down the fine to the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville after a complaint by a meeting delegate that the hotel was jamming devices.
Marriott was then charging conference organizers and exhibitors between $250 and $1,000 each to access the Gaylord’s Wi-Fi connection.
Despite Marriott’s plea that the action was not illegal, the FCC slapped a $600,000 fine on the company and instructed it to halt the practice in all hotels.
Marriott maintains it blocked external Wi-Fi hotspots to safeguard network security against ‘rogue wireless hotspots that can cause degraded service, insidious cyber-attacks and identity theft.’
"It is unacceptable for any hotel to intentionally disable personal hotspots while also charging consumers and small businesses high fees to use the hotel’s own Wi-Fi network," Travis LeBlanc, chief of the FCC’s enforcement bureau said in a statement.
"This practice puts consumers in the untenable position of either paying twice for the same service or forgoing Internet access altogether."
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt