London hotels most expensive for Wi-Fi

London hotels are the most expensive in the world for Wi-Fi internet access, a new survey shows.

Figures released by Webaroo suggest that five-star hotels in the capital charge an average £19.70 for 24 hours of internet access. 

Munich was the second most expensive at nearly £17, followed by Paris at £14 and Rome and Barcelona at £13.

The average charge across Europe for a day's internet access came to £14.17, nearly the same as a home broadband connection for a month.

Even internet cafés charge an average £1.77 an hour, more than a cup of coffee in most European countries.

Airports charge nearly as much as five-star hotels, at an average £12.82 for 24 hours' net use.

"I am always amazed at the prices people are asked to pay for Wi-Fi on holiday or on their travels," said Brad Husick, president of Webaroo.

"Even with the top hotels you have to be careful to check the fine print as their 24 hour period is from 12pm to 12pm the next day, so you could end up paying £40 for two days use because you checked your connection in the morning and at night the same day."

Many hotels also place a limit on the amount of data users can receive in the 24-hour period, preventing large downloads or the sending of large presentation files without extra charges.

"On an extended trip you could pay as much for Wi-Fi access as it would cost to buy a new computer," said Husick.

The most expensive hotels in London are The Hilton, The Ritz and Threadneedle's, all of which charge £20 for a day's internet access.