Note: This article pertaining to free Wi-Fi access becoming available for all Hilton Honors members was originally published on Thursday, June 4, 2015 at 1:30 in the morning and has been updated.
Exactly ten years have elapsed since complimentary Wi-Fi access became available for all members of the Hilton Honors membership program on Thursday, June 4, 2015 — and the general terms and conditions of Hilton Honors had been updated on that day to reflect these changes.
Ten Years Since Free Wi-Fi Access Became Available For All Hilton Honors Members
Although I first reported in this article back on Wednesday, March 4, 2015 that “starting in August, free Wi-Fi Access to the Internet will be offered to all members of the Hilton HHonors frequent guest loyalty program”, the timetable was moved up by a couple of months, which was great news.
Members who achieved what was then known as Diamond VIP elite level status in the Hilton HHonors membership program and booked their reservations directly through either a proprietary channel of Hilton or via one of the approved travel agent partners of Hilton Worldwide began receiving complimentary premium Wi-Fi access globally where available — but this offering was not available until August through September of 2015 at hotel and resort properties in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Pacific regions.
Hilton was not the first lodging company to offer complimentary access to Wi-Fi to its guests. Marriott International, Incorporated started offering free access to Wi-Fi for guests on Thursday, January 15, 2015; and Hyatt Hotels Corporation started offering free access to Wi-Fi for guests in February of 2015.
Isn’t competition in a free market great?
Final Boarding Call
Some people were concerned as to the speed of complimentary standard Wi-Fi access to the Internet. I myself had experienced excruciating slowness myself at some Hilton hotel and resort properties around the world ten years ago. Would it be adequate enough to be considered as a benefit of any use?
The answer today is obvious. I do not even think about speed or adequacy of technology when accessing Wi-Fi while staying as a guest at a Hilton hotel or resort property — although I did have some issues with accessing Wi-Fi from a hotel property earlier this year; so the technology is ultimately not perfect…
…but in 2025, complimentary access to Wi-Fi is available at many lodging options around the world; and the commercial aviation industry is currently catching up with more complimentary offerings to Wi-Fi to passengers aboard airplanes during flights.
Also, access to Wi-Fi is nearly ubiquitous at airports, as free access was launched at seven airports in December of 2015 and has expanded to other airports worldwide ever since. The year 2015 seems to be a significantly pivotal year pertaining to complimentary access to Wi-Fi in travel.
Many of us take complimentary access to Wi-Fi for granted these days; but it has clearly improved productivity worldwide. It also helps pass the time during irregular operations in travel…
…and as for Hilton, never mind complimentary Wi-Fi, as the multinational lodging company will be the official hotel partner of Starlab, which is the planned free-flying commercial space station of Voyager…
Photograph ©2025 by Brian Cohen.
