Check into any middling hotel and chances are good that the Wi-Fi is free. Have a white-gloved butler escort you to the penthouse suite, however, and your lodgment may well bill you for internet access. The wealthiest among us have noticed this disconnect and they are not pleased.A report on the habits and preferences of the wealthiest 1% to 5% of travellers in the US finds that free Wi-Fi is the top "desirable amenity" for more than half this demographic.Many of the priciest hotels charge extra for the Wi-Fi simply because they can - guests are travelling for business or are wealthy clients who don't care about paying a bit more, said Henry Harteveldt, a travel consultant with Atmosphere Research Group in San Francisco in the US."It's a glaring inconsistency in the hotel business, and frankly it's just a stupid approach to doing business," he said.But the issue is likely to continue roiling many upscale lodging chains weighing where and how to offer Wi-FiStarwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, for example, offers free Wi-Fi in public spaces and to members of its loyalty programme, provided the rooms were booked through the website or mobile app.Hilton Worldwide Holdings offers free basic internet access but levies fees for greater bandwidth use, including video streaming.This trend partly reflects the growing inventory of Wi-Fi gadgets travellers now pack: typically, a laptop, tablet and phone per person. A couple with two teens - and bandwidth needs multiply rapidly.It also helps explain why so many hotel lobbies are clogged with guests pecking at phones and laptops. ..