jecasc - 1:01 pm on Jul 29, 2009 (gmt 0)

A B&M presentation for Customer Services I once attended suggested a differerence in the European and US mindset. European consumers make INITIAL purchasing choices based on price. US consumers make decisions based on service.

That may be true, because in many european countries people are not used to "service". Reminds me of the failed attempt of Walmart to get a foot into the german retail market. People repeatedly complained because of being harassed by strangers when entering the market (the greater), being constantly disturbed by employees (10 foot rule) and some ruffian would uninvitedly pack their purchases into bags, thereby touching all the goods including the fruit and vegetables. An interesting for all people trying to enter markets in other countries is this study about wal-mart failures:

[iwim.uni-bremen.de...]

As to internet in hotels: I'd put a few extra dollars on the room prices and offer it as a free service.