Paradox

My recent stay in San Diego brought my memory back to an old paradox.

The story went like this:

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For obvious reasons, I chose a small hotel with a moderate price. (It took me a 30-minute walk every morning to the convention center - the rare occasion that I had to do some genuine exercise.) To my surprise, the room was exceptionally well equipped: In addition to those ordinary gadgets, there was a coffee machine (so that I could boil some water for my own consumption), a spacious fridge, and a microwave.

And, above all, there was free wireless internet service.

When I mentioned this to PL (our senior consultant who lived in a hotel twice as expensive as mine), he became half mad.

"Why ! They charged me US$14 each day for the internet !" He complained.

And that's the paradox. It occurs to me that cheap hotels are often more generous in providing free internet service, while expensive ones often charge their tenants.

I'm sure there's a simple principle in economy that explains all these.