It's hard to really get away from it all these days, even on holiday. Beyond the safe haven of the hotel Wi-fi connection, pangs of anxiety are waiting to strike: e-mails have to be sent, attachments downloaded; calls must be returned. And for business travellers, a lack of web access must be worse: like nicotine withdrawal for smokers.

There's no doubt Hong Kong is one of the planet's most connected cities - just look at the numbers of people tapping away on their smartphones on the MTR. And with that in mind, the independent Ovolo Hotel chain is offering guests the authentic Hong Kong experience: - namely internet access around town, without roaming charges.

Starting this month, the group (which has four hotels in the city - including one that has just opened, in Aberdeen, with a fifth due to open on Wong Chuk Hang Road in December - and one in Melbourne, Australia) is providing guests with free access to more than 8,500 Wi-fi hotspots across Hong Kong. The service offers a blazing-fast 1Gbps connection from various popular locations and outlets including Starbucks, McDonald's, various malls and the airport.

"People always want to be online nowadays," says Dirk Dalichau, Ovolo's chief operating officer. "Roaming charges can be excessive - so we had the idea of making it as simple as possible for our guests by giving them unlimited access, quick and for free."