Rent a tv? How is that going to help without cable or satellite service? It’s more than just having a physical tv set in the house.
And I am sure that tv really is the problem. They were happy to stay there all of the previous years and this will be the first year without it.
Now to answer the OP, you’re unfortunately just going to have to deal with it being a less than perfect weekend for you. It’s very disappointing.
This is a good point. Maybe the no tv thing is the last straw for hubby.
But one thing that seems a little fishy is the fact that the OP’s friend refuses to watch her shows on a laptop because she likes to watch the advertisements.
Of course we all have our own minority opinions, but in this case she’s treating advertisements to be so important as to make it the one reason that the laptop won’t do it for her.
I’ll guess that they have a new sexual activity that is too loud to partake of near polite company, so they want to take their whips and chains to a hotel where they can add to their enjoyment with hotel fantasies and a craigslist hookup 
Hulu does have advertisements and they have quite a few distributors (e.g. NBC, ABC, etc).
You’re overthinking this. All that’s important is that she doesn’t want to stay overnight at the OP’s house. Just treat the reason offered as a polite fiction.
Regarding the husband’s need to be in bed by 8pm, you could suggest that he go back to the hotel early and that she stay on, and you give her a ride to the hotel whenever she wants to leave.
this whole thing is ridiculous
Them, because they’d rather stay 20 miles away just for a TV
You, wanting to forget the whole thing because you can’t prepare breakfast for them.
You can buy a digital antenna for under $20. That gets you all the not-cable channels (local VHF and UHF, well over 3 dozen channels these days.)
But yes, I’m thinking that’s really not the issue, as well, and she’ll move the goalposts to wanting cable/satellite channels. Bottom line, the OP doesn’t get to decide what’s important to her guest. She tells the OP what she wants to do, and the OP decides if that’s something she wants to do. She’s already told the OP that what the OP wants to do isn’t what she wants to do.
Um, the OP specifically mentioned late-night wine drinking as a nice part of the weekend. Having to drive 40 miles roundtrip late at night would rather preclude any of that activity.
As for the woman wanting to stay 20 miles away at a hotel in order to watch TV commercials? COMMERCIALS??? I call total bullshit. I have never met a single person EVER who liked being subjected to that crap.
OP, she’s lying but let it go. But don’t offer to do any extra driving or accommodating for them either. This thing either wont happen at all, or it’s the last time you’ll see them.
OK. Ascenray came up with the best answer. I am going to do things her way this year, and she will see how much it sucks, and go back to the original plan next year.
I think she is being a baby and if she wants to pay upwards of 200 bux to stay 20 miles away, fine.
How much telly-watching has she done at your place in previous years?
Yes, this is an intelligent woman who loves watching infomercials.
Really. She hardly buys, just watches.
One of these things is not like the other…
+1 to all of this.
To the OP, I hope you can make the best of this year as you can. On the other hand, I do recommend getting a TV for reasons mentioned in this thread.
Hey, Ron Popeil comes on the TV, I’m watching it. His products may be shit, but he is a hell of a salesman.
I’m mostly taking the OP’s friend at face value, though I do agree that that’s obnoxious. That said, as noted upthread, is it possible that your household is a little intense? My husband sometimes wears people out when they’re visiting because he takes them out on the town…all day long. Sometimes he needs to pull back a bit. What had you planned to do?
My mom actually sounds a lot like the OP’s friend. I used to have to visit her because for a long time, I didn’t have cable and she spent most of her time in front of the TV. Then I got cable, but I had only one TV in the house, so she came over to visit, but only after she bought herself a new TV for the guest bedroom downstairs.
Maybe you can invite them over for a big breakfast. Like, maybe on their last day when they’re tired of eating out.
I know some people really love their teevee. My mother swears she can’t go to sleep without the drone and bluelight of a TV. I can’t relate at all.
Seems to me maybe they’re looking to shake things up for the 4th this year. Sometimes breaking from the routine is fun. And while being a guest at someone’s spacious house has its perks, so does staying at a hotel. I agree with the others who think this may be a compromise for the husband. Because as much fun as you and your friend have catching up, I can’t imagine it’s all that exciting for him.
Not necessarily. Sometimes a problem has festered for years with nothing done about it until an opportunity presents itself. Then that is feasted upon and used as a way to answer the dilemma finally.
I agree there’s more to this than a TV issue and it doesn’t have to be anything related to the host. Perhaps it’s a spouse issue. I’d let them graciously do what they need to if I really wanted to see them and then see what transpires next year.
Maybe they’ve developed a drug habit that they’re uncomfortable exposing to friends.
Is the husband a new addition?