What you call "idiocy" I call "the government is getting it right for once". Just because you own a piece of land or a building doesn't mean you get to set your own rules that supersede the FCC's rules. By your logic one could commit theft or assault, and as long as they are in their own home while they do it, it's okay. Sorry, the law doesn't work that way.
Basically, the hotel owners wanted to make a chunk of money by forcing patrons to use their overpriced, possibly monitored Wi-Fi service instead of the patrons' own secure hotspots, and they used illegal jamming equipment to do so. The fact that it was their own property doesn't enter into it, and they are lucky the FCC didn't take their equipment as they have no legal right to operate it in the first place.
Basically, the hotel owners wanted to make a chunk of money by forcing patrons to use their overpriced, possibly monitored Wi-Fi service instead of the patrons' own secure hotspots, and they used illegal jamming equipment to do so. The fact that it was their own property doesn't enter into it, and they are lucky the FCC didn't take their equipment as they have no legal right to operate it in the first place.