PCMCIA Wireless Card?

I've recently upgraded to a 15" Powerbook 1.67 from an older model, and have found that my airport reception is far lower than my old one. I've read a couple other threads here on this subject but have not found a solution. I have taken my Powerbook back to the place I bought it and the techs there say the reception matches other units of the same model and so there is no problem.

My wireless more or less works at home, though my signal strength sitting right next to my router is around the 50 range, and if I leave the room it averages about 30 anywhere else in the house (according to the MacStumbler program). The big problem I have is that i'm on the road a lot, and at hotels that offer "hotspot" services in their rooms I find that my powerbook can barely even detect the network, while my colleague who owns an iBook get at least 3 bars of airport reception.

If anybody has any suggestions, i'm all ears, but i've pretty much given up hope with the airport issue. I was thinking about buying a PCMCIA Wireless card and attaching it to my computer when i'm on trips or at any areas where my airport can't get a strong enough signal. Does anybody know if this would work at all, and perhaps recommend a good card to go with? Any help would be great!