Well WiFi is the wireless networking for computers with a range of about 100 yards. So it is not independently off to the internet like a phone's cellular service. So yes, the WiFi module needs to connect to some kind of hotspot.
As to what it connects to, that remains to be seen. It almost certainly connects to one or the other at a time: (1) Canon's cloud service or (2) your phone/laptop/tablet/home wifi for the app of your choice. As for anywhere else, you know how at a coffee shop or such they usually have 'connect to our home page and accept terms of service' before you can use their WiFi? It would be impressive if these cameras had an interface to do that but hey, they just might.