Common courtesy in hotels

Recently during one of our mini vacations, I noticed that some people feel that they are entitled to do things differently than others that are staying at the same hotel. What I am talking about is how people act while they are enjoying a free breakfast that is offered as part of the price of the hotel room.

Here are some examples of what I am talking about:

• They come in and get their breakfast and enjoy it but then get up and leave and don't remove the dishes from the table. The idea of a self-serve breakfast is there is normally an area allocated where you are to put your dirty dishes. By removing your dirty dishes, you are making the table available to someone else.

•  Some individuals come down and they grab their coffee and then go and take a table for four people, and there is one person and they decide to sit and read while enjoying their coffee. It might be fine when the breakfast area isn't busy, but when it gets busy maybe it's time to find another location where you can enjoy your coffee and read your book. Where we were staying, they had a couple of small sitting areas which would have been great for sitting and reading a book.

•  Of course, there are going to be other individuals that pile their plate full of stuff and only eat part of that plate of food and then remove that plate from the table and proceed to go back and get another plate of food. Why didn't you eat what you got the first time. I think it's better to take a bit of food and then have to go back and get more than take piles and not eat it.

• A group of four people but they have to take up two tables where four people each could sit. If there are four of you it is only considerate if you could take one table for four people leaving the other table available for others.

I understand that there are going to be times when situations are different but remember that there are other guests in the hotel that what to enjoy their breakfast and they also need to find a spot where they can sit down and enjoy their food. It is nice when a hotel offers a free breakfast as it is a great start to your day, especially if you are heading to work while out of town or you are going to be starting another travel day.

Knowing that if you are able to have a quick breakfast in the breakfast area and leave it clean for the next guest can go a long way. Understanding that keeping the area clean makes a big difference as the staff try to ensure that the food is hot and available for the rest of the guests when they come down to have their breakfast. A free breakfast during a hotel stay is always so nice to have and we all have to remember that this benefit could go away quickly if too many guests just take it for granted and feel they are entitled.

Hotels and their service

Something that I have started to notice and maybe this is the hotel chain that I have been staying at is there are times when customer service and just service in general seems to be going downhill while the price of staying at the hotel is going up. Maybe we are just getting the hotel when they are having a bad weekend but that seems to be happening more and more.

• Breakfast area – not keeping items stocked so that the guests can grab their food and coffee and be on their way. This time at the hotel the coffee was running very low when we got ours and then I think it ran out not long after but it took a while for it to be restocked. The sausages were low (only 2 left when we got our food), so none left after we got food and the plate area was empty in one section for empty. It took quite a while to get any of these items restocked and some people did without sausages and probably coffee as they were in a hurry.
• Cleaning staff – they were very impatient with the elevator. One of the elevators was out of order so it meant only one was working. One of the cleaning stuff was constantly pressing the button to call the elevator as if that would make it come faster. This is just after 8am and lots of people would be leaving at that time. When the elevator finally arrived it was full of guests leaving with their luggage so that is why it took a while. One of the cleaning staff walked by us and I thought she was going to try and get on the elevator before us but she waited otherwise she would have heard me.
• Cleanliness of the room – when putting our shoes in one of the closets discovered a part of a cracker on the floor. Have no idea how long it has been there but it shows that the floors of the closets are not cleaned on a regular basis. We didn't have crackers so it was there before we arrived.
• 
  Recognition of being a member of the chain – this is something that has happened a few times. Yes, we are recognized as a returning guest to the hotel but not as a gold member of the hotel chain. When you get the survey that is one of the questions that you are asked and again this time I will be stating not recognized as a gold member. Sure, when I get into the room it welcomes me by name and as a gold member.
• Caution pylon - this pylon was in the one elevator that was working the entire time we were in the hotel. The floor wasn't wet as it wasn't raining out and we didn't see anyone washing the floor at any time we were around the elevator.

These are some of the issues that we saw on our latest stay and something that chains need to understand that can impact of a guest continues to start with a specific chain of hotels or is it time for them to try a different chain and see if that chain has better service.

Something that we are going to be doing is trying a different hotel chain to see what they are like. Being able to have the flexibility to try and different chains and not just stay with one does help quite a bit. We will see how that stay goes as we have already booked a trip and I will make sure that I write up about that experience.

Going the extra step

 We do stay in hotels sometimes and it is nice when you are recognized as a valued guest and in our case a member of the chain’s loyalty club. In a lot of cases when we are staying at the hotel, we will receive bottle water or something else as a preferred member. It is nice when the chain does this little bit extra.

This last stay that we did was a return trip to a hotel that we have enjoyed staying at. It is not a large hotel (5 floors) but it is very well kept and the staff have all been very friendly and helpful. This time when we arrived and were checking in, we were welcomed back and also welcomed as a member of the loyalty program. What was different this time was we received a different gift as were we a returning guest to this location. The front desk person went to the back and returned with a bag that had a hand written note on the bag that said “Welcome back" and inside the bag as a bottle of water, a small package of two bite brownies and a bag of potato chips. Yes, this was a lot different than we normally receive and it was nice and not expected.

Being recognized as a loyalty club member is always nice and even getting a bottle of water is always welcomed. Being recognized as a returning guest to this specific location was very special. It doesn't take a lot of effort for a hotel to make a difference in how they are viewed. Having staff that are friendly also makes a big difference on how hotel is viewed and recommended. I know that I have told a few people about this specific location because of how we have been treated in the past. 

For a hotel to go the extra step to make sure that guests feel comfortable and welcomed does go a long way in ensuring that people will return to a specific location again. I know that we will be returning to this location in the future because it is a nice escape from home and also a nice spot where we can relax. This last trip there was a hockey team also staying at the hotel while we were there but you wouldn't have guessed it because the team was very quiet.

So if you stay at a specific hotel chain and are recognized for being a loyalty club member, it shows that the chain cares. When a specific location does that little bit extra make sure that when you do the review of your stay you mention that because it shows the chain that people appreciate the little things even if it isn't something they always do. 

 

Hotels and requesting feather free rooms

Something that I am noticing happening more and is when you request there be no feathers in your hotel room, hotels tell you that everything is good only for me to get into your room and check the pillows and find out there are feather pillows on the bed.

We have been a regular at the Residence Inn by Marriott and quite often even after confirming with the front desk at check in that the room is feather free, we get into our room and at least half of the pillows have feathers. It is rather frustrating given that we are not just walking into a hotel and checking for a room, we have made a reservation quite a few days before.

This last time was during a work trip, and we asked at the front desk if everything was good, and they again confirmed it was, and again the feather room didn’t happen, so I quickly phoned down, and we ended up being moved to another room. It is so frustrating that this keeps happening because you think a little request such as no feather pillows would be something that would be easily accommodated.

In March, we travelled to Las Vegas for a vacation and when we were checking into the hotel, we confirmed that our room was feather free and the reply was something that amazed me. The staff let us know that the entire hotel was feather free, so that shouldn't be an issue at all. Even guests that request feather pillows, they are declined, so that the hotel remains feather free. It was such a nice experience to have that happen. The hotel that we stayed at in Las Vegas was The Linq Hotel and Casino, right on the strip.

We did have a similar experience in a hotel in downtown Toronto, and it was the Sheraton Centre, and they have entire floors that are feather free, so that is also nice. It is something that I think more hotels should try and do because having either the entire hotel or at least some floors that don’t have feather pillows in any of the rooms makes it a nice experience for those that cannot breathe due to feathers.

So hopefully hotels will learn that to keep guests returning to their hotels you have to ensure that the guests have a good experience from the moment they enter the hotel through to the time they check out.  If someone has any ideas how we can get more hotels to think about having designated feather free rooms, let’s start a discussion about this.

 

Hotel experience, such a great experience

Wanted to write this blog to show that different hotels and different hotel chains can result in such a different hotel experience. We are once again at a hotel and this time have been experiencing such a different level of care for the guests.

 

This trip started out with me booking our hotel online for a three night stay, which is what we figured would be enough of a time away from home for a bit of a vacation. Before heading out, we thought about it and decided to see if we could add another night to the reservation. This change was done just over a week before we headed out for our trip. I checked the rate online and then decided to call the hotel directly to see if I could modify my reservation and the call went extremely well, and I was quoted the same rate as I was seeing online, so we decided to extend our vacation. The person on the phone was very friendly and answered all the questions that I had without any attitude, which made me happy. I even called back to see what type of coffee maker was in the room, and he went into a room to find that information out for me. I did ask for his name, as I wanted to be able to thank him in person for the attention I was given when I called in.

When we arrived at the hotel, this same person was working, so he was able to assist us with our check in, and he even thanks me for being a member of their hotel program. The overall check in process went very smoothly, including him letting us know that our room was on the second floor and to turn left after exiting the elevator. That little bit of extra care that is taken, and it makes it so much easier knowing which way to go to get to your room.

All the staff that we have encountered through our stay have been very friendly and helpful. The room was nice and clean and all the bathroom items were in stock and available to use. We were also told that if we needed anything, not to hesitate to contact the front desk.

We did encounter a small issue, and it was with our television as we weren't able to get the Sportsnet, so we let the front desk know. The service we received as the front desk staff came up to the room and reconnected all the television connections to ensure everything was right. He said if that didn't work, he would call the service provider right away to get it looked into. The reconnecting everything worked, and we were able to watch the baseball games.

This experience really showed me why I am a member of this hotel's reward membership program. They care about the guests and make sure that you have a wonderful stay without worrying about things. I know that we will continue to stay with this hotel chain, and we will be returning to this hotel again.

Hotel Experience, not the best

Here is an experience that we recently had when going on a weekend away. I wanted to share some of the experience with everyone, so you can also be away of what can happen when you decided to take a vacation and possibly extend it.

The original plan for this trip was to spend one night in a hotel, so we booked it online through the hotel chain’s website. That was easy enough to do, and we got a reasonable price for the Saturday night. When it was getting closer to the weekend, we decided to see if we could add the Friday evening onto the reservation again at a reasonable cost. I phoned the hotel directly as I wanted to see what they would quote us for adding the Friday night and when I got through, they quoted me $294 CDN for adding the Friday night. I knew that was a crazy price so after asking to speak to a manager (no manager on duty) I hung up and figured there was no way we were going to be paying that price. I then looked up the hotel chain’s reservation number and was quoted $152 CDN to add the Friday night to our reservation. Yes, a major difference between calling the hotel directly and booking it through their central reservation. We did find out that some of the other people that we were seeing that weekend also booked directly through the hotel and when they went to pay for the rooms discovered the price, so they went to a different hotel.

Upon arriving at the hotel, we found out why we don’t use this chain very often. The reason we were using this chain was it was very close to where we were going. Next time, we will drive a little further for a better experience. When we got to the desk to check in, we were not welcome but just asked for our driver’s license and credit card. The person then checked us in and told us that we would get no housekeeping during our stay until we requested it. That isn’t something that bothered either of us, as we were only staying two nights, it wasn’t a big deal.

We then went up to check to see that the room was what we wanted and to figure out where it was, given we would be carrying our luggage up a flight of stairs. The room was just a basic room with a queen bed and a table and a small couch. When we went into the bathroom, we discovered that there was no soap at all so figured we would check with the front desk to see if we could get some. It was then we decided to go and get our luggage and get settled in for the two days. As we were returning to our room with our luggage the front desk person was walking by, so we asked about the soap and her comment was “Oh, we don’t have any soap as we are waiting for the truck to delivery some. If you really need some, I might be able to find something.” Thankfully, we normally have some soap in our suitcases.

Signing in to the Wi-Fi also was a bit of a challenge because there was no place that showed you how to sign in or what the password could be, so we had to call down to get that information. Yes, another frustration during the first hour of being in our room. Thank goodness I looked to see what time breakfast each morning of our stay was because that wasn’t mentioned either. Yes, this hotel left a lot to be desired for the price we were paying for the weekend. The Friday night was the cheaper of the two nights.

Now, here is a summary of what we thought of the room/hotel. The desk chair was missing both arms and there had been arms on the chair previously as you could see the locations of where they attached. Air conditioning was rotten, you were either freezing or very hot because if you set the air conditioner to auto it just kept running and didn’t stop when it reached the temperature you wanted. Oh, the shampoo and conditioner were on the wall in the shower and the shampoo was also empty. The room was ok given everything, but the couch was also right in front of the air conditioner, so sitting on it might you froze. Breakfast was included in the price of the hotel, and it was a very basic meal and there were only 6 tables where you could sit and eat (not enough at any time for people to eat).

So yes, the experience at this hotel reminded us why we don’t use this hotel chain very often. When we were checking out, of course they asked how our say was, and I said it would have been nice to have soap and shampoo. The front desk person looked at me and said, “Oh, you could have let us know you didn’t have soap or shampoo.” My reply was “We did, and you told us the truck hadn’t brought the soap and checking the status of shampoo should be what the staff do.” Of course, we only discovered that there was no shampoo when my husband was having a shower.

Yes, so one of the biggest things that I want everyone to take from this experience is if you want to extend a hotel stay, call the hotel directly if you can, so

You can see what rate they will quote you. Also check the hotel website for the rate and then call the central reservation number to see what rate you get with them. It will probably be a lot cheaper than the hotel is quoting you.