Hotel Amenities and Services
Not too long ago, I considered three hotel trends which aren’t getting better. I’m confident plenty more hotel amenities and services are just flat-out unpredictable. Beyond loyalty programs, I lean toward chain hotels in hopes of obtaining some level of consistency and reliability. But obviously, no amount of research and planning can avoid a surprise now and then. These are the more uncertain hotel offerings I’ve noticed over the years. What’s on your list?
Dining
Leading up to stays, I rarely feel confident in the hotel dining experience. Whether it’s the quality of a breakfast or the terms and conditions of a “complimentary” one, I’ve had to settle for a bit for the unknown. And some experiences at the same restaurant vary widely from one day to the next. On the flip side, we sometimes enjoy hotel dining, breakfast or otherwise, more than we expected.
Room Quality
From budget to high-end properties, I periodically experience hotel room gotchas. Perhaps the biggest culprit here is non-functional light fixtures. Some other dishonorable mentions are: drawers not closing, huge gaps between the hotel room door and floor, horror movie beds, window views of HVAC units, and electrical outlets not working. To mitigate, I sometimes avoid new properties or rebranded ones. But perhaps all these shortcomings make an impeccable room feel even more special.
Housekeeping
I’ve received a consistently competent standard of housekeeping across the vast majority of hotel stays (I think my modest gratuities matter here). But that’s only when I actually receive housekeeping service. No matter how much I request it ahead of time and ensure the do not disturb tag is not on the door handle, will I actually receive it? It’s a roll of the dice every time. In my experience, the unpredictability is often attributable to the front desk.
We recently stayed a second time at a limited-service property which provided daily housekeeping on our first visit. I didn’t feel the need to actively request it at check-in for our second stay. The next evening after a day out, I discovered our room had not received housekeeping service. Here’s my memory of the conversation with the front desk agent:
Valet
Actually, one thing is predictable here – valet drivers probably can’t drive stick. Beyond that, I’ve had a variety of experiences here, anywhere from impeccable service from mid-tier properties to surprisingly bad ones with luxury chains in downtown locations.
Fitness Centers
Does my key card work at the fitness center? Will the equipment properly function? Will the fitness center even have power? And, if something isn’t working, can anyone in the hotel resolve it in a practical amount of time? These are matters you can’t be sure of until you visit.
Hotel Amenities and Services – Conclusion
Of course, more exist, but these are the five where I’ve felt the most uncertainty. Bigger picture, the vast majority of these are resolvable with a bit of action on my part, so no huge deal. But still, as paying customers (points or cash money), travelers shouldn’t have to overly experience such inconveniences. Nonetheless, I’ll keep trying my best to reconcile these surprises. Overall, I receive just as many (or more) pleasant experiences than unwelcome ones. At least, that’s what I’m telling myself.
What have you found to be the more unpredictable hotel services and amenities?
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On a recent stay at the Comfort Suites Amish Country Hotel in Lancaster PA., if you want new sheets, pillow cases or towels on a multi day stay, you must leave the old linens outside your door and stop by reception to pick up your replacements. I received a cookie cutter reply thanking me for filling out the survey and how they share this feedback with their employees. The only problem with the reply was they have replied to everyone that bothers filling out a survey the same way. I emailed the manager that wrote that reply that the response really didn’t address my concern. She followed up that the property has been doing this for about 5 years (Covid started) and that it was part of their “green” initiative. This doesn’t have anything to do with saving the planet. It has more to do with putting money towards the bottom line.
I have seen hotels charging hidden fees, the best one being a Residence Inn in the PWM area charging a parking fee in a public lot occupied by numerous businesses. The fee was refunded. How about both night stands with no light bulbs. You would think house keeping would pick these things up, but they don’t.
The best amenity I received happened this past weekend. It was at the Choice Black Bear Inn in Orono Maine. I am Platinum with Choice. I know that the amenity I received was because of my status, so some folks might not receive it. But it was simple and thoughtful and a great way of promoting my state’s attributes. I received a bag containing a bottle of Poland Spring Water, Genuine Maine Maple Syrup glazed Chex, a small bottle of genuine Maine bee’s honey and another small bottle of genuine Maine maple syrup. It was also the nicest property we stayed at on a 10 day driving vacation.
You only get one chance to make a first impression and many hotels are failing miserably at this, many still using the old “Covid” excuse to deliver less then average service and promised amenities.
Thanks for sharing your stories and perspectives, Bill!