Annoying online hotel booking site inconsistency

Himeno

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2011
Posts
5,229
Why must it be so annoying to find a hotel with needed amenities?

One site can list a hotel as having something (for example, a guest laundry), then the next doesn't even have it listed on the filter to search for. Then when you go to the hotels official site, there is no mention of it.

There's been times where the only reason I knew the room had a fridge and microwave is because it was in the room photos on the hotels site. They were otherwise not mentioned anywhere.


I've found an example of a hotel (LAX area) where the hotel search sites say it has a free airport shuttle, while the hotel site says it's a paid shuttle (I stayed at this hotel last year and it was free).

Why must the hotels waste space on their sites listing things no one cares about, like "Ergonomic Desk Chair", and not mention things like access to a washing machine.
 
Desks are getting harder to find in hotel rooms, so I like seeing a listing with them in, however I agree Laundry is important, and I am wary when they say laundry vs guest laundry, I hate exorbitant charges for them to wash my clothes, often the underwear charge is dearer than buying a fresh pair.

One of the good things in recent years is the brand standard guest laundry at HIX and Hampton hotels, often at very low cost, HIX locally tend to be $2, although HIX BNE use heat pump driers that take forever. Another thing I like is accurate maps, linking to google is useless in China for instance, and I have found trip.com very good in that regard to the extent they will detail exactly how close a hotel is to the metro. In China there are many hotels that have a railway station in their name that are nowhere near that station.
 
My pet peeve is is deliberately checking for parking availability before booking and then finding out later
1. Only Valet parking at $75 (Sydney)
2. A paid generic off site public parking station (Adelaide)
 
We've all experienced hotels where the information on their website and/or booking site is incomplete or missing. But why list toilet paper is included when it's sometimes impossible to find our important details; e.g. Nespresso machine, separate shower, and so on.
 
We've all experienced hotels where the information on their website and/or booking site is incomplete or missing. But why list toilet paper is included when it's sometimes impossible to find our important details; e.g. Nespresso machine, separate shower, and so on.
Have you been looking at backpacker hostels by chance, where you might get loo paper but definitely not Nespresso machines ;)
 
I can definitely relate to this issue, as I once had a rather unpleasant experience because of it. I booked a hotel that, according to the description on the booking site, was supposed to be located near a popular district with plenty of entertainment, restaurants, and nightclubs. However, when I arrived, I discovered that the address listed on the site was incorrect because the street name had been changed and the hotel was actually in a completely different part of the city, far from the area I was interested in. In the end, I had to urgently search for another hotel closer to the district I wanted to visit as that was the main reason for my trip. Finding a suitable option at the last minute was difficult and I ended up spending much more money than I had planned. I also lost money on the first hotel because their cancellation policy required notice at least 48 hours before check-in. This experience taught me to always double-check hotel information not only on booking sites but also on maps or the hotel’s official website.
 
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