Pet Hates/What annoys you about hotels?

[Daggs01]

What is supposed to be scrambled eggs but is yellow muck.

Surcharge really WTF.

10% tourism fee and/or 6% service charge on a $6 can of coke.

Noisy air conditioner.

Surcharge.

Process to obtaining a copy of tax invoice which should be emailed to me at check out.

Asking me to complete a form due to privacy regulations to obtain a copy of my invoice. What privacy regulations? Especially when Hilton Brisbane, Cairns and Parmelia Perth do not ask for the form when you email them. Go Hilton Surfers Paradise. Chumps.

coughpy software that controls the TV.

Novotel Melbourne on Collins. Only stayed their once which was once too many.

Air conditioning controllers or other LCD screens with extremely bright lights that you can't turn off.

****ty power points.

 

[Ansett]

Are we all as regular travellers just becoming Grumpl Old men?

Or are we tired of cost cutting and lack lustre service when paying premium rates?

I hate to say but I do enjoy several Hotel chains in the UK that are economically priced, consistent in presentation, quality and service. Sometimes I just want a comfortable bed and a good nights sleep.

We used to have a good reputation for our hotels here in Australia, what happened?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Are we all as regular travellers just becoming Grumpl Old men?

Or are we tired of cost cutting and lack lustre service when paying premium rates?

I hate to say but I do enjoy several Hotel chains in the UK that are economically priced, consistent in presentation, quality and service. Sometimes I just want a comfortable bed and a good nights sleep.

We used to have a good reputation for our hotels here in Australia, what happened?

I agree! I stayed at a Tavelodge in london - covent garden - coughpy exterior, staffed by students, but the rooms were large, spotless, and beds were comfortable! For GBP39 a night it beat the pants off some of the dodgy Earls Court/Paddington so called 'hotels'.

 

[RWJ777]

I absolutely hate it when, despite there being a DND sign on the door, the housekeeping/mini-bar staff let themselves into the room anyway.

I think that that would cause me to ring the duty manager and complain with some ferocity.

 

[dcm]

* Only one breakfast option -- the $30 buffet -- when all I want is a slice of toast and a cup of tea. Which means I go without entirely, or find someone else to eat.

I hope you find your toast and tea; anything to avoid cannibalism!

 

[Mal]

I think that that would cause me to ring the duty manager and complain with some ferocity.

A mitigating factor is that at times other guests steal or flip dnd signs. Have certainly experienced that.

 

[Berlin]

Their marketing is aimed at getting people to accept 10am as a normal check out time when 12 used to be the norm

...so then they can charge you through the roof for a "late checkout until 12 noon" or generously offer you the "late" checkout as a high tier chain guest... Seems to be pretty much an AU/NZ thing though, pretty much like the idiotic credit card surcharge: I noticed that in the states a 12 noon checkout is still firmly the standard and there never ever is a surcharge for credit card use (not in Europe either as far as I can recall).

 

[Mal]

(not in Europe either as far as I can recall).

Holiday inn has a credit card surcharge in the UK, but yet to experience it elsewhere in Europe.

 

[Pvcmenace]

Cabinetry either too tight or inadequate ventilation for the refrigerator to work properly or overly hard nothing worse than a mildly cold beverage or overworking power guzzler.

 

[markis10]

We used to have a good reputation for our hotels here in Australia, what happened?

Flag Inns became (not so) choice hotels while consumers taste for instant coffee declined yet desire for gadgets/ online access & interaction increased.

 

[Grooba]

Cabinetry either too tight or inadequate ventilation for the refrigerator to work properly or overly hard nothing worse than a mildly cold beverage or overworking power guzzler.

Many hotels specifically turn the refrigerator to it's warmest setting to save power costs. One of the first things to do when checking in is to switch the fridge right back down to its coolest.

 

[eastwest101]

1. Credit card surcharges
2. Power points mounted at such a low floor level as to prevent any typical charger from fitting in.
3. The showers that have a 1 micron tolerance between scalding hot and freezing cold water temperature
4. "Water saving" shower heads (FFS the idea is to get wet and wash yourself!)

 

[coyote25]

When any busines card or the like will often do the trick just as well!@

Hey I thought I was the only one who knew how to get around the restriction

 

[Berlin]

3. The showers that have a 1 micron tolerance between scalding hot and freezing cold water temperature
4. "Water saving" shower heads (FFS the idea is to get wet and wash yourself!)

Those two issues are often connected. I know that since bloody strata decided to force us to install one of those cough things at home. And now we waste endless amounts of water trying to find the right temperature :evil:

 

[Trashy]

*making me practically re-write War and Peace to register. You already have my credit card details so if I trash the room to the point you need the police, they can certainly find me without an extra form
*card wallets. What's the point? Save a tree.
*blocks on credit cards
*giving only 1 card when the room has a slot to put the card in to get the electricity going. I travel alone bu I like 2 cards so I can leave 1 in the slot to keep the aircon going.
*high Internet charges
*bedspreads you just know are never washed
*poor water pressure and/or water saving heads
*showers I have to continually turn a circle under to try and get wet
*a shower over bath where you have to duck in to the water stream to pull a knob to change the water from the bath tap to the shower rose. I don't always want to get my hair wet and the hotel shower caps are useless
*showers with the levers rather than taps, resulting in either freezing or burning depending on a turn of one millimetre
*organising a late checkout yet housekeeping let themselves in to the room without knocking at 5 past the normal checkout hour
*tiny bath towels
*shower over baths in general, particularly with no grab rails to assist getting in and out (I had knee surgery not all that long ago)
*shower curtains...honestly people, get with the times and put in glass doors
*toiles directly facing a mirror. I don't want to watch myself doing my business!
*a room with only a bed and possibly a desk or dining chair (ie no lounge option)- I don't often use it but it is nice to have a choice
*overpriced mini bar and room service
*limited dining choices
*having a "please make my room up ASAP" sign on the door early in the morning and it still not being made up around 4 when I return for my mid-afternoon rest (and dropping off of shopping)
*poor lighting- a light in the hallway, and then free-standing bedside lamps doesn't cut it
*non-intuitive location for light switches
*poor access to power points, particularly near the bed as I use my iPhone as my alarm
*beds with only one pillow on each side and no spare, or only 1 spare... I travel alone and use 2 pillows on each side of the bed. Due to rolling back and forth I manage to take up the whole bed and am guarenteed to wake up if I roll on to one pillow
*non-white sheets and towels meaning they can't be bleached. The stains I've seen *vomit*
*no compendium of services in the room
*not replacing toiletries I have used (*cough* have souvineered for my mum) throughout my stay
*parking costs
*A/C that barely cools... I want to get the room to 16-17 degrees so I can snuggle in and get a good nights sleep
*in-room motion sensors...why?!
*crazy movie costs- often more than you would spend to buy it on dvd
*advertised cable tv which includes CNN, 3x sporting channels, and a kids channel
*remote country motels that quite possibly are the kind of establishment to rent rooms by the hour... I still shudder.
*checkout staff not asking how the stay was so I can provide the above feedback


I don't actually stay at hotels all that often compared to many of you!!

 

[MEL_Traveller]

trashy - feel better now

re the shower over bath and ducking under the stream... use your foot

 

[docjames]

In no particular order:
Rooms that are too dark
Rooms that are too noisy
Uncomfortable bed
Poor shower pressure
Poor checkin/checkout experience
Stupid minibar pricing

There's more but that will do for now.

 

[michaelj]

I have not read the entire 14 pages of this thread so please forgive me if this is already covered......

The original post complained about irons and I second that. There is nothing worse than having 1 clean shirt left and the cheap iron puts a whopping great stain on it first thing in the morning!

 

[jastel]

Agree with lots of these, though dont use hairdryers, irons, robes, coffee etc but would like some vending machines like Japan, not paying you $9 for a coke or choocolate
Another thing is the location of the toilet roll, its either 2m infront of you on the back of the door or behind you on the wall...WTF

 

[Astroboi82]

Unexpected charges (like when you pay for a 3 room suite and then are told you have to pay for parking extra)
Bad A/C that dosnt work or is so poor it may as well not !
Rude staff / poor service in general