InterContinental Hotels: Priority Club & Inter-Continental Ambassador - HI Portsmouth UK - opinions, is this misleading?

Currently staying in an 'executive' room at the HI in Portsmouth. Here's how they describe the 'executive' amenities:

Holiday Inn Portsmouth Executive Club Level

Step up to an Executive room for luxury decor, complimentary mineral water and chocolate bar. There's a minibar in your room and you can stay in touch with high-speed Wi-Fi Internet. Extra touches include a bathrobe and luxury toiletries. Unwind with pay movies on our new 37 inch flat screen TVs..

Premium Services
Drinks, complimentary


We were given one small bottle of water and a Kit Kat at check-in, they said it was a Platinum PCR gift. When I later queried how to get the complimentary drinks they said it was the bottle of water we already had! The description also implied to me that Wi-Fi would be free, it's not, they want £16 for 24 hours, the same as any other room in the hotel, so how is that a 'step up'? There's also no mini-bar and the decor is far from 'luxury'!

Currently staying in an 'executive' room at the HI in Portsmouth. Here's how they describe the 'executive' amenities:

Holiday Inn Portsmouth Executive Club Level

Step up to an Executive room for luxury decor, complimentary mineral water and chocolate bar. There's a minibar in your room and you can stay in touch with high-speed Wi-Fi Internet. Extra touches include a bathrobe and luxury toiletries. Unwind with pay movies on our new 37 inch flat screen TVs..

Premium Services
Drinks, complimentary


We were given one small bottle of water and a Kit Kat at check-in, they said it was a Platinum PCR gift. When I later queried how to get the complimentary drinks they said it was the bottle of water we already had! The description also implied to me that Wi-Fi would be free, it's not, they want £16 for 24 hours, the same as any other room in the hotel, so how is that a 'step up'? There's also no mini-bar and the decor is far from 'luxury'!

I have to say that although 'unfair'..this is a typical exec room style.

The bathrobes (I never use)..additional toileteries..(some shampoos etc...again I never use). The wifi thing is a bit touch and go.... although I have to say mentioning it kind of implies it comes with the room.

1st things first..talk to the duty manager...he/she may actually give a damn! If not...give guest relations a call NOW..specifically about the wifi...any manager that doesn't want to comp wifi to an unhappy customer needs their head looking at!

Unfortunately this is a standard for HI :(

The description given only says that there is WIFI in the room, it doesn't say that it is complimentary WIFi and the description is consistent with many hotels I have booked. Comparing with a standard room there it states "KEEP IN TOUCH WITH HIGH SPEED INTERNET AT THE DESK IN YOUR RELAXING GUEST ROOM" and nothing there that there is a charge

It also states that you receive "complimentary mineral water and chocolate bar" and you received a bottle of water and a chocolate bar.

Not having a mini bar in the room is poor given that it states that there is one

Dave

It also states that you receive "complimentary mineral water and chocolate bar" and you received a bottle of water and a chocolate bar.

But it lists in addition to those items 'Drinks, complimentary'. That is plural and implies to me rather more than one bottle of water worth 25p. The last HI I stayed at did have complimentary drinks in the fridge in their Executive rooms.

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Unusual to get free drinks in a UK HI - Derby Riverlights is the only one I can think of.

The usual ammenity for a UK Exec room used to be 2 bottles of water (still and sparkling), a kitkat and a can of Britvic orange juice, although I haven't seen the OJ recently.

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Unusual to get free drinks in a UK HI - Derby Riverlights is the only one I can think of.
The HI London Kingston South gives you a fridge with several cans of soft drinks, orange juice, water and 1 bottle of beer and a tin of Pringles!
It doesn't cost them that much but, amongst other things, ensures I will be returning time and again.

There's a minibar in your room and you can stay in touch with high-speed Wi-Fi Internet.

Some things are pretty ambiguous. For example, your idea of "luxury decor" might be very different from mine or that of the hotel manager but other things are pretty straight forward.

"There's a minibar in your room". Well, there's only two options there. Either A) there IS a minibar or B) there is NOT.

Personally, I find it interesting that both the minibar and the Wi-Fi are mentioned in the same sentence with no reference to either costing money or being complimentary and yet some people (not necessarily the OP) have interpeted that to mean "pay as you go" minibar and "free" Wi-Fi.

In my experience if something is free they will tell you so. It's a marketing thing. If it says "you may enjoy..." then it's something that costs an additional fee.

Years ago I auctioned off a weekend at an upscale hotel in Melbourne, Australia as a charity fundraiser. The weekend was comped by the hotel and in my promotions I directly quoted from the promo material the hotel sent me, which stated "you may enjoy use of our health club...". When the winning bidder checked in, they were told that the health club was not included. The bidder called me and complained, so of course, I contacted the hotel and I was told "The guest CAN enjoy the health club, just not for free...".

Yeah, it's a semantics game but isn't that what advertising is all about?