ittboss

So we just got back from a wonderful trip to Italy with some beautiful SPG locations and an overall positive experience.

One thing is leaving us preplexed though. Anybody that travelled to Italy knows that a hot water urn (the ones that come standard in most hotel rooms to make coffee and the likes) is officially illegal in hotel rooms throughout Italy.

So it gets a little complicated when you need to make a baby bottle. Most locations were gracious enough that if they didnt have a SPG lounge which always has hot water then they would gladly send us hot water.

However we had a very bad experience that we would like to share and get some opinion about. I called Guest Services in the Sheraton Golf Medici to request hot water for the baby bottle. She kindly told me to go downstairs to the restaurant to and they can probably help me. So I went downstairs and was sent back to call guest services because they couldnt help me. I went back to the room and again called Guest Services telling her again that I needed to make a baby bottle and needed hot water. She explained that she understood and would speak to her "colleagues" (which I imagine is her supervisor) and she would call me back. Two minutes later she calls back saying that it would cost 6 EUR (room service fee).

Now is this a justifiable charge? I think its unreasonable to charge for something that for anyone with a bottle drinking baby is a nessecity. We wrote them a comment card but want to know what our fellow FTs think.

Thanks

room service

It is outrageous. It is also outrageous that no hotels have coffee pots in the room when all US Hotels have them. I now travel Europe on cruise ships where everything is included and priced in dollars.

djk7

I don't think that being "just like the US" is the goal of most of the rest of the world, and honestly, that is for the better.

Flying Lawyer

What tip would you have given in the US? European hotels pay their staff normal salary, so I clearly expect services to be charged by the hotel. US hotels pay at their staff the lowest end, so I clearly expect to tip. For me paying one way or the other it does not make a real difference. I agree, however, that this is not normal but in particular in Italy I expect ot be charged for everything in hotels and restaurants.

Flying Lawyer

And at least as outrageous as the fact that no US hotels provides proper elsterdowns when all German hotels have them, that US hotels do not provide German speaking TV channels and everybody in a US hotel expects to be tipped. Not to mention that US hotels in general do not provide any pumpernickel for breakfast.

It is really amazing how colourful this world can be - I enjoy it.

Jaimito Cartero

This is a bit of a situation. Was there no hot tap water in the room, or were you using purified water?

3Cforme

The hotel provided a service, especially for you. Hotels exist to charge for the services they provide.

One can argue that food is also essential (eventually) to all travelers. Yet hotels don't expect guests to seat themselves in a dining room, sustain themselves as needed, and head out without paying.

If you want self-serve utilities in the self-catering model - tea makers, micorwave ovens, mini fridges in room - plan stays accordingly.

Bondiboy

When quoted as a "room service charge" for delivery, I think that 6 EUR is a very reasonable charge.

From the hotel's perspective, the delivery of a warm bottle is on par with the delivery of a cold beer or a cup of coffee.

If you stay in top Italian hotels, you should expect to pay the usual charges.

sbtinme

On balance, I don't find 6 EUR to be unreasonable, either. However, fine hotels should also make some consideration for guests in situations like the OP's and see fit to not always charge for services as small as this one.

So, I'm split on this one. I don't think the 6 EUR fee is horrific, but I also think that it's a fee that should be waived as a courtesy.

oklAAhoma

Was that 6 Euros for one bottle's worth of hot water? If so, I agree with you that seems a bit pricey. But... I think the hotel was certainly justified in charging something for the service. To avoid such fees in the future, why not get a heating coil? Tea is a necessity to me, so I rarely travel without mine.

This comment reminded me of a colleague. Several years ago he relocated to Germany, but by the end of the first month he was ready to quit his new job and head back to the States. He was absolutely miserable because the food was different, the customs were different, and not enough people spoke English.

I enjoy it, too. One of the reasons I travel is that I find it fascinating - and educational - to see how the rest of the world lives. I'd recommend, however, that those who don't feel that way stay closer to home. If one expects to receive the services typically offered in US hotels, the best way to ensure that is to always stay in US hotels.

sc flier

I agree. When my wife and I travel together, we always take one of these with us. When we misplaced ours and needed to buy a new one a few years ago, we had trouble finding them in any stores. (Even the link above to Magellans' says, "Temporarily unavailable.") When asking for them in stores, it seemed as if many people knew what they were but did not know where to find them or even what to call them. "Heating Coils" is one name. More common, I think, is "Immersion Heater." Amazon.com and eBags.com have them. Some hardware stores have them; I guess they are popular at construction sites?

One of ours stopped working this year -- puzzling to me since the product is so simple. I'm not sure if it was the new one or the old one. The one from Magellans comes with an adapter for Europe. Most do not. Among the two SPG hotels in Spain where we used one, both had US plugs available anyway.

We sometimes encounter a hotel in which they don't have a suitable glass or mug in which to heat the water. So pack such a container with it, if that's a concern.

We mainly use it for instant oatmeal and travel with some lightweight bowls and spoons. Our whole kit stays together so it's always ready for our next trip. Even in the US, we dislike using many in-room coffee makers to heat water for oatmeal or tea. If the design requires running water through the filter basket, it's bound to smell like coffee. If not, I still don't have much faith in the pot being particularly clean.

Even if it's within the hotel's right to charge for such service, I also think that 6 Euros is discourteous -- especially after the runaround among staff and departments.

oklAAhoma

I apologize. I didn't notice that disclaimer.

You make a good point regarding the more common name for them and thanks, too, for pointing to sites that currently have them available.

^^

Rambuster

EUR 6 for hot water is a bit pricy indeed ! (perhaps it was Perrier?)
Why couldn't they help in the restaurant ? Surely they could have organised hot water in the kitchen ?

ittboss

The point of this thread is not to demand that hotels meet all their clients needs free of charge, however it is to bring out a an important point. Certain situations should get different responses. To answer your question, if a hotel cannot offer boiling water in the room then they should at least have a designated area where boiling water can be found(just like an ice machine). And although you might say that hotels do not have to fill this responsibility then the least they could have done in my situation was to send it up on a complimentary basis based on the circumstances.

To make a baby bottle you need boiling water just like a tea.

You might be right but that is not my point here. As a proper and high rated hotel they should have taken the circumstances into consideration. It might be my fault (which I truly believe is not, proof:why do they feel the need to let everyone know, with a sign in each room, that the reason they have no boiling water is because of police regulations) but with a crying baby in middle of the night and a gentle explanation to the staff they should have responded differently.

craz

How much was a cup of tea? after all that too is but hot water along with a 5 cent tea bag

Its probably more for the room service then anything, it would have been nice if they gave it to her at the restarurant, but once RS has to do it there are mins that are charged.

Wonder if the OP asked the MOD for it to be removed?