Originally Posted by
Aisle Seat H
Its ridiculous, its cheap, its petty... but sadly (esp. in the current economic climate) I think this kind of behaviour is going to become more and more common.
Certain ICs really hate 'outside' RAs and don't see why a person who stays a lot at other ICs should be able (on their first ever night at their property) to book the cheapest room and then get given a suite, some gifts, and then down half the mini-bar. They want to reward their regular and high-revenue customers, who may actually stay loyal to their property cos of the perks, not reward people they may never see again.
I don't think this behaviour is going to become common.
Furthermore, chain hotels rely on regular chain customers and not that much on local regular customers. That's the entire concept of franchised hotels: IC guarantees a certain standard, world wide, including an elite programme and these points are reasons why I am fairly loyal to this chain. I know what I will get when I stay in some IC in a city I have never been to before. Breaching or working around the T&Cs I'm used to will get me quite annoyed and I will question my loyality to the brand in general, and especially to this certain hotel. If some IC hotels take away 'my' minibar beneft (or parts of it) and I don't know about it before making the booking, why should I trust the T&Cs at all? If there's arbitrariness of interpreting the T&Cs I can also discontinue any brand loyality and simply stay in some very good non-franchised hotel. Moreover, even if I always book the cheapst room (which I personally rarely do), I will generate quite some revenue for the chain as RA (maybe not the for the individual hotel where I only stay once).
I have cancelled my stay at the IC BKK for a simply reason: The last thing I want to do on my holidays is argue with some guy at the front desk. I just want everything to be fine and perfect, no arguments, no harassments, no tricky ways of the hotel screwing me over. And usually, I can be certain that any IC will provide me with a fine and perfect stay.
The other type of traveller you mention, "local", "frequent", "high-revenue", is probably loyal to this one hotel, but most likely not to the chain. Money is not very important and he choses to stay in mostly suites in very good and excellent hotels. One stay in the IC Amstel Amsterdam, but then rather at the Ritz in Berlin and the Savoy or MO in London. It's a different type of customer, and he also wouldn't care about paying ridiculous amounts of money for a 0.2 l bottle in the minibar. I, and probably most other people here on FT, would care and not buy the USD 50 (?) 0.2 l bottle of Black Label.
If a hotel does not care about RAs, then leave the chain. IHG says RA should have a disconcerning stay; go to their rooms, have a drink from the minibar to relax and don't worry about the cost. It's on 'us'.
Furthermore, I also doubt that many RAs nick the complete minibar. Why should I? Transporting, packing etc these bottles is just a nuissance imo. Also, emptying the minibar once per day by actually drinking it - very unlikely for a person with normal drinking habits.
Well, this topic apparently gets me ranting. Sorry.