Welcome drink
 

Hi,

I would like to ask you about your "Welcome drink" experience.

I have received a welcome drink vouchers at for instance: Novotel Auckland, Pullman Auckland, MGallery Royal Beach Seminyak and MGallery Hotel Lindrum.

I have received a random drink during the check-in at Ibis Kuta Dewi Sri and Pullman Nirvana.

During my last stay in Mercure Melbourne Therry Street they gave me yucky artificially sweetened bottled orange juice as a welcome drink with the manager's note.

"The drink in the room is a Welcome Drink on arrival that we use at this property. As with some other properties this size of less than 75 rooms, we do not have a fully functioning bar set up and as such offer a beverage in the room. I will certainly take on the feedback on providing another option for our Le Club members."

They have a restaurant though on the level 9 and minibar, so I am not sure how it works.

I had wildly different experiences with welcome drinks. From vouchers explicitly saying "only soft drinks at bar X" (Sofitel Chengdu if memory serves right) to quite a good choice of drinks and wine at Pullman G Bangkok (they also served some nicely chilled fruit-juice upon check-in)... It seems to me that there's no general rule (alcoholic/non-alcoholic, choice/no choice of drink).

I have recently stayed at some very usual Ibis hotels and:
1) Ibis Styles Riga - was silver then - 2 drinks provided for 2 adults + small children
2) Ibis Bremen City - platinum - 6 drinks provided for two rooms with 4 adults and 2 small children (choice btw beer, wine or soft drink/water) + le club souvenires
3) Ibis Styles Riga again - platinum - no drinks provided, but upgrade to best room + chocolates for guests.

I've found it varies greatly in what is offered from hotel brand etc

At the Mercure Tokyo Ginza they offered cans of soft drinks as they apparently don't have a bar, they did offer two drinks which was nice

I'm not currently drinking alcohol but have noticed that at Novotel it varies greatly on whether you can get Spirits

I'm not a fan of places where I have to ask for a drinks voucher especially since in the UK at the moment mouse mats with the different le club benefits on them seem to be in fashion at the moment!

I've been very happy for the most part with the drink experience going back many years now at Euro Sofitels, and now at M-Galleries. I usually get to choose rather expensive high end whiskey's or Champagne, etc. At Novotel or Mercure, I don't expect anything more than a draft beer.

Mercure Canberra - 2 drink vouchers for glass of ordinary house wine (waitress suggested the red would be a bad idea), beer, soft drink at Bar or Restaurant
Novotel Canberra - 2 drink vouchers at Restaurant or Bar for beer, soft drink or any wine available by glass on menu - five whites, five reds a sparkling and a dessert wine ^

Needless to say, a welcome drink should universally have an alcohol option (unless you're staying in a 'dry' country).

It definitely should! However, as I previously mentioned - I received at Mercure Melbourne Therry Street a yucky bottled cheap artificially sweetened juice.

I am just wondering whether they have any policies behind that, because it looks that some hotels trying to choose the cheapest possible option.

Maybe water in the room should be considered as a welcome drink too? lol

where does it say welcome alcoholic drink?

I think it is up to the hotel to define what they want to give. I always throw away the welcome drink coupon :) It is one of the most "useless" benefit.

in my opinion the hotel should just give 1 free item from mini bar

Wiki for list of properties honoring welcome drinks
 

I think it's better for the mod to create wiki for list of properties honoring welcome drinks. I'm willing to do it but I don't know how to create such wiki :D (Sorry starflyergold)

Perhaps I could start by creating my own list; properties that honoring welcome drinks (since the new Accor T&C took places)
INDONESIA :
- Pullman Jakarta (welcome drink vouchers given; any drinks that you can choose on their bar menu) ^
- Mercure Jakarta Ancol (welcome drink vouchers given; any drinks that you can choose on their bar menu) ^
- Novotel Jakarta Gajah Mada (Welcome drinks vouchers were given; standard fruit punch given; no other options were given)
- Mercure Serpong Alam Sutera (no welcome drinks voucher; standard fruit punch given; no other options were given)
- All Seasons Jakarta Thamrin (no welcome drinks voucher but there are some lemon water on the receptions as welcome drinks)
- Ibis Serpong (Welcome drinks vouchers were given; can't recall what is the name of the welcome drinks, very standard; no other options were given)
- Novotel Semarang (no welcome drinks voucher; standard fruit punch; no other options were given)
- Novotel Palembang (no welcome drinks voucher; standard fruit punch; no other options were given)
- Ibis Semarang (no welcome drinks voucher & no welcome drinks given) :td:
- Ibis Styles Jakarta Mangga Dua ((no welcome drinks voucher & no welcome drinks given)) :td:
- Ibis Jakarta Senen ((no welcome drinks voucher & no welcome drinks given) :td:
- Mercure Surabaya ((no welcome drinks voucher & no welcome drinks given) :td:

LAOS
- Ibis Vientiane (no vouchers and no welcome drinks given). :td:

SOUTH KOREA :
- Pullman Ambassador Seoul (welcome drink vouchers given; you can choose anything from the menu as long as the price is under 18,000 Won or around 13 Euros/drink)
- Ibis Busan (welcome drink vouchers given; you can choose coffee, tea, or soft drinks).

TURKEY :
- Novotel Trabzon (no welcome drink vouchers given; but after being asked, I could choose any drinks from their menu)

Help to add on the wiki for you .

Singapore
- Grand Mercure Roxy Square - Welcome drink coupon for 2, choice of wine/beer/soft drinks at hotel bar

:eek: Done, feel free to add to the wiki everyone!

.....

Valid point but if you're paying a couple hundred dollars/pounds/euros the least they can do is offer you a drink.

Many hotels do not have a mini bar any longer, even some Sofitels