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My hotel is advertising that it has A/C, but it's not turned on...

My hotel is advertising that it has A/C, but it's not turned on...

Old Apr 5, 2019, 8:10 pm
  #1  
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My hotel is advertising that it has A/C, but it's not turned on...

Question for the day: I'm staying at an Embassy Suites at MSP, and the room is hot as hell. I tried to turn on the A/C, but it wasn't working, so I called down to the front desk, where they told me that it's a property that was built in the 50s, so it's a two-pipe system, meaning that everything is controlled centrally. In other words, until the hotel turns on the A/C for the hotel, they only have heat. They told me I can open the window, but I'm overlooking the highway, so the noise is an issue.

I pointed out that the website indicates that they have air conditioning, but they presented the unique argument that, "Well, we technically have air conditioning, it just isn't turned on." I'll give them credit for creativity here.

So here's my question: Am I nuts in thinking that if a hotel advertises A/C on its website, I shouldn't have to call them and verify that it will actually be turned on when I get there?

Mike
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Old Apr 5, 2019, 8:16 pm
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I can't sleep if it's >75F (at least with humidity where I am...) and sometimes even when its over 72 or so, and my sinuses would also get all blocked up pretty quickly. So I'd probably give a biased answer. I'd get a refund, not sure that hilton would do a walk if nowhere comparable priced.

You don't state how hot "hot as hell" is. If it's 80F or higher, I'd definitely get out of there myself.

HOWEVER... The above was applying where I was assuming you were staying somewhere hot. As I've investigated, I've seen that's not the case.
Does your room have windows that can be opened? If so, might you open the window some? Outside it is 47F in Minneapolis. Seems like you should be able to cool down the room unless they blocked all the windows. I have used windows to cool rooms in places before where the building had the AC off. It's more reasonable they'd have no AC on if it's 47 degrees, but I don't see how they'd do that if they didn't provide a means to cool things yourself (windows that can be cracked open).

Last edited by B3nder; Apr 5, 2019 at 8:34 pm
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Old Apr 5, 2019, 8:29 pm
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They do have windows, but I'm right over the highway, so it's crazy noisy. The Final Four is here this weekend, so there's nothing available in the area.

I should say that "hot as hell" for me is mid-70s, which is where we were. I've opened the window and blasted the TV so I can hear it (Sorry, neighbors.). They sent up some fans which, not surprisingly, are as noisy as the highway.

Truthfully, I got over it pretty quickly and am now more amused by the whole situation than anything else. Seriously, though, I wonder what else the hotel advertises that it has on site but doesn't actually work.

"You can now launch your own nuclear missiles from our hotel's missile silo, located right at the base of the atrium!"

followed by...

"I'm sorry, sir. We do have a missile silo, but nobody here actually has the launch codes. So no global thermonuclear war for you. How about a nice game of tic-tac-toe?"

Mike
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Old Apr 5, 2019, 8:33 pm
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Originally Posted by mikeef
They do have windows, but I'm right over the highway, so it's crazy noisy. The Final Four is here this weekend, so there's nothing available in the area.

I should say that "hot as hell" for me is mid-70s, which is where we were. I've opened the window and blasted the TV so I can hear it (Sorry, neighbors.). They sent up some fans which, not surprisingly, are as noisy as the highway.
Glad it's resolved. As long as the air from the heating is actually not still flowing into your room (and the windows are large enough), maybe the room will stay cool once it cools down and you can close the window to reduce noise.
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Old Apr 5, 2019, 8:37 pm
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If its really 47 degrees outside, then opening a window for awhile should cool it a lot. I assume you turned the heat off. Once the room is cool enough, shut the window. 75 degrees is not hot as hell...
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Old Apr 5, 2019, 8:43 pm
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Originally Posted by Jaimito Cartero
If its really 47 degrees outside, then opening a window for awhile should cool it a lot. I assume you turned the heat off. Once the room is cool enough, shut the window. 75 degrees is not hot as hell...
I'm one of those for whom anything 75+ is awful.

My wife, on the other hand, prefers it somewhere in the 80s.

We keep it at 70 and everyone's miserable, but truthfully, I have the trump card: If it's too cold, she can always put more clothes on, but if it's too hot, I can only take so many off, and trust me when I tell you that nobody wants to see that.

Mike
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Old Apr 5, 2019, 9:11 pm
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OMG - this is a troubling post. I was always under the impression these HVAC systems were only to be found in Europe and Asia. Didn't realize we had them here in the US.
Typically, based on the air pressure, simply opening the window (not even possible in some buildings) won't allow the outside cool air to flow in.
I feel for you - I sleep better when it's 70F or lower
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Old Apr 5, 2019, 9:50 pm
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We must be entangled by quantum strings or something. At the Embassy Suites in Savannah and going on 28 hours of no A/C in room...and our windows dont open, either, not that the 63 degree air outside would do much.

Ive lived in the Lower 48 for 7 years, but Im still an Alaskan at heart, and 74 degrees in our room just doesnt cut it.
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Old Apr 5, 2019, 9:59 pm
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Indeed it is extremely common for big buildings (both residential and office space) in Minnesota to have systems that switch between heat and AC in the spring and fall rather than the 24 hour on call (can switch back and forth at will) type. Exceptions seem to be luxury construction that's been built very recently.

However, I remember staying in a (IIRC four star) hotel in Italy around July 1 and it was hot, probably around 85F. Despite the hotel charging me an explicit extra fee for the AC, it wasn't operating and I was told that by law they weren't required to turn it on until July 15th.
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Old Apr 6, 2019, 6:15 am
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Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
Indeed it is extremely common for big buildings (both residential and office space) in Minnesota to have systems that switch between heat and AC in the spring and fall rather than the 24 hour on call (can switch back and forth at will) type. Exceptions seem to be luxury construction that's been built very recently.

However, I remember staying in a (IIRC four star) hotel in Italy around July 1 and it was hot, probably around 85F. Despite the hotel charging me an explicit extra fee for the AC, it wasn't operating and I was told that by law they weren't required to turn it on until July 15th.
I love Italy but its like a 3rd world country sometimes. I had an awful stay in Venice once in May where it was unseasonably warm, they gave us the same spiel on the AC and not needing to turn it on until June or July 15. The room was in the mid 80s and if you opened the windows you were blitzkrieged by mosquitos. 2 nights we didnt sleep, kept the windows open, and were hiding underneath the sheets.
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Old Apr 6, 2019, 6:28 am
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You sound like my New Hampshire relatives who think anything over 70 is 'wicked hot' so I had to chuckle. I do commiserate with you as I have been in that situation before, especially in the north or in Europe where they don't have the AC turned on yet but advertise AC.

To their credit, they did provide fans. I had a similar situation in Vienna (Hilton Stadtpark) during a warm spell in October and my room got pretty warm. They didn't have fans and suggested I open a window (which I had already done).

It finally got cool enough to sleep, but the room overlooked the Stadtpark. At about 3 AM, something got the ducks in the duck pond very upset and instead of loud highway noises (very annoying) I had to listen to an hour of duck drama.

Sounds like the Embassy Suites needs to modernize their 'climate control' system in that hotel so you can actually control the climate.

BTW, I am one of those guys that needs a blanket below 78 degrees (25 C). When I visit my cousins in NH for Christmas and they turn off the heat at night to sleep (and often crack a window), they will pile some more blankets on my bed.
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Old Apr 6, 2019, 10:05 am
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Thanks for posting this, mikeef. When you say the Embassy Suites at MSP, I assume you mean the Embassy Suites by Hilton Minneapolis Airport (which does overlook I-494). This had been on my list of hotels to visit in the Twin Cities area; I've removed it.
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Old Apr 6, 2019, 12:31 pm
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Same thing at the Hilton ORD Airport. They do provide fans on request but it isn't pleasant when you get a warm day in the cool season.
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Old Apr 8, 2019, 8:39 am
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Originally Posted by serpens
Thanks for posting this, mikeef. When you say the Embassy Suites at MSP, I assume you mean the Embassy Suites by Hilton Minneapolis Airport (which does overlook I-494). This had been on my list of hotels to visit in the Twin Cities area; I've removed it.
Yup, it's the one on 34th Street, about a mile from the Mall of America.

Okay, keeping in mind that I am a sample size of one staying during one of their busiest weekends of the year...

I'm never staying here again. Among the list of issues...

1) They're doing construction all day, which means that I can't be in my room during the day because of the noise. That may be a side-effect of an unlucky room, but it's awful.

2) Nobody picks up the phone at the front desk because they're understaffed. The night I checked in, the manager and FDC were working back-to-back shifts, overnight into morning. Generally, there's only one person at the front desk (and no more than two), so when you have a line of people and the phone is ringing non-stop, it creates issues.

3) The construction workers broke one of the elevators and sectioned off another for their exclusive use, so they were down from five elevators to three. In a full hotel, that creates long lines. We tried taking the stairs, but there's no interior door to the lobby.

4) On the plus side, when the standard internet service got so bogged down that it wasn't working, they gave me a code for free high-speed. So there's that.

Again, sample size of one on a busy weekend, so take it for what it's worth.

I will say that the location is outstanding. It is right next to the light rail, which gets you directly into the city, and about a mile from the Mall of America, if that's your thing.

Mike
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Old Apr 8, 2019, 8:52 am
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If you want Hilton family, on the other side of the Mall of America, there's another Embassy Suites, a newish Hilton, and a big Doubletree, all overlooking I-494, vaguely near the MN 100 and France exits (look for Bloomington in the hotel names) so these are far from the light rail. IIRC there's a newish Hampton Inn too in that area.
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