lily23

Adding a recent trip report! I had a great stay for two nights at the end of December. Received a suite upgrade at check in, I think it was one of the presidential suites but not sure exactly which one but either way it was a good amount of space. Breakfast was taken in the ground floor restaurant - hot items/buffet were available. The lounge was also open in the evening for drinks and snacks (mini spring rolls, vegetables and dip, hummus, etc.). Overall, I would definitely return to this hotel - I have previously stayed at the GSY and also liked it, but I prefer this location more along with the larger rooms and fairly reliable suite upgrades. As others have mentioned, taking the HEX then a short taxi ride is super convenient and had me at the hotel from Heathrow in ~30 minutes, and I love the Mayfair area.

Colin

i always just walk from Paddington - feels great after a dozen hours on a plane

porciuscato

I just checked out today. I was about to walk away but decided to ask for a printed folio. The clerk then unexpectedly said, "The hotel automatically adds a 3% donation to the bill. I can take it off if you want." Really!!!??? IOW, if I had just walked away, I would never have known about this extra charge....

I have no problem donating to legitimate charities (and I don't even know if this one's legitimate). This practice is extremely deceitful. I will not return to this hotel. If they're dishonest about this, who knows what else they're dishonest about.

EuropeanPete

This sounds like the discretionary service charge mentioned elsewhere rather than “donation”. If so, the rebranding of it as something it’s not would be a new low and even less legally defensible than a service charge which one might assume doesn’t get processed as such.

m0hamed

As above, a donation is to a registered charity and tax deductible. This needs to be challenged.

*wood used to automatically add $1USD ‘donation’ to UNICEF. The funds did indeed go to UNICEF, but it was *wood who claimed the deduction. It was also an opt out which would now be illegal in many jurisdictions that require you to actively opt in.

lesteryen

I just read the policy page of the Hyatt Regency London The Churchill website (https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/en...lonch/policies), and it said:

Please note that a discretionary service charge of 5% will be added to your Accommodation bill.

PortlySpartacus

This is what I posted about a few days ago here : What the hell is this? 5% Discretionary Service Charge - hidden fee!! - FlyerTalk Forums

It's not just The Churchill, I got the same note in my confirmation email at Great Scotland Yard as well. And its not just Hyatt, apparently its higher end London hotels following this practice.

porciuscato

So, I guess I'll post one-star Trip Advisor and Yelp reviews, just like I do for hotels with sleazy "destination fees." If everybody does that, this odious and deceitful practice might stop.

JIMCHI

I just looked at a confirmation I have for a future stay and it's not mentioned. Also created a mock reservation and nowhere is it mentioned. ??????

PortlySpartacus

It's hard to find it but I was able to confirm that the 5% discretionary fee is mentioned before booking. On the Hyatt website when you select the hotel and dates and are presented with the various room types there is an informational text box at the top of the screen. Its marked with a small letter "i" surrounded by a circle.

Below the letter 'i' you have to click on "Read More". Then the text box expands and you will see the text describing the 5% discretionary fee. This is not how I found it however. I only noticed it when I received the confirmation email and in the Note section of the email it listed the 5% fee.

PortlySpartacus

Here is an image....

777 global mile hound

I’m going to add a 10% discretionary discount for guest checkout in return

Aventine

That’s really shady of them.

PortlySpartacus

I thought the exact same thing when I was informed about the 5% fee. Normally, I consider myself very aware to looking for extra charges and hidden fees, this one slipped by me completely and I was not happy. As others have pointed out its 'discretionary' so just ask to have it removed. But to me its the sneakiness of how this is being implemented and with no idea what the 5% is being used for. I do not think this is an ethical practice in my opinion.

porciuscato

For reference, here is what it looks like when you book. I see absolutely no reference to the "discretionary fee" and it is definitely not included in the total. I thought this was illegal in the U.S., where I booked it.....