Annoying fees

Old Aug 17, 2005, 4:12 pm
  #16  
 
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Originally Posted by prncess674
The majority of hotels cater to the business market who seem to have endless supplies of money. Being a wealthy person you are welcome to make choices but frankly by NOT ordering the club sandwich you really aren't hurting anyone and the hotels really don't care. Your protest of one isn't even a blip on the radar screen. The super wealthy individual traveller is few and far between and if they truely are that wealthy they usually pay for the $20 club sandwich if they want one.
In the luxury bracket, I often find a clear distinction between luxury properties (even those in cities) that are recreational properties and those that are business properties - Blakes/Dylan Amsterdam is one example. of a premium luxury hotel that sucks as a business hotel. But even in that type of a luxury hotel on a personal stay, I hate being taken advantage of by astronomical broadband internet prices, etc. BTW, I think you would be surprised at how many people (who are not millionaires) do pay for luxury travel on their own dime.
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Old Aug 17, 2005, 4:27 pm
  #17  
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Originally Posted by grumbler
BTW, I think you would be surprised at how many people (who are not millionaires) do pay for luxury travel on their own dime.
I didn't say they didn't exsist. I am not a millionaire and enjoy luxury personal travel.

It the same point in going to a fancy restaurant. Part of the $20 club sandwich is service even if it is room service. If I order a club sandwich from the Ritz-Carlton I expect it to be served on a white linen covered wheeled table, along with a votive candle, fresh flowers, etc. If I order a club sandwich from the Hampton Inn for $6.95 I expect very little.

I wouldn't go into Morton's steakhouse and say that I could go buy that slab of meat at the local butcher for $10. Part of the $40 steak price is SERVICE.

HSIA was originally installed for the business traveler who could expense the cost. However, many personal travelers now have laptops and I think with time HSIA may become a free amenity.
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Old Aug 17, 2005, 4:41 pm
  #18  
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I think it is value for money which is key..... I may order a $20 club house sandwich but usually I need to order fries or salad with it, say another $5.00, but with the tray charge, taxes, and service charges, a $25 meal charge plus tray charge of roughly $5 make this a $40 meal.

Most certainly a business traveller can expense it but that does not change the fact that this is a rip-off -- someone else is still getting stiffed for it.

Interestingly, at One Aldwych Hotel in London a mini-bar 200mL Diet Coke is 2. At the Lobby Bar, itis a 1.90 plus service. The same mini-bar Diet Coke at the Dorchester and Lanesborough was over 4. There is gouging and there is fair pricing -- at least some hotels, while not cheap, charge an amount that is reasonable for the amenity they provide.

Another pet peeve is the $9.00 first minute long distance phone call charge at many NYC hotels..... simply outrageous
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Old Aug 17, 2005, 10:07 pm
  #19  
 
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While I appreciate that nickel and diming guests in luxury hotels is a very bad move, I thought I would give you the point of view of a hotelier. The F&B department of most luxury hotels is often run at a loss in countries where wages are above slave labour level. I will not bore you with extract of departmental P&L accounts, but suffice to say that it costs a great deal of money to keep staff level in relation to guests expectation( there is a lot involved in a simple club sandwich, from the guy who takes your order to the laundry staff who will clean your napkin). Believe me the chap who sells the $6.95 club sandwich is probably making more money on it than the RC or FS on its $20 one. That said I am the first one to complain about exhorbitant telephone charges because once you have amortised the equipment the running costs are peanuts. So I think that what luxury travellers can complain about is the quality of the service associated with the item, if your club sandwich is perfect, served on nice china and with a smile then tip the poor guy who delivered it and enjoy.
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Old Aug 18, 2005, 6:13 am
  #20  
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Is the $500+ per night rate per night not enough to offset the loss that the F&B department faces on keeping a few extra staffers around? That, to me, doesn't justify the price - and I'm not just talking about food here either. Phone charges, internet charges, etc. are a pain too.
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Old Aug 18, 2005, 6:34 am
  #21  
 
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What really bothers me is the hotels that bill themselves as having such great service and then nickel and dime you for all of the little things that make up that service. I stayed at the Peninsula Beverly Hills with my mother last January, paying about $500 for the room for one night. Hotel was lovely, service was lovely, and upon checking in, we were asked what newspaper we would like in the morning (open ended question, no options given). I said I would like the Washington Post "if you have it." The gentleman at the desk said that he wasn't sure if they had the Post, and I said that was fine, and if they didn't I would take a NY Times. In the morning, there was a NY Times outside our door, so I didn't think anything else of it until we were leaving the room to check out and I saw that there we had a second newspaper - a photocopy of the Washington Post. Well, upon checkout, there was a separate $5 charge for the photocopied Washington Post. Not enough to fight over in the grand scheme of things, but it left a bad last impression of the hotel.
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Old Aug 18, 2005, 10:44 am
  #22  
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Originally Posted by oliveANDatwist
While I appreciate that nickel and diming guests in luxury hotels is a very bad move, I thought I would give you the point of view of a hotelier. The F&B department of most luxury hotels is often run at a loss in countries where wages are above slave labour level. I will not bore you with extract of departmental P&L accounts, but suffice to say that it costs a great deal of money to keep staff level in relation to guests expectation( there is a lot involved in a simple club sandwich, from the guy who takes your order to the laundry staff who will clean your napkin). Believe me the chap who sells the $6.95 club sandwich is probably making more money on it than the RC or FS on its $20 one. That said I am the first one to complain about exhorbitant telephone charges because once you have amortised the equipment the running costs are peanuts. So I think that what luxury travellers can complain about is the quality of the service associated with the item, if your club sandwich is perfect, served on nice china and with a smile then tip the poor guy who delivered it and enjoy.
But isn't this why many hotels add on automatically a hefty gratuity for the guests convenience?? I have seen a low of 12.5% to 18% gratuity added, not to mention at some hotels tray/cover charges...... however, I can understand that keeping good staff levels high to meet customer expectation is expensive, especially in markets like Paris and New York..... . While it doesn't take the sting away it is nice to have a club sandwich while checking FT, watching tv and enjoying the city/resort scenes from your hotel room once in awhile......
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Old Aug 18, 2005, 11:32 am
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It's not rocket science - if a hotel could build the costs that people have referred to above (F&B service, internet, etc.) into the rate, I suspect that people would be less fussed, because you know what you are getting up front and avoid the incidental annoyance.

And I agree with a previous poster - as many luxury hotels are tacking on service charges to the nightly rate, additional incidental charges are harder to swallow.

Having said this, I have happily bought the 2 quid coke at One Aldwych in the past !
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Old Aug 18, 2005, 11:38 am
  #24  
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Originally Posted by grumbler
Having said this, I have happily bought the 2 quid coke at One Aldwych in the past !
Me too!! They clear out all the regular Coke and stock Diet Coke for me now.....
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Old Aug 18, 2005, 5:04 pm
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Originally Posted by grumbler
It's not rocket science - if a hotel could build the costs that people have referred to above (F&B service, internet, etc.) into the rate, I suspect that people would be less fussed, because you know what you are getting up front and avoid the incidental annoyance.

And I agree with a previous poster - as many luxury hotels are tacking on service charges to the nightly rate, additional incidental charges are harder to swallow.

Having said this, I have happily bought the 2 quid coke at One Aldwych in the past !

Your first comment is absolutely accurate. There is no such thing as a free lunch. The properties that offer a lot of "freebies" recover it in some other way. I personnaly learnt that lesson in my previous life as a menswear retailer, we built up the cost of alterations in the price while other stores would hammer you with a 5 charge to take your trousers up, the goodwill we got out of it was amazing. In the property I am currently developping, we have adopted an all inclusive system. The rack rate is stiff and we offer no discount but one gets the best of everything from Smythson stationnery to Vve Clicquot on tap. I can do this because we are a boutique property, larger chains despite their ambitions of exclusivity are still governed by price points and competition. Eg: The Shangri La can't raise their rack rate in Manilla in order to offer some freebies because they still will be compared to the Pen or other simillar properties. One way they circumvent this is by the introduction of Club floors, Horizon floors etc.
Mind you, not all boutique properties see it this way, I want to visit North Island in the Seychelles and I was horrified to see that depite being probably one of the top 5 most expensive hotels in the world, their all inclusive formula includes alcoholic drinks but not...cocktails!! Now this is nickel and diming, because they have chosen an item they know people will crave on a tropical island. I have therefore decided to go there with my own shaker, I will order a gin, a dry vermouth and olives and lemons as nibbles and I will mix my own
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Old Aug 20, 2005, 2:50 pm
  #26  
 
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Originally Posted by oliveANDatwist
Vve Clicquot on tap.
drool...

where will this hotel be located?

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Old Aug 20, 2005, 3:42 pm
  #27  
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I was at Claridges earlier this year and upon check-in was asked what daily paper I would like at my door in the morning. I said either USA Today or IHT. Upon check-out, I saw a 5 daily charge for a newspaper. Wouldn't you think that 1) paying ~350 per night that a newspaper would be included or 2) they would actually say that they are going to charge you for it. That frosts my butt. (They took the charge off my bill eventually.)

I stayed at the IC Barclay in NYC. No laptop, wanted to use the computers in the Business Center. $30 an hour! I asked where the nearest Kinko's was and walked the three blocks to use theirs at $12/hour.

And these were both business trips. I don't mind paying a little extra, but don't insult me.
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Old Aug 20, 2005, 9:24 pm
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a 5 daily charge for a newspaper.

There it's not a case of nickel and diming but more obvious rip off. Shame as Claridge's is a great property and would do well not upsetting guests who by judging the rate you mentionned aren't discount hunters. The secret to a healthy balance sheet for a luxury hotel is in not dropping their rates, if they do even high occupancy won't save them. I hope that for that price the paper had been ironed first
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Old Aug 20, 2005, 9:28 pm
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Originally Posted by swise
drool...

where will this hotel be located?

I am glad you approve of our choice of Champagne. The property will open next year on a private island in Fiji.
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Old Aug 20, 2005, 9:55 pm
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I stayed at a 5* Hotel In Bangkok last week, 30 Minutes Internet access in the Club Lounge was [300 Baht]$6.50...Rack of Lamb, Lunch Special in their De-Luxe Steakhouse was also [300 Baht] $6.50...Go Figure.
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