Annoying fees
Aug 21, 2005, 12:32 pm
#31
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Note that if you get a 'photocopied' newspaper, what you actually getting is a newspaper that has been downloaded and printed just for you from a PC, through the WorldNews service. My personal view that Ł5 is a great price to pay to get UK newspapers on the same day.
In Dubai this year, I was getting a UK paper at 9am in the morning local time when - back in the UK - all the shops would still be closed and I couldn't even buy one at home! And the hotel - Madinat Jumeirah - actually waved the charge for me because of the room class I was in, even though they had actually incurred a charge buying the paper from WorldNews on my behalf.
In Dubai this year, I was getting a UK paper at 9am in the morning local time when - back in the UK - all the shops would still be closed and I couldn't even buy one at home! And the hotel - Madinat Jumeirah - actually waved the charge for me because of the room class I was in, even though they had actually incurred a charge buying the paper from WorldNews on my behalf.
Aug 21, 2005, 2:53 pm
#32
Join Date: Feb 2005
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Resort Fee
And just what the *&^% is this Resort Fee? Fancy Beach Hotel Staff "Yes we know you think you've paid for the hotel in advance but now we will be charging you a compulsory $25 a day resort fee - for this you get to use the swimming pool and use the loungers and daily newspaper "
QC "Oh have you dropped your rates by $25 dollars a day"
Fancy Beach Hotel Staff "Well no sir, we actually put them up by 5% above inflation last year and introduced the compulsory resort fee - all as a result of repositioning ourselves to better focus on our customers needs, holistically"
This has to be the biggest legitimised scam going!!
Aug 22, 2005, 10:22 am
#33
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Newport Beach, CA, USA
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Originally Posted by oliveANDatwist
I am glad you approve of our choice of Champagne. The property will open next year on a private island in Fiji.Where in Fiji & how will it compare with Wakaya / Turtle / Vatulele? I believe Wakaya's champagne was free-flowing Veuve, will have to look at my photos.
I represented Kaimbu Island Resort for years - 3 Couples max, each in their own private bure, on their own private beach, our champagne was Dom (I actually prefer Veuve, but guests preferred the Dom name & knowing it cost more...), everything included - massages, diving, lobster & Dom picnics on teeny gorgeous private islands - incredibly luxurious & romantic, but sadly, closed by the new owners.
Aug 22, 2005, 4:06 pm
#34
formerly known as daveland
Join Date: Oct 2003
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Originally Posted by TMOliver
servers who have never heard of and can't prepare "iced coffee".
The great servers (who get the great tip!) will offer to improvise and apologize for not having brewed iced coffee "but I can do my best for you, sir" by pouring it over a full glass of ice. The lazy ones just say no, leaving me to inquire... "Do you have coffee?" Yes. "Do you have ice?" Yes. "Can I have a cup of each please?"
Aug 22, 2005, 4:19 pm
#35
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Austin TX
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Originally Posted by daveland
So nice to see someone mention this. I can never get over how many restaurant servers, especially in HOT countries or in the southern US, are just mystified by this request. I'm sitting outside for breakfast sweating, ask for a cool beverage to combat the heat, and the server just can't believe I don't want scalding hot coffee?
The great servers (who get the great tip!) will offer to improvise and apologize for not having brewed iced coffee "but I can do my best for you, sir" by pouring it over a full glass of ice. The lazy ones just say no, leaving me to inquire... "Do you have coffee?" Yes. "Do you have ice?" Yes. "Can I have a cup of each please?"
The great servers (who get the great tip!) will offer to improvise and apologize for not having brewed iced coffee "but I can do my best for you, sir" by pouring it over a full glass of ice. The lazy ones just say no, leaving me to inquire... "Do you have coffee?" Yes. "Do you have ice?" Yes. "Can I have a cup of each please?"
And many from the southern US wonder why those in the northern US and in Europe don't brew iced tea.
Aug 22, 2005, 4:43 pm
#36
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 675
Aghhhhh! Tell me about it. This morning I checked out of the hotel I was staying at through the weekend. They had the audacity to charge me for three toll-free 800 calls --- $2 per call!
I should have fought it over principle, but the trip was for business so I let it slide.
And those 3 toll free calls? All made to the reservation desks of rival hotels :-D
I should have fought it over principle, but the trip was for business so I let it slide.
And those 3 toll free calls? All made to the reservation desks of rival hotels :-D
Aug 22, 2007, 8:36 am
#37
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 217
To add to the rant:
Some Four Seasons will offer to "refill" your orange juice at breakfast which always seems like a good idea; but what you have just done is purchased a new orange juice for $7 or whatever it costs at that hotel.
Look out for that one. It was the single negative thing I experienced in my first stay at FS Marunouchi in Tokyko. A small amount of money, but enough of a "what the..." point to have stuck in my mind ever since.
[oops just spotted that this thread (which came up from a search) is 2 years old ... sorry for reawakening it!]
Some Four Seasons will offer to "refill" your orange juice at breakfast which always seems like a good idea; but what you have just done is purchased a new orange juice for $7 or whatever it costs at that hotel.
Look out for that one. It was the single negative thing I experienced in my first stay at FS Marunouchi in Tokyko. A small amount of money, but enough of a "what the..." point to have stuck in my mind ever since.
[oops just spotted that this thread (which came up from a search) is 2 years old ... sorry for reawakening it!]
Last edited by SP0; Aug 22, 2007 at 8:37 am Reason: oops
Aug 22, 2007, 9:20 am
#39
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 423
I've said this before and I'll say it again - this is what I love about staying at the Amans, absolutely no nickel and diming. Food and beverage is very reasonable for a resort, and various amenities and requests are supplied free-of-charge. Of course, never having to sign for anything is fantastic too. Contrast this to a Four Seasons resort in a similar location and the food is always outrageously priced, simple amenities are charged many times what they cost normally, and you have to sign for everything. While the room rates may be lower at certain FS resorts, in the end my folios have always come out more expensive than similar stays at an Aman.
Aug 22, 2007, 10:46 am
#40
Moderator: Luxury Hotels and FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Name names, eh? I just got my charge card bill and there on it was an extra $13.11 from the Trump in NYC. $8.11 was for a minibar charge that I didn't incur. But the extra $5? I handed them a fedex box on the way out which they accepted -- and then silently charged me $5 for the privilege of taking it.
I have challenged both charges. Aw heck, I am doing more than challenging them, I am telling them I am not going to pay. At $575++, they can post a fedex for me now and then.
I do not accept that even a midrange hotel is allowed to charge for accepting or posting mail or fedex. Subcontracting a "business center" in the lobby and telling you it is a separate business is not an excuse.
I have challenged both charges. Aw heck, I am doing more than challenging them, I am telling them I am not going to pay. At $575++, they can post a fedex for me now and then.
I do not accept that even a midrange hotel is allowed to charge for accepting or posting mail or fedex. Subcontracting a "business center" in the lobby and telling you it is a separate business is not an excuse.
Aug 22, 2007, 10:56 am
#41
Join Date: Apr 2007
Programs: SPG Gold, AA, BA, CO, and more
Posts: 45
We like going to San Ysidro Ranch for that reason - they are not petty. Sure the cottages are costly, but after that we found the extra costs were only on big tickets items, i.e. meals and spa. No they don't charge $8.99 for the 120z Perrier in your room...
On this topic:
I cannot stand resorts/hotels that are located in remote areas that charge $26/day for parking. Obviously a hotel in a major city has the right, space is an issue. But anyone with a parking lot on the property (esp those on Southern Cali)....comon! How else are we going to get there?!?
On this topic:
I cannot stand resorts/hotels that are located in remote areas that charge $26/day for parking. Obviously a hotel in a major city has the right, space is an issue. But anyone with a parking lot on the property (esp those on Southern Cali)....comon! How else are we going to get there?!?
Aug 23, 2007, 4:08 pm
#42
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: NYC, GIG
Posts: 334
Interesting discussion.
Charging for the internet is a pet peeve of mine. But what really upsets me even more is when the mechanism that the hotel uses to keep track of my usage interferes with my work. For example, the Caesar Park Ipanema charges roughly $20/day to connect to the internet, but that's not the worst of it. First, you have to call the business center and wait for somebody to be sent up to your room with a scratch off code that you enter into their own browser utility, which is not compatible with many browsers, and which signs you out and sends you back to their homepage if you linger too long reading a page. It is frustrating enough to be working while looking out at the beach, but forcing me to wait for a scratch off card, and then interfering with my work so that you can bill me an unreasonable amount of money, is simply maddening. While the scratch code is somewhat unique in my experience, the software toll-minders are not.
In 2007, the internet is simply expected in any business hotel, no less than I expect a desk or toilet. Customer minded places are strarting to understand that, and I am seeing more and more hotels dispose of the charges (although some keep the offensive software even when not charging (i.e. L'Ermitage Beverly Hills). Believe me, that I have frequently based decisions on where to stay based upon these sorts of things. These hotels are being penny-wise and pound foolish.
Charging for the internet is a pet peeve of mine. But what really upsets me even more is when the mechanism that the hotel uses to keep track of my usage interferes with my work. For example, the Caesar Park Ipanema charges roughly $20/day to connect to the internet, but that's not the worst of it. First, you have to call the business center and wait for somebody to be sent up to your room with a scratch off code that you enter into their own browser utility, which is not compatible with many browsers, and which signs you out and sends you back to their homepage if you linger too long reading a page. It is frustrating enough to be working while looking out at the beach, but forcing me to wait for a scratch off card, and then interfering with my work so that you can bill me an unreasonable amount of money, is simply maddening. While the scratch code is somewhat unique in my experience, the software toll-minders are not.
In 2007, the internet is simply expected in any business hotel, no less than I expect a desk or toilet. Customer minded places are strarting to understand that, and I am seeing more and more hotels dispose of the charges (although some keep the offensive software even when not charging (i.e. L'Ermitage Beverly Hills). Believe me, that I have frequently based decisions on where to stay based upon these sorts of things. These hotels are being penny-wise and pound foolish.
Aug 23, 2007, 11:37 pm
#43
Moderator: Luxury Hotels and FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Palo Alto, California,USA
Posts: 17,854
Interesting discussion.
Charging for the internet is a pet peeve of mine. But what really upsets me even more is when the mechanism that the hotel uses to keep track of my usage interferes with my work. For example, the Caesar Park Ipanema charges roughly $20/day to connect to the internet, but that's not the worst of it. First, you have to call the business center and wait for somebody to be sent up to your room with a scratch off code that you enter into their own browser utility, which is not compatible with many browsers, and which signs you out and sends you back to their homepage if you linger too long reading a page. It is frustrating enough to be working while looking out at the beach, but forcing me to wait for a scratch off card, and then interfering with my work so that you can bill me an unreasonable amount of money, is simply maddening. While the scratch code is somewhat unique in my experience, the software toll-minders are not.
In 2007, the internet is simply expected in any business hotel, no less than I expect a desk or toilet. Customer minded places are strarting to understand that, and I am seeing more and more hotels dispose of the charges (although some keep the offensive software even when not charging (i.e. L'Ermitage Beverly Hills). Believe me, that I have frequently based decisions on where to stay based upon these sorts of things. These hotels are being penny-wise and pound foolish.
Charging for the internet is a pet peeve of mine. But what really upsets me even more is when the mechanism that the hotel uses to keep track of my usage interferes with my work. For example, the Caesar Park Ipanema charges roughly $20/day to connect to the internet, but that's not the worst of it. First, you have to call the business center and wait for somebody to be sent up to your room with a scratch off code that you enter into their own browser utility, which is not compatible with many browsers, and which signs you out and sends you back to their homepage if you linger too long reading a page. It is frustrating enough to be working while looking out at the beach, but forcing me to wait for a scratch off card, and then interfering with my work so that you can bill me an unreasonable amount of money, is simply maddening. While the scratch code is somewhat unique in my experience, the software toll-minders are not.
In 2007, the internet is simply expected in any business hotel, no less than I expect a desk or toilet. Customer minded places are strarting to understand that, and I am seeing more and more hotels dispose of the charges (although some keep the offensive software even when not charging (i.e. L'Ermitage Beverly Hills). Believe me, that I have frequently based decisions on where to stay based upon these sorts of things. These hotels are being penny-wise and pound foolish.
Aug 24, 2007, 5:40 am
#45
Join Date: Feb 2002
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I certainly agree re: internet charges (especially in the fully wired western world). I am sitting at the Rittenshouse in Philly and it is free. Pens also seem to be free these days (at least in BKK).
Gym charges are also a pet-peeve. $35/day to use the locker room at the MO DC. $12-$15 to use the (admittedly great) gym at the RC DC. They cant seem to decide on the price. One week it's 12 another its 15.
Gym charges are also a pet-peeve. $35/day to use the locker room at the MO DC. $12-$15 to use the (admittedly great) gym at the RC DC. They cant seem to decide on the price. One week it's 12 another its 15.