cyberdad

I seem to recall paying for drinks in the CL last summer. Maybe not.

Anyway, we were upgraded to a suite (for an MR points stay), and it was indeed massive (if a bit "worn"). Complete with a great view of Hyde Park!

SkiAdcock

Well bummer on this trend...wonder if they're going to implement it worldwide at all FS properties.

Given GH is going to be the new JW & the flagship product w/in Europe, I'm actually a bit surprised it's going to charge. Folk who stay there on high rates probably won't want to be charged for booze in the exec lounge - a bit of nickeling & dimeing one would think.

When I stayed there last year I met a millionaire who owns a football team & he stays there frequently & always in suites. I can just about imagine his response if they give him the honor card to sign Granted, he can afford it but if you're there a few weeks at a time in a paid suite having to ante up a few quid for booze in the exec lounge given the price of the room, seems just a bit tacky.

I'd prefer to go to the exec lounge & have a glass of wine or two before going out, but I can buy a bottle for the cost of one drink given the 2-1 exchange rate right now. So looks like having a drink in my room will become the new modus operandi - sigh.

FWIW - and changing cities, currently the AMS Marriott only charges for hard liquor in its exec lounge. Wine & beer is still free. They've gone back & forth on this last few years, so no idea if it will stay. I think I heard the AMS Ren charges; never stayed there so can't confirm that.

Cheers.

ExecPlatinum_Lord

I felt me ears burning today... "go read the Marriott forum... go read the Marriott forum".

Although not big drinkers of booze - we did notice slips of paper at CH in the exec lounge for the beer/wine in the evening hours. Although, to be honest - the lounge wasn't staffed after 8pm or so... ;-) Really an HONOR system there!

Our biggest "take-away" were the mini cans of diet pepsi and sparking water back to room. Beats the high cost of the mini-bar.

And -- if you're a cigar smoker... never, ever buy a cigar in the bar/lounge... they've got a hefy markup compared to what you can get on the street (Shaftsbury ave has 2 nice merchants we used -- can't recall their names tho).

SkiAdcock

ExecPlatinum_Lord, was the booze still available after 8pm at CH?

I know at Park Lane when I stayed there they watched you like hawks for the 'honor' system - quite frankly I felt more like someone being accused of stealing than a guest being welcomed. It was one of the reasons I switched to Grosvenor House the next year.

While I might not be thrilled about some Marriott hotels charging for booze in the exec lounge, I'm less apt to stay at them when I'm followed & made to feel like a criminal.

BTW - be careful. I'm sure the take-aways (water, diet pepsi) will be next on the list for charging! Get them while you can.

Cheers.

ExecPlatinum_Lord

Yep - booze was still out with the honour bar chit sheets to fillout - during the few times we checked and loaded up on the mini-cans of diet pepsi were close to midnight (when it officially closes, but there have been times we've padded down to the lounge in our socks at 130am - and our keys still work)...

hhoope01

I like the 24 hour access to the CL. That is very nice. I have noticed that a lot of the non-US hotels keep their CLs open all day, where more of the US based hotels seem to close and lock them except during the breakfast hours in the morning and afternoon hours. But haven't thought to try and get in after the "official" closing time.

jerseyfinn

A few axioms from Economics 101 says that people have limitless wants/desires; resource is finite; and, there's no such thing as a free lunch. No surprise that any hotel chain's exec lounge requires cold hard cash for booze or works on an honors system.

Ideally, it would be nice if booze were free, but it's not and life goes on. Soft drinks are complimentary, and the rest you pay for. I do agree that the 2:1 exchange rate combined with already inflated UK prices makes a drink in any of these hotels a pricy affair.

If one's staying at Chancery Court, there's a pub just the other side of the street on Kingsway near Fisher St. with pints for £1.5. Also a couple of nice pubs near Marriott Marble Arch on Seymor Place just off of George Street. I'm sure one can find similar venues near most any of the Marriotts. Makes travel even more of a memorable journey/experience.

That's my take anyhow.

Barry

SkiAdcock

Using your logic Barry, shouldn't they also then be charging for sodas & bottled water? Why just booze? Also there are other hotel chains where booze is still complimentary in the exec lounges (Hilton being one in multiple countries). With Marriott that appears to be disappearing.

I'm not surprised about the booze charges, but disappointed (the exchange rate is our problem, not the hotel's). I'm sure they're looking at it from a revenue point of view rather than a service point of view.

Given the GH will become the flagship in Europe, I think it's a bit of nickel/diming for that particular property. And if a hotel was looking at their own revenue vs overall chain, I know the reason the FTer who stayed there last weekend (everything else was the same) chose GH over PL specifically cuz GH offered free booze, so GH got the hotel revenue rather than PL. And it probably only cost them a couple quid of booze to get the room revenue.

And LOL - I've noticed that when folk have to pay for their drinks in the lounges, those glasses get filled up to the rim rather than probably a more normal size drink, so they're getting revenue but probably going through more of the stuff than they might have otherwise

Also maybe they want to drive business to their own bars? Usually the exec lounge is limited in terms of offerings. Obviously when it's free you drink what they offer. If you have to pay for it, might as well head down to the bar where there's a better choice.

Oh wait - but the bar wouldn't have the munchies that are normally out too in the exec lounge. Hmm, food is a cost - why are they offering free munchies - maybe that will be the next part charged?

Anyway, sorry to hear that they're all (Marriotts in UK anyway) switching to paid booze. Means one more thing to pack.

Thanks for the updates everyone! Cheers.

jerseyfinn

. . . Using your logic Barry, shouldn't they also then be charging for sodas & bottled water? Why just booze? Also there are other hotel chains where booze is still complimentary in the exec lounges (Hilton being one in multiple countries). With Marriott that appears to be disappearing . . .

Actually, no.

Economics is presumably about rationalization of market/consumer behavior into predictable patterns ( my own opinion is that this is BS but there is some truth mixed in with the gobbly-gook economic speak ).

Booze simply costs more than soda, juice, or water and that's why hotels are increasingly cost conscious. Throw in the bean counters and share holders pushing for higher corporate profits/earnings, and toss around a few litigious-oriented folks who will have a drink or two and blame the hotel if they stumble or flush their dentures away in a drunken frenzy, and there's all sorts of additional reasons to put booze on the high shelf out of easy reach in the lounges.

Unfortunately, this sort orf reigning in of resources creates a salutory effect of diminishing good will by those elites who simply want to enjoy a drink or two in the solitude of the executive lounge. Truth be told, these lounges are not too well stocked since you don't want folks living in the lounge. Even this is not an unusual practice -- a crowded restaurant will turn up the AC so as to disuade diners from lingering too long -- they want the table for another customer. There's those damned economic theories getting in the way again!

But actually, I do find your comment about extending charges to all beverages an intriguing proposition, especially in the UK where there remains a tantalyzing touch of market socialism ( or is it simply enlightened liberalism? ) which trends towards equalizing/accomodating everything. An argument could indeed be made there about why draw the line at booze alone?

Then again, there's carbon taxes looming in the future which will fall upon all who fly the friendly skies. My early take on those taxes is that the UK and others will sock it to those folks flying business or first class, charging them a higher carbon tax ( even though a person occupies but one seat and the true tax is the sum of the seats divided by the imposed tax ). Put that one through the economic grinder. Sorry for my digression, but the idea just pops into my head.

Here's to one last drink in the executive lounge.

Barry

SkiAdcock

Barry darlin, you're making my head hurt!

Now I have to pay more for upgrading to C class due to carbon emissions? Oh wait, I thought that was the AA new program going into effect 3/1. Ok, there's an advantage UA has - oops, just digressed there. LOL...

I get both sides of the booze debate on the exec lounge (still don't agree w/ juice & food being excluded btw), but at certain properties (ie, the new 'flagship' JW Marriott - ie, Grosvenor House) or even the Cat 7s, I personally think they should suck it up. Especially since other chains still do offer it for free, and at lower end properties. At least the Cat 7s are racking in the bucks on the room fees.

But that's just me. Personally I've got all fingers & toes crossed that when I'm there for Prez Weekend GH will still be doing the freebie thing, but just in case I'm packing a bottle of red wine & will have a glass in my room each night. Not as much fun, but beats the alternative (ie, $80-100 charge).

Cheers.

jerseyfinn

. . .Now I have to pay more for upgrading to C class due to carbon emissions? Oh wait, I thought that was the AA new program going into effect 3/1 . . .

Sharon,

Apologies for the headache, and sorry for sliding the thread slightly off topic.

Actually as of 1 February, the UK implements higher departure tariffs on outbound business/first pax departing the UK ( raising fees from £20 to £40 ). The folks at the LGW US Air lounge were fretting over that one as they brace for pax who are going to hit the roof when confronted with a still higher tariff.

The carbon-related tariffs are now poised on the horizon, but not yet enacted in law. Lots of talk already in the UK and Euro region about imposing carbon fees on all flights. Not necessarily a bad thing since we are indeed impacting the environment with our travels. But where ever government is involved, you know that those crooks will find a way to fritter the money away and try to soak the J & F flyer with still higher tariffs.

I do see your point about loosening up the libations in the lounge at GH. You're already paying a pretty penny for the accomodations and one could argue that enough is enough given your already substantial contribution to the hotel.

If your headache persists, have an extra drink or two in the GH lounge. Be forewarned that the headache could return in the morning if the lounge charged you for the drinks.

Happy UK travels,

Barry

desi

Location next to DLR (inconvenient from Tube)
Terrible service.
Much higher service charges.

Would recommend Four Seasons or Hilton for same price range (they had excellent service at lower cost)

SkiAdcock

LOL!!

And we're agreed that on the C7s w/ the high charges they should consider making the booze free (Marriott, are you listening????) given rate of room & nickel/dime'ing.

Going OT for a moment... Re: the doubling of the taxes for carbon emissions, given that the 'congestion charge' was supposed to help & 40% of the fees raised from that that are going to administrative costs, I have zip confidence the fees collected from the double tax will actually make their way to where they're supposed to do the most good.

And going back on topic - may drive some of us to start going to AMS instead since taxes are less, and at least 'currently' the booze in the AMS Marriott is still free - and the concierge/exec lounge staff there rock.

Cheers.

SkiAdcock

Received this in an email today:

"You are indeed right about the rooms; the new set should come back early March. The Park room is opening this month on the 12th Feb and Red Bar possibly in the 3rd week."

Bummer - I miss by a few weeks the new rooms & sounds like just a few days the Red Bar.

Cheers.

cyberdad

Sharon...

Too bad about your timing. But the GH still presents plenty of ways to "console yourself" while you look forward to what will be waiting for you next time!