Things hotels do poorly
 

I figure the airline thread needs a companion. :)

I'm generally happy with most aspects of my preferred hotel chains. If these gripes seem nitpicky, take that as a positive.

MARRIOTT: Remember me. When I ask you about availability, show me 50 hotels, no maps, sorted by price, every time. Your maps take forever and a day to load. If I change my mind, I'll let you know.

STARWOOD: Remember me. Show me the following three rates, every time: Local Promotion, AAA, C&P. Stop showing me that strange SET# rate that is always higher than anything else. I don't even know what that SET# is. If I change my mind, I'll let you know.

HILTON: Remember me. Like, remember me for more than 5 seconds. If I just want to book a room, don't ask me who I am more than once. Your average is about three times. I don't think I'm ever going to change my mind on this one. ;)

ALL: Don't make me haggle to get a late checkout if you publish late checkout as a benefit to whatever elite status I have.

Yours?

Electrical outlets. Put (unused) electrical outlets where I'm likely to need them. Above the desk, above the night stands, and somewhere convenient for ironing.

Stock the room with enough towels that a single travelers won't need to get replacements daily.

this might seem overly fussy and a strange one however I am tormented by hotels with deep plush carpet in the foyer and in the halls leading to your room - I have a 4 wheal upright suitcase with a tumi briefcase on top which is hell to push or pull through deep carpet - i get so happy when I see marble or shallow carpet floors!

also, enough room in the minibar for your own drink - I dont drink coke or beer which is usually in there.

It's amazing how badly designed many hotel rooms are for actually sleeping in:

* Lots of LEDs on televisions, AC controls, clocks, telephones, smoke detectors, light switches, etc, etc.

* Curtains that leak light around the edges or between curtains.

* Noise from minibars and AC. Constant low pitched AC noise is acceptable, but not high pitched or intermittent.

Hyatts tend to be particularly bad - the rooms seem to be designed to be pretty rather than practical.

I ask for three things only (Aside from a clean, quiet room and double points):

1. Decent pillows. I just paid $200 for a choice of puffballs or bricks? Really? Some supportive pillows might be nice.

2. Power outlets where I need them. I travel weekly, so my BB is my alarm clock. Could I please have a couple of outlets next to the bed?

3. Decent in-room coffee. I'm talking to you, Marriott. Barista Bold? There is no barista on the planet who would drink this acidic swill. Even Folgers or Charbucks would be an upgrade.

The Hilton website drives me crazy at times with the quick timeouts. Electrical outlets can be a hassle at times.

Wastebaskets seem to be a problem too. Most hotels seem to have one or two tiny ones. I don't throw away a lot, but it seems like I when I want to throw away something, I get the hotel that has a wastebasket that can barely hold a soda can.

I agree..

Never seems to be enough outlets.. Murphy's law I guess..:rolleyes:

Outlets, oh yes. I want elecrical outlets near the nighstand so I can charge my phone. I do not want to unplug some lamps or move furniture to find the only available outlet.

If I need a password for the wifi and I can't buy one with my credit card in my room, tell me about the wifi when I'm checking in. I hate going to my room, getting settled in, and finding out that I have to go back to the lobby to get a wifi password.

Put towel racks in the bathrooms and doors on the showers. Lack of these seems to be the new design trend, but I hate it.

I agree on poor placement and insufficient number of power outlets.

Also, outside the U.S., the milieu of lights and master switches can be a nuisance. At one of the hotels I stay at frequently, the InterContinental Doha, just to cite one typical example, the suites must have a dozen floor, desk, table, and recessed lamps, all of which are on when I check in at 2:00am, and which take a long time to turn off because of the various permutations of master switches. There are at least three switches between the two sides of the bed, each of which turns some lights on and others off. Of course, many hotels have one super master switch (or key card receptacle) that turns off everything, but that's often not what I need, either.

Ironically, the Doha IC rooms still offer poor lighting overall, like most hotel rooms.

Another very small issue that is a pet peeve is that hotels don't replenish the laundry bags and forms once one has used them. I have probably experienced this in 90% of my hotel stays, at all levels.

Lack of adequate lighting is my biggest gripe. Usually everything is fine as long as the sun is up (and how much time do we get to spend in the room with the sun up, anyway?), but as soon as it's dark outside most rooms turn into caves. In the Marriott I'm in now there are no fewer than 6 light switches/lamps to turn on, and it's still far from adequate sitting at the desk trying to work. I guess the power drain of a decent voltage lightbulb costs too much?

My single greatest complaint. I need a dark room to sleep. I typically throw a light t-shirt over my eyes to keep out all the light.

Make the room able to be DARK at night for sleeping. So many places have these fancy curtains that looks great but have big gaps at the top, bottom, or where the curtains meet.

If the TV is in an armoire make it able to be pulled out far enough and rotated that I don't have to sit right in front of it to see it.

As others have said, an outlet right by the bed. I use my iPhone as my alarm clock and it woule be nice to be able to charge it overnigth while doing so.

More milk, I like lots of milk with my coffee and the 4 minature pots provided are barely enough for one decent cup of coffee. And a decent ironing board cover, I hate ironing my blouse then finding the criss cross imprint of the metal ironing board transferred onto my clothes.

I hate that Hilton makes you type in your AAA number to check for RATES. Make me type it in to make a res. OR better yet-not at all just like your competitors.