Do hotels really remember you?
 

Maybe a dumb question but do hotels mainly 4 star and above, know if you stayed at their property before? I stay at the Ritz in DC once or twice every month and every time I check in its the same question " have you stayed with us before" seems like they should or would know I've stayed at a property 10-15x a year or more...

I think it depends on what you're really asking.

Hotels are buildings, and can't remember anything.

The business' information systems certainly know your stay history, and most are programmed to present this information to an agent upon check in. I'm sure the RC technology has this capability.

The actual agent at the desk may or may not remember you specifically, depending on whether he/she was on duty during previous stays, how often/many, and how good their memory is. But they should be "reminded" of your stays through the IT systems, and welcome you back.

Your situation sounds like a case of someone not on duty when you've checked-in before, or a lack of memory of those events, and a failure to follow the proper procedure when welcoming you.

Do hotels really remember you?
 

Dunno. I've had Doubletrees ask me if I've stayed with "them" before. Was not certain what they had meant: the Doubletree brand or that specific brick and mortar property.

When you're an uncommon sight (e.g. a foreigner in the Jakarta boonies), it might help.

A few hotels in Jakarta and Shenzhen recognized me whenever I'd check-in, but it's been a while.

If you're in that hotel's frequent guest program, they should know. If you're not, their system's ability to identify you may depend on your using some combination of the same form of your name that you used before, the same credit card, the same address, and the same phone number. If these change, the system may have been programmed to conclude that you might be a different person.

Information systems should be deliberately conservative that way. Fathers and sons with the same name and address are not unheard of, as are random people with the same name and similar addresses. Mistakenly identifying someone as a previous customer when he or she is not can have embarrassing consequences. Suppose you're there with your spouse, as far as he or she knows you have never been to that hotel previously, and you're greeted with "Welcome back, Mr. Bippo!" Maybe your father was there, maybe you even know that your father was there, but it would still take a lot of explaining. Far safer not to assume that you're the same Mr. Bippo as stayed there a month earlier.

Do hotels really remember you?
 

There was a DT in NYC that I used to visit every other week. Starting on my third or fourth visit the FD started saying "welcome back" when I checked in.

By midyear they recognized me by name walking in the door and just handed me a room key packet if I was walking by in a hurry.

I also had a Sheraton recently where I checked out and then returned two days later. I got a welcome back from the FD before she asked my name. To be fair, I had booked my return stay with that same FD agent during my check out two days prior. :)

Do hotels really remember you?
 

For a month I stayed at the same Intercontinental every weekend. The first weekend, when I was checking in, I found out I had left my backpack (with my wallet in it) in my taxi, so I was all stressed out and totally told the girl at the counter.

The taxi driver went back to the hotel with my backpack a few hours later.

Next weekend, upon check in, she greeter me by: "Good Evening, Mr. Mavalenzu, good to see you have your backpack on you this time".

A year later she still made fun of me double checking if I had left anything in the room when checking out...

My father stayed in the Excelsior Hotel Ernst for one week every two years for several decades. Even though it was every two years, most of the staff - not just the front desk - recognized him and would say ,,Guten Abend, Herr Spira`` or a similar greeting. I checked in once perhaps a decade after he had last been there and the assistant manager looked at my name and said ,,Sind Sie der Sohn von Herrn Spira aus New York?``

Whenever I go to the Vier Jahreszeiten in München, the lobby manager always comes over to say hello and asks me if I want my favorite white tea (he´s also the tea sommelier).

What I´m sometimes uncomfortable about is the little note in the reservation, followed by a phone call, followed by a small procession of the GM and one or two others greeting me when I check in.

When I arrive at the Marriott Mayfair in BKK not only does the guy opening the taxi door welcome me back by name, but if my wife isn't with me he will ask about her, by name.

At the JWMarriott in BKK pretty much the same. It's always "Welcome back, Mr. Tchiowa".

So this is long before anyone gets into the computer. But, yes, I think the big chains have records in the computer that show whether you have stayed with them before. But those records are probably based on their rewards program so you need to be a member and have that number in your reservation.

Do hotels really remember you?
 

I'm being greeted by name every time at Hampton Inn Linden NJ :) I've stayed once with them last year and 5 times this year. The front desk clerks remember me :)

Yes, they sometimes do remember me.
In more recent times, since everything is computerized, they can see past stays. Back in the late 60's, I stayed (but only for a few days) for two consecutive summers at the same (super cheap) hotel in Paris. For my second stay, the chamber maid remembered from my previous visit.

Same for me in JKT. Stay at the same 3* every time. Greeted by name upon arrival. Nice.

Some small town private hotels I've stayed at remember me so well that I've heard the staff gossiping about my past exploits. When I stay elsewhere I sometimes call in to say hello and they usually already know where I'm staying.

Others have notes on the computer that remind them of who you are and perhaps record incidents like lost wallets etc from previous stays.

The one I stay at most often in Melbourne - the manageress does seem to recognise me when I arrive, but then being a good professional, she probably looks through the notes for that day's expected arrivals and that jogs her memory as to who's who.

Hotel is Kuala Lumpur said "welcome back" when I checked in last year. I had visited there once about 3 years earlier. I was amazed.

If you're having an affair and visit a hotel you don't want them to say "welcome back" when you visit again but this time with your husband or wife!!

There's a hotel in Hyderabad where several people always recognise me. Their customer service levels are outstanding, and I often wonder if they have some kind of procedure to look at guests arriving and try and remember some faces.

I do think this is partly down to the remarkably sociable nature of the people they employ, but perhaps also down to being one of very few non-Indians who stayed there just after the place opened. Perhaps I just look odd, or perhaps it's my overenthusiasm for local food, or the long chats about food, travel and everything...

I did also spend a couple of years travelling to Amsterdam maybe 2 weeks out of 3, always staying at the same place, where they knew me well - and were incredibly welcoming. At one point, I was quite ill and couldn't travel, so they got quite concerned and asked colleagues about me - sent over a 'get well soon' card, which was rather touching.

Every time I fly into DCA I stay at the same location. I've always gotten the "Welcome back Mr. f0xx"

I guess it all depends on how much you interact with the front desk and if you're that kind of person that has the personality that stands out to people.

I to have had the welcome back at the JW Marriott in BKK. I also have gotten the welcome back at the Park Hyatt at FRU. I got it at a Marriott in PHL, but I was staying every week there for a few months.

I've found that desk agents at many Marriott family hotels are trained to say, "Welcome back, Mr. Bimmer" without regard to whether I've ever stayed at that particular hotel before. I interrupted the first time or two that happened and asked why they thought I was a repeat guest when in fact it was my first time ever at the property. They explained it was their training and meant only that I was welcome back to the Marriott family of hotels. :rolleyes:

I think the only time I have ever been genuinely recognized as a repeat hotel customer was at the JW Marriott Shenzhen. I stayed there for a week during their first month or two of operation and then returned several more times during the following 18 months. Even so, it was never a front desk employee who recognized and greeted me; it would be someone like the baggage porter whose assistance I very politely declined to accept.

We have had staff (specifically restaurant staff) recognize us, which is sort of interesting since the woman that mans the egg station at Caneel Bay likely wouldn't see our guest profile in the reservation system. She always remembered my husband and the specific way he wanted his eggs cooked.

At our most recent stay in Philadelphia (at the Sofitel) the waiter greeted our son with a "Nice to see you again. Do you still like hot chocolate with extra whipped cream?" It blew his mind that the man remembered him and what he liked at breakfast.

Certainly the technology exists. I've had FD clerks at Hamptons welcome me back after a single visit a couple of years prior.

While the front desk clerks never did, the bartender at the Sheraton in Milpitas, CA always recognized me immediately and would always give me a rundown of the newest beers. Granted, I stayed there a few days every month for 5 or 6 years, but it's still impressive that the most important person in the hotel would call me by name and remember my drinking proclivities.

There really doesn't seem to be rhyme or reason as to who remembers you and who does not.

Some places where the front desk remember me every time I arrive to check in include the Shangri-La in the Beijing Kerry Centre and the Hyatt in Santa Clara.

Other places that I use almost monthly who seemingly refuse to recognize me include places like the Singapore Hyatt and the Austin Hyatt.

I don't know why, but it is always nicer to be treated like a real human once in a while rather than a burden (cough, Singapore).

The old timers at the Double Tree San Antonio (Loop 410) remember me, greet me by name as I walk up to the counter.

I used to run 6 week long conferences a year there.

When I worked in Las Vegas, this was a regular occurrence.

We had one guest in for the weekend with his mistress. The next weekend, in with his wife. Rinse and Repeat, a few times each year.

It was, "Mr. & Mrs. ____! So good to see you again. It's been sooooo looong!" ;)

lol. ;););)

The Hilton Garden Inn south Dayton certainly remembers me. A few other hotels have too. The Hyatt near MCI also remembered me well.

My dad stayed at the same hotel every week for about a year (Courtyard). They always welcomed him by name and gave him the same room. As for me, there is a concierge at a hotel in Chicago (Park Hyatt) that always welcomes me back. I see things like this happen a lot more at restaurants than hotels, though.

See, that's the thing-- The technology certainly exists but few if any hotels seem to employ it!

I would expect that, among other information displayed on the FD clerk's screen when I check in, would be a list of my past stays at that hotel. Then I'd get greetings like, "Welcome back, Mr. Bimmer. We appreciate your return business. Would you like a room on the 11th floor overlooking the lake like last time?"

But instead I get lame, perfunctory "Welcome back" greetings even at hotels I'm visiting for the first time ever.