LondonElite

I have yet to find an app that can replace a good concierge. One who listens to your interests/wishes, makes recommendations based on personal experiences, and then makes it happen using his connections. I'm not talking about slipping the guy in Vegas $50 for getting you into a steakhouse, or anything as vulgar as that, btw.

weero

Yes, yes, 400x yes.

I am even disappointed by most cheap hotels as they find yet another loophole to disappoint me further. But nearly all good hotels I stayed in were a pure waste of good money.

• to save money
• to avoid the arrogant pricks who check you in and pretend to transport your luggage
• to avoid tipping those pricks
• at home there are pets, a spouse, and super fast Internet
• I regret having amenities which I cannot use

I always stay at the lowest priced property, I will safe in. And as I hate hotels, these rarely are hotels.

cbn42

Would you still feel that way if you didn't want to use the extra service that cost $50?

Of course if you want to use it, it's to your benefit to have it included in the price.

Why on earth would you need twice-daily room cleaning? What exactly are you doing in your room?

I am like that too. I'd rather spend money on a good meal or activities at my destination. A hotel is just a place to sleep. It enables me to enjoy my destination, but it is not the destination itself.

Anyone who is willing to pay $400 a night for a hotel room probably isn't going to be bothered by a $20 a day internet charge, so they figure they can get away with it. Either they are independently wealthy, or someone else is paying the bill.

Annalisa12

If I paid $550 for my hotel I would just consider it was all inclusive. My quote wasn't $400 for room, $25 to use pool, $20 for wifi etc. So I wouldn't care if I didn't use something as I wouldn't consider it something I paid for. I would be paying for "my room".

Annalisa12

I consider a hotel something different. I consider it my home away from home and want to relax in it, not just sleep. I like to have a lounge to sit in and a separate bedroom so one of us can sleep or stay up without disturbing the other person. I enjoy reading for an hour or two a day on holiday so do spend a bit of time in my room or on a balcony/terrace.

We are all different as you can see.

Amelorn

"It depends"

I feel that as a single guy marching to his own drum's beat, I am not getting the full nickel's worth of a property off the bat. This is difficult to describe, but other solo leisure travellers may get it.

What am I paying for at this property? A club floor room in Asia? Location? Awesome pool, gym, spa, etc (guest only amenities)? Restaurants? A great view? Armies of staff?

Certain things I value highly: a superb breakfast spread, a great pool, a usable fitness center, and "space" to read a book (that isn't my room). Things I don't use: a concierge, "armies of staff" who are just looking for a handout.

I've been disappointed with middle--->higher end hotels in the US. Club floors, when offered, are nothing compared with Asia. It feels as if everyone is supposed to be tipped - it's annoying to never actually pay sticker, never mind running to the front desk for more $1 bills. And the service is...American. Restaurant concepts seem to repeat ad nauseum: bar, New American, Italian, and Steakhouse. The latter three being the last cuisines I would ever consider paying the "hotel premium" for. If I am passing through on a road trip in the US, I have learned to stay in the outskirts and drive into a city rather than stay in the city. Lower rates, more all-inclusives, and free parking.

I miss Australian-NZ hotels: you can get the pool, location, nice room, etc, but the national DIY ethos really discouraged a set-up with a legion of staff looking to you for their next pay-out/beer money.


While I've had some partial let-downs that left me wondering "Was this really worth X?", I am happy to have "experimented." Now, my bookings tend to much more accurately match my needs/wants for a given trip. This will come in handy, as I am now permanently on the road.

weero

Yes. I am no longer that young and fit that I can assemble a vacation from back-to-back red-eye flights that save me the hotel stay entirely.
Also in North America, this is further made complicated by not having - or not having access to - shower facilities at all airport lounges ....

Kagehitokiri

big chain business hotels and big box resorts are not really that high end, regardless of price

dont trust hotels' own descriptors, or make assumptions based on prices

ryokans and other ancient/historic inns, villas/islands that rent rooms, bed & breakfast style properties with a chef that only serves meals on request - are these "hotels" ? how is hotel "defined" ? any definition / offering of "hotel" can be matched/exceeded by other kinds of properties that have nothing in common with an average large chain hotel.

and that is not even getting into definitions / perceptions re "high-end"

Badenoch

It depends what you value. If that means 1,000 thread sheets, a concierge named Ramon, mints on your pillow and being able to name drop to your friends that you spent a week in London at The Dorchester then go for it.

What I value is a good bed, decent location, clean, good towels and free Wi-Fi. You can get all of that at a Holiday Inn Express plus a free breakfast. Bring your own pillow mints.

backprop

It's rare that I stay in a high-end hotel, but I've been disappointed a couple times. One had all the trappings of a high end hotel (opulent lobby, pricey restaurants, a really nice gym, and so on), but the staff didn't exhibit much charm or grace. It was, as one poster noted, a means to give face time to as many tip-seekers as possible.

Another was similar in its physical layout, and the staff was gracious, but the 'welcome' fruit in the room was rotting and oozing out the bottom and most disappointingly, the rooms weren't clean. Dust in the vents, grime under sliding doors and in the closets, and so on. At that level, I kind of expect it to be meticulously kept.

In other words, they tried fulfilling higher-level needs before fulfilling the basic ones

mikew99

What happens in Vegas (or more likely for me, Jakarta) stays there.

But in all honesty, I'm fortunate that travel for me is a want, not a need. Returning to a luxurious, rejuvenated room after a long, tiring day of sightseeing is one of the many factors I enjoy about luxury hotels. (And because I'm far too lazy, it's one of the things I definitely don't get at home!)

Tchiowa

If your basis of analysis is looking at staff people as "pricks" then you're saying a whole lot more about yourself than you are about them.

Palal

If I travelled weekly for work and had an expense account, I would probably prefer to stay at a more "sterile" higher-end place that consistently delivered the same thing - a good night's sleep, and whatever else I need to get work done.

As a leisure traveller, I prefer lower-end places (anything from hostels and guest houses to 2*-4* hotels, depending on the mood and expense) where I'm not nickel-and-dimed for every cough and sneeze, and that have some character (and good reviews). Staying at a higher-end place every once in a while doesn't hurt, but I try to minimize my hotel time when traveling for leisure.

Badenoch

Having done this type of travel I prefer staying at mid-range apartment hotels where I can make my coffee in the morning and cook my own meals if I choose. I've stayed at higher-end hotels on business and the thrill wears off after you have to wade through a lobby filled with tourists every morning on the way to work.

LondonElite

There is no concierge called Ramon at the Dorchester, nor does that hotel participate in the tacky habit of putting chocolates on your pillow.