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discrimination against solo travellers

discrimination against solo travellers

Old Feb 5, 2019, 6:13 am
  #31  
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Originally Posted by s0ssos
Did you know you can get 2 members for the price of one at Costco?
I had no idea that Costco sold members. Members of Parliament? Body parts? Please be more specific!
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Old Feb 5, 2019, 7:15 am
  #32  
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Originally Posted by Efrem
I had no idea that Costco sold members. Members of Parliament? Body parts? Please be more specific!
They had a 2 for 1 sale on Members of Parliament. They are now worth far less than members of Congress. How the mighty have fallen.
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Old Feb 12, 2019, 5:29 am
  #33  
 
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Solo travel issues

Solo travelers take up the space of two people but only provide the revenue of one. So of course you get a supplementary charge on cruises and the worst table in a restaurant.

What I object to is being a solo female traveler and the treatment I get.
1. Some restaurants don't want single females and ditto bars. You are viewed as soliciting for pay-to-play male company
2. You get the WORST hotel room always. I've been on trips with our company in groups, and because I'm single, I invariably get the view of the carpark or the back alley. Finally once, in Florence, I objected. I learned to speak enough Italian in two days to tell the concierge that my room smelled of cigar smoke from the alley below and I was done with it. I got moved. What a revelation; all the rooms were larger and had double sinks. And air without smoke.
3. You get the seat next to the infant and some flight attendant smirking at you "you won't mind will you?" and the kid throws eggs all over your silk suit and you have a speech in Tokyo the minute you deplane and can't change.
4. If you are tall and a woman, you are viewed as not having any right to complain about crushed knees on planes "The MAN wants to recline, chided a flight attendant." I got bruised knees for his wishes.
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Old Feb 12, 2019, 5:49 am
  #34  
 
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Originally Posted by Kevin AA
If a hotel room for a single person were half the size of a hotel room for two people, then charging by the person would make sense.
I don't believe that a single person could be comfortable in a half-size room. I know that I couldn't. But I do believe that for a solo traveler, particularly one getting a reduced rate (AAA, Senior, Club or something like that, 10% off or so), the assigned room is more often than not a less desirable one. It could be next to the elevator (or too far from the elevator if you want one close) or the ice maker or vending machine. It might be overlooking the dumpster. It might be an end-of-the-hall room that might have been planned as a larger room but has been carved out to make two rooms. Sometimes if I find myself with a room that's undesirable I'm successful in getting one more to my liking, but just as often it's "we're sold out so I can't change you to another room."

Rooms assignments are, I'm quite certain, made by computer and the number of guests in the room, the rate they're paying, membership in the hotel's frequent guest plan, and its "desirability" are known factors. Entry tier, solo, AAA rate guests like me usually are initially assigned known less popular rooms.
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Old Feb 12, 2019, 5:53 am
  #35  
 
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This without a doubt the dumbest thread I have ever seen on FlyerTalk. 😂. And, yes. I typically am a single traveler.
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Old Feb 12, 2019, 6:02 am
  #36  
 
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Lots of major travel sites default their searches to two guests. When I remember to switch it, the room price never seems to change. One can't very well eat two breakfast buffets, but for the occasional hotel that supplies a drink voucher I'm going to for a second one (after reading this thread).

Here's one plus for solo travelers... When you book Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts, the single traveler gets the full for-two meal credit, spa credit, etc. I've had a few awesome meals with that double allowance.
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Old Feb 12, 2019, 6:23 am
  #37  
 
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Originally Posted by Mike Rivers
I don't believe that a single person could be comfortable in a half-size room.
?? Theyre generally called single rooms rather than half-size, and plenty of people comfortably occupy them every day!
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Old Feb 12, 2019, 6:28 am
  #38  
 
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I realize this post was probably tongue-in-cheek, but I sense some selfishness, which might explain why some people consistently find themselves traveling alone.

To begin, there is often little relationship between cost and price, but this is not the venue for a discussion of basic economics. Most hotel amenities are not offered on an a-la-carte basis. They offer the whole package to all guests, who then choose which amenities they want to enjoy. Some people use the pool, some don't. Some use the fitness center, some don't. Same goes for the business center, breakfast buffet, evening reception, parking lot, etc. If you feel you have suffered an injustice by only getting one breakfast when your neighbor got two, then perhaps you will find solace in using more than your share of the other amenities?

As for volunteering to change seats with somebody on a plane, I am heartened to observe that most people find it personally rewarding to perform acts of kindness for their fellow human beings, particularly when there is no cost or burden to the good-deed-doer (to steal a phrase from Oz!). Do you also object to holding a door open for somebody pushing a stroller, or carrying a heavy package?
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Last edited by jrpallante; Feb 12, 2019 at 6:41 am Reason: Grammar
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Old Feb 12, 2019, 6:36 am
  #39  
 
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Even if I travel solo, I always reserve for two at hotels if the price is the same. I usually go to events where I might know some of the people. Reserving as 2 gives me the option of taking someone to breakfast, or sometimes even deciding to share the room with someone I already know. Why on earth put one on the original reservation if everything is the same price for two?
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Old Feb 12, 2019, 6:45 am
  #40  
 
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Originally Posted by satman40
I usually eat 2 breakfast plates, and try to sleep on both sides of the bed..and many times both beds..
Same here, as well as being sure to utilize all pillows and bath towels in the room.
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Old Feb 12, 2019, 6:49 am
  #41  
 
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Originally Posted by mwcatl2893
This without a doubt the dumbest thread I have ever seen on FlyerTalk. 😂. And, yes. I typically am a single traveler.
Alas FT has become more of a chit chat club rather than the informational resource it once was. Most of the originals have moved on to their own blogs.
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Old Feb 12, 2019, 6:54 am
  #42  
 
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Originally Posted by gwynedd_gal
Solo travelers take up the space of two people but only provide the revenue of one. So of course you get a supplementary charge on cruises and the worst table in a restaurant.

What I object to is being a solo female traveler and the treatment I get.
1. Some restaurants don't want single females and ditto bars. You are viewed as soliciting for pay-to-play male company

4. If you are tall and a woman, you are viewed as not having any right to complain about crushed knees on planes "The MAN wants to recline, chided a flight attendant." I got bruised knees for his wishes.
1. I hear you, as a single male checking into a hotel, I am often assumed to be a gigolo and given a room out of earshot of others.

4. All seriousness aside, you must be having fun with your #4? Even if it is a 5-year old girl seated in front of you, they have full right to recline their seat. You really cant play the female victim card on this one. This was a recent topic.
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Old Feb 12, 2019, 7:07 am
  #43  
 
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Originally Posted by s0ssos
Not talking about cruises and single supplements, nor restaurants with different seating policies, but just hotels.

You pay the same amount as another person, who has 2 or more. And yet you get less benefits.

Breakfast benefit? Only for one person. Even though supposedly it is "free breakfast" and not a discount. What if it is a tiny amount and you want two portions? Or if it is a food and beverage credit?
When I travel, especially to visit my daughter, my hotel of choice offers a "free" very nice cooked to order full breakfast and a buffet table of fruits, yogurt, etc. Some time ago I noticed that the room price is the same whether I booked for one adult or two. This happened when my daughter asked if she could stay one night with me when her roommate's mother was visiting at the same time and would be staying at their apartment. Well, after that, I started booking the room for 2 adults, just in case and as a result, I always get two breakfast coupons per night in my card sleeve, no questions asked. If the room price is the same for one or two, just book for two.
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Old Feb 12, 2019, 9:27 am
  #44  
 
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sorry, but that's nonsense
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Old Feb 12, 2019, 1:00 pm
  #45  
 
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Deleted because I ended up rambling.
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