* Loud/vibrating air conditioners

* Non-smoking rooms that have been smoked in

* Hair on the pillow that's not mine

* Shower curtains, affected by poorly placed air vents, that constantly blow in & stick to you (yeeeech!)

And from a couple of foreign hotels:

* water heater unit in shower head. Wires coming out of wall to shower head, switch on wall turns on the juice. Do I really want hot water?

* Hotel Rossia, Moscow: hall attendant (vee are vatching you) had coat hung in closet in my room, and snarled when I checked in. And, in the same hotel's dining room:

* heavy lipstick on the back of my tea cup (morning 1)

* heavy ring in cup, obviously from not being washed, discovered only after drinking tea down to that level (morning 2)

JP

Not being able to get solid directions from the airport to the hotel. You would think that if somebody worked there, he or she might actually know how to get there?

As much as I agree, why don't you obtain the directions before leaving.. from mapquest or the website for the hotel.. most hotels have directions from local airports

Oh I always get directions before I leave(it's the X chromosome). Sometimes when I travel, I prefer to stay at a smaller inn which does not have directions on its website. I have found time and time again that Mapquest and Yahoo have led me astray with bad directions due to road closures, construction, and the like. I therefore prefer to speak to a live human being on the property. I guess I expect him or her to know how to get to the property from major locations like an airport. Apparently I have high expectations.

--Some comments about room service--As a tea drinker, who cannot stand the taste of coffee, I find 2 big problems with room service.
1. The tiny pot of hot water which is good for about 1 cup of tea (while my husband gets a good-sized coffee pot)

2. When I ask for a large pot of hot water it smells of coffee. Wish hotels would designate some of those large pots as "hot water only."
Also wish that hotels would put LESS in the continental breakfast bread basket & thus, charge less. Does anyone actually eat all of that bread? When traveling with my husband, we'll order one continental breakfast and one coffee or tea a-la-carte and we still have leftover bread.

I am SOOO with you on this one! I loathe coffee, and really can't stand having my tea have residual coffee pot smell/taste.

Hidden charges...energy fees, resort fees, and the British Colonial in Nassau even charged me additional fees for "Housekeeping Gratuities", after I'd been already leaving the maids $2 a day.

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"Read my lips! No more benefit cuts!"...Gordon Bethune

Room service trays not picked up from the hallways.

Maids who talk too loudly.

lack of plugs

sticky, greasy hangers

nasty blankets

dirty carpets

a step UP into the bathroom

a step DOWN into the bathroom

no alarm clock

poor lights

Low water pressure and high telephone surcharges.

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You can go back to the place, but not the time.

Geez, you guys are a bunch of tough customers! As an ex-hotel management employee, I can understand a lot of your gripes: dirty furniture, expensive phone rates, and distrubances by other guests. I would also be upset if the front desk didn't know how to get to the airport. BUT, it upsets me greatly to read your impatience with the housekeeping staff. These people work harder than ANYONE else in the hotel. You should see the mess that some people make, it is hard, back-breaking labor to clean up even the most average room. And how dare you complain about them calling to see when you will let them in to clean. Are they supposed to read your minds? How do you expect the rooms to be ready at check-in time for the next guest when you won't let them in to clean it? If you don't want to be disturbed, call housekeeping and tell them what time you will be leaving, problem solved! These people work VERY hard for very little money. Put yourself in their shoes: the sooner they clean your room, the sooner they can go home to their families. All I ask is that you have a little patience and compassion for your fellow human being. Thanks in advance for keeping this in mind on your next hotel visit.

I'm sorry, but with this approach to customer service, I can see why you are an ex-employee!

WHBM-
No, I'm sorry.
I quit the hotel business to enjoy a less stressful and more lucrative career in marketing. Now I'm on the other side of the desk and I assure you that no one is more critical of customer service than I.
What exactly was it about my statement that you didn't like or understand? Perhaps the part about human compassion....

I am totally happy with the service I receive at hotels about 95% of the time but honestly it seems like there are never enough electrical outlets and I am not dragging around a lot of excess electronic equipment.

The 5% that really bugs me are staff who lie and don't put the customer's need first. The biggest lie is that there are no suites available. Don't they realise that the minute we leave the desk we will call and ask if there are suites available? http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/frown.gif

Punki-
Your points are well taken. I don't know how many times I've left a cell phone charger in a hotel room because the only place to plug it in was underneath the desk or somewhere else where I would forget about it.
Furthermore, nobody likes to be lied to. Just as I hate it when gate agents tell me there are no upgrades available on a flight that is empty in C or F, I can understand your complaint. The reasons hotels lie about suites often is because front desk agents sometimes get a comission for upselling you into a larger room, so they would rather save the suite for the next person checking in than comp upgrade you. Is this ethical? No. Are they supposed to do it? Technically, no. Does management usually turn a blind eye? Unfortunately, yes. Do you have a right to be upset? Absolutely.

You can complain, but I'm afraid that this problem will not go away. Just as in any business, hotels are most concerned about the bottom line.

I worked in hotels for many years, most recently in a Five Star international chain. I would be happy to answer any questions people may have about the hotel business.

Quote:"I worked in hotels for many years, most recently in a Five Star international chain. I would be happy to answer any questions people may have about the hotel business."

I believe this is worthy of a separate thread. Surely, many of us have questions about what goes on behind the scenes.