Athena53

amanuensis-

I agree. I've started looking critically at alternatives to the luxury hotels where my professional society has its meetings. Instead of the Fairmount in MSY, I stayed at a Courtyard 2 blocks away. I skipped the Del Coronado in favor of the Glorietta Bay Inn across the street. I have to admit I miss the chance of seeing my colleagues in the elevator and in the lobby, but since I'm no longer in consulting that's not as critical.

Doesn't make a lot of sense that the lower-tier places have more and cheaper amenities, but I've seen the same thing- and most of the time I'm still accumulating points towards my next hotel stay in Europe!

aisleorwindow

amanuensis and Athena-
I would tend to agree with both of you 100% in my observations in both luxury and lesser hotels. The bottom line is for the average biz traveler the extra cost of a lux hotel is simply not worth it. Luxury hotels, are designed, for the most part, for people who are really not at all concerned about what anything costs. Which is why there is no free breakfast or some of the other amenities you've mentioned. The real distinction between a lux hotel and a 3 star is going to be the service. 5 star hotel employees are going to go out of their way to make your stay wonderful. The concierge will do more, the front desk will be more receptive to your needs, the restaurant and room service will be more flexible, etc, etc. If this is ultimately not critical for you, then don't waste your money. If you have the means and appreciate being waited on hand and foot, then go for it. Obviously this a generalization and every hotel is different, but all in all this is what separates a lux hotel from a regular hotel.

bnaboy

Great thread.

What are justifiable reasons for NOT billing a no-show. It seems every time I have called at 10:00 or 11:00pm to cancel a reservation for the same night, I have been accomodated. This only happens due to a flight cancellation etc.

I have been pleasantly suprised at hotels willingness to not bill me. Maybe the fact that I call to cancel rather than just not showing up helps. I also usually have a legitimate reason but the hotel never confirms it.They seem to take my word for it. Does status play a part in this decision? I assume the local property has ultimate jurisdiction over this.

Is there a "list" of acceptable reasons to not bill no-shows or late cancellations. If so, what are they?

aisleorwindow

Hi bnaboy, good question-
This was always a source of headaches in my job. People forgetting to cancel, or cancelling at the last minute and then calling back fuming when they get billed. You are correct in assuming that each property makes their own final calls on their own reservations. And, yes, status does make a difference. If you are a very frequent guest of the property you won't get billed, that would be bad business. If you are a one time guest on the other hand, you probably will. You have not been billed because your flights were cancelled which is an acceptable reason for a last minute cancellation. Some hotels will ask you to send in a copy of your itinerary for verification, but most hotels have better things to do than chase a couple hundred bucks worth of room rev. One hotel I worked for had a guy whose only job was to charge no-shows and late cancellations. He got comission on every dollar he charged. He was ruthless. If someone died he would ask for a death certificate, I'm serious! Personally, I believe if a person makes the effort to call and cancel then its probably legitimate and it is bad business to charge them and make them angry, because then they won't come back. Many hotels agree with me and act accordingly. Many don't.
Usually acceptable reasons for cancellation are:
-Flight cancellation
-Foul weather (dangerous travel conditions)
-Family emergency (death, etc.)
-Event cancellation (convention being cancelled or date changed)
-Others are on a case by case basis.
Hope that helps!


[This message has been edited by g_leyser (edited 08-11-2002).]

[This message has been edited by g_leyser (edited 08-20-2002).]

obscure2k

--Am curious to know which items are most commonly stolen from hotel rooms (aside from hangers and ash trays)? --How vigilant are managers re: pilferage? Are guests, as a rule, charged(after check-out) for the, oh-so-comfy robe--the coffee mugs? How much pilferage is built in to the operating budget? What is the role of housekeeping in reporting? Do guests snatch silverware and vases from room service carts?

aisleorwindow

Hi again obscure2k-
Guests will steal absolutely anything. My favorites include the batteries from the TV remote, lightbulbs, and my personal favorite for pure irony: the Bible. You name it, its been stolen. To a certain extent this is built into the budget. It is very difficult for big hotels to keep track, especially if they have facilities like pools or spas, where guests can take towels or robes or slippers and say they left them there. To be honest, it is very unlikely a guest will be charged for anything. This doesn't mean you should try and steal things on your next hotel visit of course! Some smaller hotels do actually keep track of some items. Robes and towels are a good example. I've even stayed at a hotel that had a sign in the room that said: "if you would like to take one of our towels with you, please feel free, we will charge your account for you." or something to that effect. Some commonly stolen items:
-Robes
-Towels
-Slippers
-Umbrellas
-Shoe horns
-Extra toilet paper rolls and tissues
-Silverware
-Glassware
-Anything with the hotel logo on it, especially if it is a nice hotel.

KathyWdrf

I can well imagine that coffeemakers and hairdryers might also be popular items for those larcenously inclined guests.

Not to be TOO silly, but do guests ever steal furniture, beds, and the like?

Kathy

aisleorwindow

I'm sure people take those too, although usually hotel hairdryers are pretty cheap and not very powerful.
As far as furniture goes, I've never heard of anyone stealing a TV or anything, but I have seen guests break furniture before. I remember going into one suite where a large dining room table was smashed to pieces. It looked like a rock star threw a party, I was suprised to see later that a family was booked into that room. Another quick story: apparently (this was before my time, so I can't confirm it) a very famous basketball star rented out one of the largest suites in the hotel and trashed it so badly, that it was placed off market for two or three days of repair. The furniture had to be replaced, new wallpaper, etc, etc. He supposedly paid for all the damages on his credit card (must have been a lot of miles earned for that one).


[This message has been edited by g_leyser (edited 08-12-2002).]

LH738

Some time ago the German news magazine "Der Spiegel" published an article about things stolen in hotels: a business man took the shoe blowroom machine!

anonplz

Here's one for you - guests from which city/country/region are most favored by hotel employees?

aisleorwindow

This varies hotel by hotel. I can give you some examples: in Chicago, New Yorkers had a reputation for being difficult (I know you're from Brooklyn, and I assure you I did not share this sentiment) only reporting what I saw. In Colorado, it was the Texans that people dreaded. Every type of guests have different needs and demands. The key is to know what they are and plan ahead. For example, a group of Japanese businessmen came in one night for a Toyota sales meeting. It is very important in Japanese culture for the CEO to be placed on a higher floor than everyone else, and for the other executives to be higher than their assistants, etc. I didn't know that and it caused some problems, and I had to change everyone around. There is no country or city that are ALWAYS a problem, its usually a case by case basis. Unless they are Yankees fans

straight-flava

Maybe you won't know the answer to this because the hotel in question was Japanese, or maybe you will because procedures were standardized. Okay, here goes: a few months ago, I assisted the front desk clerk with a difficult customer (also an American). I couldn't help but notice that for the rest of my stay, the management was especially polite (I mean, really, much more than even Japanese standards of politeness) and went out of its way to show a lot of respect to me. I don't think it was just word of mouth, because it started immediately on the next shift and involved a lot of people... Is there any space on a customer's record to indicate "VIP" or something so that anybody dealing with that person goes out of their way? Such is what I suspected, but of course, cannot confirm. Thanks.

aisleorwindow

Hi straight-flava-
This is a wonderful story, sounds like you must have really helped the staff out a lot! In answer to your question, yes! Each guest has an area for comments or special requests in their reservation. Anything can be written in this area: their guest history (info. from past visits), their likes and dislikes, their physical appearance (to help with recognition), what type of room they like, if they're rude, etc, etc. Some examples of actual comments I've seen in a guests profile:
-"This guest is cheating on his wife, please be discreet."
-"This guest is a HUGE pain in the ...!!!"
-"Do not look guest directly in the eyes."
-"Guest is superstitious, room number cannot add up to 13."

You name it. There are many more examples like this. I'm sure the staff appreciated your kindness and wrote something in your file, which is why you got special treatment.
Great question!

hhonorman

Hi,
This is a great topic. Thanks for all your valuable information.

Here are my questions:

1. I noticed from one of your earlier responses about what items are commonly pilfered, and you listed shoe horns. Whenever I stay at luxury hotels, they usually have a plastic shoe horn with the hotel's logo embossed on it. I have always assumed (maybe incorrectly so) that it was free, namely for two reasons. One being that it is plastic, and two that it is usually placed beside other items such as a sewing kit and shoe mitt, etc, that I also have always (maybe incorrectly so) assumed were complimentary. Is the plastic shoe horn typically complimentary or is it there simply for the guest to use, like a towel, but not to be removed from the room? Whenever there is a large metal shoe horn I always assume it is there to be used but not removed, but what about the small plastic ones with the logo on it? This may seem like a stupid questions, but your earlier response got me wondering if I've been making an incorrect assumption all these years.

2. Is there a better time of day to check-in to increase the odds of getting a complimentary upgrade? If so, when? Early morning? Right after check-out time? Early afternoon? Late at night?

3. Other than a smile and a polite inquiry, are there any other buzz words or phrases that may help in getting an upgrade?

4. If I have a multiple night stay and do not get upgraded the first night, is there typically any chance for getting an upgrade for the subsequent nights? If so, who is the best person to ask, and when is the best time of the stay to ask them?

If you can answer any or all of these questions, I'd love to get your insight.

obscure2k

--My questions are about breakfast buffets--(not the elaborate sunday brunches)
Is it my imagination--or are those "scrambled eggs" made from something other than fresh eggs..e.g. powdered eggs? Are breakfast buffets a respository for left-over (unused) items from the kitchen--What is an appropriate tip for the server who only serves the coffee or tea?