Allrite From Australia, joined Aug 2007, 1409 posts, RR: 3 Posted (3 years 11 months 3 weeks 3 days 9 hours ago) and read 1544 times:
I was looking around for a night's accommodation in Singapore when I came across these reviews on Asiarooms.com. They amused me and I thought that I would share.
Review by a Mr Jones of Australia for a 3 star budget hotel chain away from the main tourist drags but close to a MRT (light rail) station:
Quote: "Had booked into this hotel for 2 nites Arrived at 10:00pm after a long flight. There was no porter service to assist with my bags.
...
Breakfast was a disgusting oily over salted slop that I would not feed to my dogs. No friendly faces amongst the staff - no smiles and no welcome.
...
Requested reception call me a taxi prior to leaving my room so that I would not have to wait long. On arriving at reception was told that the taxi had not been called as they were waiting for me to come downstairs first. Had a 20 minute extra wait before the taxi arrived - making me late for my business meeting There is no restaurant at the hotel. The nearest is next door which only served Muslim food. Since the hotel is in a poor location another taxi was required to find another eatery that served good food The morning of my leaving there was still no porter service so I had to carry all my luggage back to the reception myself
...
This is a hotel to avoid - in all my years of traveling throughout Asia it would rate in the top two worst hotels ever Do yourself a favour and stay elsewhere - I will "
I've stayed in plenty of 3 star or worse hotels in Australia, Asia and Europe without encountering porter service. I'll probably stay at this hotel - muslim food being a bonus even though I'm not a muslim!
Peter from Malaysia about the 4 star Carlton Hotel (quite posh inside - brother-in-law stayed there during their wedding reception).
Quote: The kit was lacking, for a hotel of this calibre.Also, some people prefer to use water instead of toilet paper so a toilet hose would make it more 5 smiles.
I've never seen a "toilet hose" in Asian hotels,only at public squat toilets. Is this relatively common? Maybe he would like a bidet (I prefer the Japanese arse-washing toilets - always miss them when I return to Australia.)
I once stayed at the Swan Hotel in Shanghai and their was a dial labelled "smallpox" above the bed (it actually dimmed the lights).
What hotel or hotel review stories do you have to tell?
Oly720man From United Kingdom, joined May 2004, 6189 posts, RR: 11 Reply 1, posted (3 years 11 months 3 weeks 3 days 5 hours ago) and read 1480 times:
Quoting Allrite (Thread starter): What hotel or hotel review stories do you have to tell?
Nothing too exciting, but once stayed in a hotel in Reims, France and the shower head was such that the water came out at an angle of 45deg. So, you could stand under it and not get wet.
I usually stay in fairly basic hotels and as long as there's a bathroom, it's clean and there's breakfast I'm happy.
Ronglimeng From Canada, joined Oct 2006, 624 posts, RR: 0 Reply 2, posted (3 years 11 months 3 weeks 2 days 13 hours ago) and read 1394 times:
I often find these hotel reviews at places like tripadvisor.com to be very useful but often the review seems to tell us more about the writer that it does about the hotel.
Desertjets From United States of America, joined Feb 2000, 7673 posts, RR: 18 Reply 3, posted (3 years 11 months 3 weeks 2 days 12 hours ago) and read 1374 times:
Quoting Ronglimeng (Reply 2): I often find these hotel reviews at places like tripadvisor.com to be very useful but often the review seems to tell us more about the writer that it does about the hotel.
I do try and write reviews for the places I stay for this very reason. There are just too many bad reviews out there that do not tell you anything. At least when I write I try and get across what the property and rooms are like. If service is bad or great then I make a point to mention it, but this happens rarely. When looking at hotel reviews, especially for properties that have a lot of reviews that are reasonably recent I try and look for recurring issues. But the above posted reviews are pretty useless.
Stop drop and roll will not save you in hell. --- seen on a church marque in rural Virginia
USPIT10L From United States of America, joined Mar 2006, 3266 posts, RR: 8 Reply 4, posted (3 years 11 months 3 weeks 11 hours ago) and read 1208 times:
Quoting Desertjets (Reply 3): I do try and write reviews for the places I stay for this very reason. There are just too many bad reviews out there that do not tell you anything. At least when I write I try and get across what the property and rooms are like. If service is bad or great then I make a point to mention it, but this happens rarely. When looking at hotel reviews, especially for properties that have a lot of reviews that are reasonably recent I try and look for recurring issues. But the above posted reviews are pretty useless.
A lot of people just post that stuff once and never post again, just get their sour grapes out. Not that it helps anything. Just remember, when you give something away, people will take advantage of it and exploit it. Not everyone, of course, just some people, and if you happen to work at a hotel, you'll know who those types are. These people expect five-star service for a one or two-star price. It's gotten to the point where it's obsessive. I've lost track of the number of times people have complained about things that the front desk has no control over at all (other guests, other GSRs who are idiots, etc.). I've been told at least 30 times "I'm never staying here again" because of things that I had no control over.
Steeler83 From United States of America, joined Feb 2006, 8811 posts, RR: 19 Reply 5, posted (3 years 11 months 3 weeks 11 hours ago) and read 1200 times:
Quoting USPIT10L (Reply 4): I've been told at least 30 times "I'm never staying here again" because of things that I had no control over.
And you just have to take crap like that with a grain of salt and move on, right? Besides, pains in the ass just invent shit to complain about anyway 80% of the time. They're so fricking bored they're already in a pissy mood, but there has to be something else wrong to make their whining worth their while. So alas, they're going to say that all this crap is wrong with their room or whatever, and there you have it...
People like that need a hobby!
Do not bring stranger girt into your room. The stranger girt is dangerous, it will hurt your life.
USPIT10L From United States of America, joined Mar 2006, 3266 posts, RR: 8 Reply 6, posted (3 years 11 months 3 weeks 10 hours ago) and read 1193 times:
Quoting Steeler83 (Reply 5): And you just have to take crap like that with a grain of salt and move on, right? Besides, pains in the ass just invent shit to complain about anyway 80% of the time. They're so fricking bored they're already in a pissy mood, but there has to be something else wrong to make their whining worth their while. So alas, they're going to say that all this crap is wrong with their room or whatever, and there you have it...
So where's your degree at the University of Customer Service, School of Hard Knocks? Half the people I gave the manager's card to never called to complain to her, anyway.
Steeler83 From United States of America, joined Feb 2006, 8811 posts, RR: 19 Reply 7, posted (3 years 11 months 3 weeks 10 hours ago) and read 1189 times:
Quoting USPIT10L (Reply 6): So where's your degree at the University of Customer Service, School of Hard Knocks?
Haha! Well, the whole "Customer is always right" policy kinda keeps that in check, unfortunately.
I despise that policy!
Those are my sentimets, really, half the time regarding hotels, but if I were to say something like that to my (former) manager, I'd be canned before I'd even finish the sentence...
Do not bring stranger girt into your room. The stranger girt is dangerous, it will hurt your life.
Zentraedi From Japan, joined Jun 2007, 649 posts, RR: 0 Reply 8, posted (3 years 11 months 3 weeks 9 hours ago) and read 1172 times:
If it's a nice place, I prefer to let the manager know of any grievances I've had.
For lower end places, as long as the staff has a good attitude, and the level of service / price are similar to comparable hotels in the area, I'm fine.
One thing I really don't like though, is accounting errors. It doesn't even matter if they work for or against me, if the system isn't transparent and accurate, what's going to happen the next time??
Babybus From United Kingdom, joined Dec 2003, 3512 posts, RR: 6 Reply 9, posted (3 years 11 months 3 weeks 5 hours ago) and read 1149 times:
One thing that gets me are hotels that call themselves names like the Tower Bridge Hotel, or Le Eiffle Tower hotel but are 10 miles from the said attraction. There should be a law against it.
My method of searching for a hotel is by location and then price. I know what I need to be near then I just need to find the right price.
Any problems regarding room or service have to sorted out immediately with the manager. That's what he's paid to do.
Tripadvisor reviews seem to be so venomous on many occassions.
and with that..cabin crew, seats for landing please.
LH526 From Germany, joined Aug 2000, 2257 posts, RR: 17 Reply 10, posted (3 years 11 months 3 weeks 4 hours ago) and read 1140 times:
AIRLINERS.NET CREW FORUM MODERATOR
Quoting Allrite (Thread starter): "Had booked into this hotel for 2 nites Arrived at 10:00pm after a long flight. There was no porter service to assist with my bags.
Well, can't expect that from a 3 star hotel.
Quoting Allrite (Thread starter): No friendly faces amongst the staff - no smiles and no welcome.
But this should be a must in every Hotel .. if you work in the business, smile and be polite.
Quoting Allrite (Thread starter): Requested reception call me a taxi prior to leaving my room so that I would not have to wait long. On arriving at reception was told that the taxi had not been called as they were waiting for me to come downstairs first. Had a 20 minute extra wait before the taxi arrived
Well, not the best customer service out there ... even for a 3 star hotel
Trittst im Morgenrot daher, seh ich dich im Strahlenmeer ...
Ajd1992 From UK - England, joined Jul 2006, 2645 posts, RR: 6 Reply 11, posted (3 years 11 months 2 weeks 6 days 23 hours ago) and read 1098 times:
I recently stayed in a Etap in Hannover, and we read the reviews before booking (Etap are like Formula 1 hotels, 2 beds, a shower and not much else for not a lot of money).
Some guy had complained there was no room service, no in room minibar/fridge, no proper double bed (There are 2 singles), no maid service (Not unless you check out and then it's made for the next guest). He also complained at the lack of a bath, DVD player and stuff like that.
The reason for his visit was "Romantic". The room rate for 2 people is 43GBP/50€/$69. You get what you pay for, people
I didn't think anything was wrong with it. A bed and decent shower was all I needed.
USPIT10L From United States of America, joined Mar 2006, 3266 posts, RR: 8 Reply 12, posted (3 years 11 months 2 weeks 6 days 23 hours ago) and read 1096 times:
Quoting Ajd1992 (Reply 11): I recently stayed in a Etap in Hannover, and we read the reviews before booking (Etap are like Formula 1 hotels, 2 beds, a shower and not much else for not a lot of money).
Very familiar with it. European budget hotel owned by Accor.
Quoting Ajd1992 (Reply 11): The reason for his visit was "Romantic". The room rate for 2 people is 43GBP/50€/$69. You get what you pay for, people
That's precisely the problem. The internet has people programmed to get the lowest possible price at all times. Then these people checkin thinking it's some five-star elite hotel, when we just have basic amenities. Happens every time it seems. I still remember people going nuts when I worked at Motel 6 because we didn't have free wifi. We charged $2.50 a day for wireless internet in the rooms that had it. That's right, only a few rooms had wifi and we charged for access! In an interior corridor hotel no less!
Srbmod From United States of America, joined Mar 2001, 16888 posts, RR: 51 Reply 13, posted (3 years 11 months 2 weeks 6 days 23 hours ago) and read 1078 times:
Quoting Ronglimeng (Reply 2): I often find these hotel reviews at places like tripadvisor.com to be very useful but often the review seems to tell us more about the writer that it does about the hotel.
So true. What makes these sites so unreliable to depend on user generated reviews is that in some cases the most recent review could be a year or more old. In that time period, a hotel may have completely renovated their rooms. Another annoyance is those who stay at a two star hotel and expect four and five star amenities when they're paying a pretty cheap rack rate. If you want room service, self parking that is close to the building, and a housekeeping department that is available 24/7, stay somewhere that didn't cost you $20 a night. The term "champagne tastes, beer budget" comes to mind. The worst offenders on these sites are those who are staying in a room they're not paying for (Either their company has paid for the room, that's where the airline put them up at, or in the case of somewhere like Las Vegas, a room that the casino is comping them.) and complain about the room. The phrase "never look a gift horse in the mouth" definitely springs to mind here.
One of the funnier things I've seen is that on some sites, people have already posted "ratings" on hotels that aren't even open yet, and obviously based their "star ratings" based on photographs of the room (photographs that are typically mock-ups of what the rooms may look like.).
I guess I'm so low maintenance when it comes to a hotel room, that I never really get disappointed in my room. As long as the bed is comfortable and the bathroom is clean, I can easily overlook the threadbare carpet, the scuffed up furniture, the decor that looks like it was brand new in 1977, and the dirty windows.
Signol From United Kingdom, joined Oct 2007, 2948 posts, RR: 7 Reply 14, posted (3 years 11 months 2 weeks 6 days 20 hours ago) and read 1047 times:
I've posted a few reviews on Tripadvisor, and I try to be clear and honest. I generally don't stay in the upper-priced places anyway, so don't expect half the ammenities! I've only written one bad review, but boy did they deserve it. I booekd through Priceline, and when they contacted me for a review, I copied them the TA one and they since removed the hotel from their website... Hopefully management have cleaned up the hotel!
Lincoln From United States of America, joined Nov 2004, 3887 posts, RR: 8 Reply 15, posted (3 years 11 months 2 weeks 6 days 17 hours ago) and read 1027 times:
Quoting Allrite (Thread starter): I've stayed in plenty of 3 star or worse hotels in Australia, Asia and Europe without encountering porter service
I can think of very few hotels [in the US] -- of any star level -- that I've stayed at that offer porter/bellhop service... and those that do I've never used it, because, quite frankly, I think it's outmoded/don't see the purpose (I managed to carry my bags the 2,000 miles from my house to the front door...whay wouldn't I drag my bag the last 300 feet to my room? And there's the whole tipping/when to tip/how much to tip thing that makes me uncomfortable.
Quoting Desertjets (Reply 3): There are just too many bad reviews out there that do not tell you anything
A lot of the good ones are similarly uselsess/I'm suspect of them.
Quoting USPIT10L (Reply 4): I've been told at least 30 times "I'm never staying here again" because of things that I had no control over.
I gotta say that a Hampton Inn in a Pittsburgh suburb recently did an excellent job of handling service recovery* for something they had no control of... I was in the room and heard all manner of screaming (Of the "See the mess you made!" "You will clean this up!" variety) / banging coming from the next room over, punctuated with crashes that sounded like furniture being thrown through a window. I honestly wasn't sure if I should call the front desk or the police.
Ovbiously this isn't anything the hotel has control over, short of installing asshole-detectors at the front desk.
Things calmed down, and I walked down to the front desk and asked if that room was checking out that morning, when they said no, I said that I'd need a different room for the remainder of my stay because the noise was intolerable.
No questions asked... just told me to pack my stuff back up and as soon as housekeeping had a room available they would move my luggage and I could pick up the new keycard when I got back to the hotel.
When I got back, sure enough my stuff was in a new room but there was also a "we're sorry for the inconvenience" gift bag stocked with my favorite junk food and a couple bottles of water.
Certainly that part wasn't expected, but it was certainly appreciated.
Compare that to another Hampton Inn near Dayton where I could hear the people walking around in the room above and the jackass at the front desk acted like I was asking him to shit out a diamond when I asked to be relocated. (To me being able to hear "normal" noise levels room-to-room -is- something the hotel has control over), I won't soon be returning to that property.
The three things, in order, that will get me to request a different room (or hotel) in 60 seconds or less
1) That "smoked in" smell
2) Noise from rooms next to, above, or below
3) TV or HSIA that doesn't work.
Everything else I don't really give a damn about. Am I unreasonable?
Lincoln
*- does anyome know what I mean when I use the term?
CO Is My Airline of Choice || Baggage Claim is an airline's last chance to disappoint a customer || Next flts in profile
USPIT10L From United States of America, joined Mar 2006, 3266 posts, RR: 8 Reply 16, posted (3 years 11 months 2 weeks 6 days 15 hours ago) and read 1002 times:
I know what you mean by service recovery. A lot of hotels could learn a thing or two about that. I'd say half the places I worked at could not have cared less about guest complaints simply because they didn't want to be bother, period. The other half either take great care of their guests or they expect too much from their employees.
I was working at mid-range properties like Microtel and Days Inn, as well as budget hotels like Super 8 or Motel 6. Big difference in service from the budget/mid-range to the business-oriented places like DoubleTree, Hampton, Holiday Inn, and such. Hampton Inn's a pretty good brand, IMHO. Too bad it can cost over $100 a night to stay there. I'd rather stay there and get treated like a human being rather than go to Econo Lodge or Travelodge or another "dive-type" place that gets no renovations, no amenities and little service.
Steeler83 From United States of America, joined Feb 2006, 8811 posts, RR: 19 Reply 17, posted (3 years 11 months 2 weeks 6 days 13 hours ago) and read 981 times:
Wow, that's great that that Hampton In at the burgh was able (or should I say, "willing") to do that for you. I know that smoke smell and noisy neighbors/guests are high on my list of annoyances as well.
Hell, when I worked at the Eden Resort Inn back in Lancaster as an am housekeeper, there was a young couple having a loud argument in the one room. I didn't have that room, but I knew the co-worker who had that room. I walked past that room with another co-worker upstairs and we both heard the commotion. It sounded like glass breaking as well as emotional arguing (as in a woman crying/yelling and a guy yelling his lungs out). There were other co-workers on that floor, and we brought them all over to see what they all thought. Evidently, it reached to the housekeeping manager, and he came by and asked if everything was ok. Altimately, the commotion subsided, and everything seemed to be orderly. They were supposed to check out that day anyway, but I wouldn't want to expose a fellow co-worker to anything that could be harmful...
Oh, and another annoyance, how about checking into a filthy room? I've had that happen to me as well while working at the Eden. The guests actually got an upgrade to a suite from the standard. I was brought into the room, and they asked me why the room wasn't clean. I went in and saw for myself that the bathroom was filthy. I told the guests that the room should have been fully cleaned this morning and that I didn't know why it wasn't. I brought in the pm housekeeping supervisor and we got her a different room, as suite as mentioned above. After their stay, the guests left my supervisor and myself a $20 tip...
I don't want to check into ass-filthy rooms, so that was something I kept in mind while working as a housekeeper. Not so much for my co-workers and supervisors, but mainly for the guests. If the guests are happy, eventually your bosses will be, too...
Do not bring stranger girt into your room. The stranger girt is dangerous, it will hurt your life.
USPIT10L From United States of America, joined Mar 2006, 3266 posts, RR: 8 Reply 18, posted (3 years 11 months 2 weeks 6 days 12 hours ago) and read 968 times:
Quoting Steeler83 (Reply 17): Oh, and another annoyance, how about checking into a filthy room? I've had that happen to me as well while working at the Eden. The guests actually got an upgrade to a suite from the standard. I was brought into the room, and they asked me why the room wasn't clean. I went in and saw for myself that the bathroom was filthy. I told the guests that the room should have been fully cleaned this morning and that I didn't know why it wasn't. I brought in the pm housekeeping supervisor and we got her a different room, as suite as mentioned above. After their stay, the guests left my supervisor and myself a $20 tip...
I don't want to check into ass-filthy rooms, so that was something I kept in mind while working as a housekeeper. Not so much for my co-workers and supervisors, but mainly for the guests. If the guests are happy, eventually your bosses will be, too...
That normally doesn't happen unless the housekeepers get swamped with rooms and something hasn't been clean for a few days. I've checked people into dirty rooms on occaision, but it doesn't happen often, for obvious reasons. The last time that almost happened, it wasn't my fault, the am desk guy had checked someone out by accident, and I didn't know about it. I simply moved the guest to another room and the manager's wife fixed the problem. She put the original guest back in the system, even though he'd been checked out.
AirframeAS From United States of America, joined Feb 2004, 14150 posts, RR: 26 Reply 19, posted (3 years 11 months 2 weeks 6 days 12 hours ago) and read 967 times:
As long as I have a comfortable bed with clean sheets and pillows, clean bathroom and a clean shower, I'm all good.
And oh, the hotel has to provide some sort of amenity in case if I forget something basic like either a comb or a toothbrush, THEN I'm all good.
A Safe Flight Begins With Quality Maintenance On The Ground.
USPIT10L From United States of America, joined Mar 2006, 3266 posts, RR: 8 Reply 20, posted (3 years 11 months 2 weeks 6 days 12 hours ago) and read 964 times:
Quoting AirframeAS (Reply 19): And oh, the hotel has to provide some sort of amenity in case if I forget something basic like either a comb or a toothbrush, THEN I'm all good.
Then I guess you won't be staying at Motel 6. They don't provide anything but towels and soap. You have to bring your own hair dryers, toothbrushes, shampoos, and combs.
AirframeAS From United States of America, joined Feb 2004, 14150 posts, RR: 26 Reply 21, posted (3 years 11 months 2 weeks 6 days 11 hours ago) and read 957 times:
Quoting USPIT10L (Reply 20): Then I guess you won't be staying at Motel 6.
I have never stayed at a Motel6 before....
A Safe Flight Begins With Quality Maintenance On The Ground.
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