I don’t want to sound like I didn’t have a good time, but I couldn’t help noticing - or being reminded that I always notice - the little things that make being away from home such a drag. Staying in a hotel should be fun. It should be full of little (nice) surprises, like a particularly nice bathroom with gold taps or a forceful shower that makes you want to luxuriate under it for just that little bit longer.
What I found, however, was a small bar of soap hidden in a box next to a “sanitary pack” (don’t ask). The shower had the kind of half-heartedness displayed by the night-staff - as if it didn’t want to be there either.
The temperature controls took a day to work properly - or perhaps when my cousin visited, he managed to jog it back into life. I froze on the first night, with the heat on maximum. Speaking of cold comfort - what’s the point of having a fridge in the room if it’s filled with things you know are exorbitantly priced? Can’t I have the option of getting an empty fridge?
In the next hotel, the fridge had some room, but there was no bottle opener or wine glasses once I got to use it!
I am not talking about cheap or low-star hotels, either - one has an undeservedly good name, & the other was considered excellent in a highly competitive area. Its decor was classic & stylish - the staff were uncouth & inexperienced.
Two incidents come to mind. My good lady left her phone charger at home, so all we had left was the car charger with no intention of driving around in circles. I rang reception to ask if we could borrow a charger & they said that they had lots, but I’d best come around with the phone, just to be sure. I should point out that the phone in question has one of the most common mini-USB charger ports currently available. Out of a box full of chargers, not one was less than five years old. My guess is that they had been discarded by previous guests over the years as being useless. The staff were unapologetic. When I later asked in passing the front desk if I would find a corkscrew in my room (we were in a wine district), the desk attendant had to shout out to a duty manager to ask if that was a normal item provided, & the shout back was an assurance it was. Fortunately, I ignored them & took one from the bar.
The restaurant in that establishment offered fusion cuisine, which I usually would avoid, but I was so inebriated from a day tour of wineries that I felt compelled to give it a try. Again, the converted sprawling estate provided a wonderful atmosphere for the food to be served into. However, the staff took an approach to the clientelle that reflected their collective training at the local burger emporium.
The perky words “How is your meal?” sounded so much like “Would you like fries with that?” Believe me, fries would have been quite inappropriate for the whole menu. They would have looked about as in place as the “Australian Menu” section in a country town Chinese restaurant (where you find the fish & chips offering).
I was tempted to take the express check-out (on both occasions), & I resisted writing comments on those nasty little feedback forms (OK, so I did do it at the restaurant, but I was drunk - so they’ll never understand it). I would love to know if anyone reads those things, or whether they at least take the time to look at the statistics of how little actual feedback they get.
What happened to the good old days where the differentiation between stars was noticeable in the free stuff - the quality of the shampoo, the robe in the cupboard, the view over the pool (or ocean), people to carry your bags - all of the things you see in old movies. Now, everyone who is no-one goes to a hotel for a night with no expectations (always fulfilled), just for the branding, rather than the experience.
I want to be pampered. I want to feel as if I am getting “something” for my money beyond four walls, a mediocre shower, & a nicely made bed. Is that really too much to ask? I want some service from someone who may be surly but is at least professional. I want to feel as though I am special - a guest - not a customer.
Yes, I know, you can’t go to a prostitute & complain about not feeling loved, but I would at least like to think that one of us is faking it.
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