For the majority, when we spend a few nights at a hotel, they tend to be pleasant and well worth the money. Waking up to a fantastically cooked breakfast, enjoying the complementary bathroom items or having a great night’s sleep in an extremely comfy bed are all things we associate with a good stay at a hotel.
There are however a few things that can make us think twice about going back to that same hotel in the future, which can and should be avoided by hoteliers.
1. Charing for Wi-Fi
In this day and age, ‘Wi-Fi available’ should not be listed as a perk or a unique selling point. We are more connected to each other than ever before with more gadgets than Inspector Gadget himself. When a room is already £100 per night, you shouldn’t expect to pay additional fees for Wi-Fi, with it being readily available everywhere else in a bustling city.
2. Soliciting for Tips
After a long, uncomfortable flight and carrying your luggage half way around the world, the first thing you want to do is take a well earned rest in the room that you have paid for. While there is no obligation for you to expect an employee to help you with your bags, there is also no obligation for you to tip somebody that does. Uncomfortably closing your room door on somebody waiting for a tip is painful, which is why many of us don’t do this.
3. Inflexibility Regarding Checkout Times
Scheduling your day around your checkout times can be a right pain. In this digital age, I think hoteliers could manage themselves around different checkout times for different people. They could even allocate certain rooms with different check out times, which creates more flexibility and ultimately more satisfaction.
4. Failing to Replace Mattresses
There’s nothing worse than getting to your hotel room after a long day, to only find out that the mattress is rock solid and very uncomfortable. Hotel’s that don’t maintain or replace their mattresses should reconsider their policies on maintenance. There is no set rule as to when you should replace your mattress, but when the time comes, mattress replacements are easy to come by.
5. Unmaintained Air Conditioning
This falls under the same category as number 4; maintenance. When a hotel advertises that it has air conditioning, it’s very dissatisfying to find out it barely works. Keep on top of your appliances and your tenants will be all the more happier for it.
6. Charging Absurd Amounts for Movies
Laptops, mobile phones, digital tablets and even mp3 players have the ability to play movies at a push of a button. In a world where the internet is everywhere, getting your hands on a cheap film is very easy. Charging absurd amounts to watch films in hotel rooms just discourages us and forces us to use alternative methods. Price them competitively with the current market and you’ll be sure to see a rise in people using your service.
7. The Guilt Trip
We have all come across the leaflets in our hotel bathrooms that let us make the choice of protecting the environment or destroying it. Well, not literally destroying it, but helping to save the planet. To me this comes across as a little guilt trip with hotels just beating around the bush. Their main concern I’m sure is that washing the towels daily will be very costly. Just be honest with us.
About the Author.
Matt Pierce loves to travel and is passionate about his mattresses. He writes on behalf of HotelContractBeds.co.uk, a leading supplier of contract beds and mattresses. You can find them on Facebook and Twitter.