[LindsayW]

Oh, how we can all relate to most of these issues 🙂

Time to go and replace my cuppa, which I just spilt on my laptop.

[Dobson73]

@Conair and st, The Handlery in SFO provides (or used to) coffee machines in it’s rooms. Such a nice touch and much, much better than Nescafe Blend 43!

My biggest gripes:

Air con that can’t go lower then full blast so you either freeze or sweat. Coupled with un-openable windows.

A gap under the door so you hear all the foot traffic and trolleys up and down the corridor all night.

Doors that rattle (yes, I’m looking at you, Grand Hyatt, Melbourne)

Hearing someone do their ablutions in adjoining rooms (or rooms on the floor above. Again, @Grand Hyatt, Melbourne, the finger is pointed at you!)

Pillows so hard you have a headache before you can even fall asleep.

And most of the above from others! 🙂

[MartynSinclair]

1. doors that slam shut and echo along the whole floor

2. hotels who reduce or play with internet bandwidth in order to reduce skype quality to encourage use of hotel phone at ridiculous costs

3. sports channels being blocked (in rooms) to encourage you to see the event on the hotel bar with accompanying costs

4. Food trays being left outside rooms overnight resulting in a feast for the flies (Sheraton JFK)

[BeckyBoop]

Charging for WIFI especially five star hotels its a disgrace!
The Spa’s pool crowded full of children (they should have a sperate one)
Lack of english tv channels when abroad.
Lack of availability when making dinner or spa reservations after you have checked in
Charging for WATER!!!!
Being able to here people chatting and running in the corridor at night!
Rooms not sound proofed so you can hear the tv in and people arguing in the next room.
To make it worse if you stay in five star places the manager gives a welcome note offering you the world to make your stay enjoyable and you raise anything new or the points above and they give you excuses…not on.

x

[LuganoPirate]

Not having free wifi annoys me as well. Even more when I’m told the internet is free on booking, only to find it’s free with a cable but wifi is charged. It’s not possible to run an iPad through a cable!

Not being able to book dinner is also very annoying, though in fairness some hotels have 2/3 star restaurants which tend to be booked well in advance by non-guests who are probably staying in cheaper establishments in order to afford said meal! Doesn’t change the frustration though.

My biggest pet hate is not having a plug next to the bed where I can charge my phone etc.

[esselle]

1. Minibar thermostats that kick in during the night, resullting in a melodic background hum.
2. Noisy a/c; leave it on overnight and you cannot sleep, turn if off and you bake.
3. Yes, the infuriating bedside light switches that cannot do a simple “on-off”.
4. The master switch by the bed that knocks out ALL the electric sockets so that your mobile does not charge overnight.

[RichHI1]

Rooms with desk and internet drop but no power socket…

[Binman62]

2 double beds and yet occupancy restricted to 1 child……arrghhhh

[RHMAngel]

I must admit I burst out laughing, at the first post…the TV one was put ahead of actually getting into the room.

On the basis this is a BT forum, and thus mostly but not exclusively we’re taking business hotels, charging the earth and generally 4-5 star…right ?

Key cards: there’s NEVER an internal phone near by and you’ve gone many floors up to find out you can’t get in the room due to the key-card not working. Luggage on wheels or not, this is the biggest ggggrrr for me to go back down, (after a long flight plus taxi) wait for an elavator and queue again, for reception to sort this out.

“1) Unresponsive TV remotes
2) Getting to your room to find the key card doesn’t work
9) Double beds that are really two singles pushed together”

On number 9, only had that once, and upon checking they confirmed ALL double beds were squished together singles. Not amused.

But I also take issue at being opposite the elevator ‘well’ point too, and try to ask if I’m not flight-tired not to be put there. Though in most 4-5 hotels sound proofing is good.

Mostly I pick up Binman – because its considered an ‘extra charge’ & room service in my company rules, so payable by me plus I forget but it was also covered in Travel (business related) supplment of the UK’s Sunday Telegraph (or was it The Sunday Times) – under “Annoyances”

“My gripe is rip off WIFI charges in rooms….seem to believe that £10 a day is reasonable. When will they learn”

Hotels, in the $250+ per night mark, both US and Far East wanting to charge for 24 hour access for WiFI. How is $10-20 reasonable ?!

I was with a work colleague once and I think our room was approaching $290 per night (in US), and he asked for a WiFI password at reception, to which they said it would be $15 extra for 24 hours only (we were staying 5 nights). He hit the roof, reminding them it was $290+taxes in a business hotel for the week, and Wifi was already on & installed. It was such a scene (even I was embarrassed) so they relented as a “gesture of goodwill” for 24 hours access.

Its not a police-state to have T&C “reasonable use” – so travellers don’t start downloading Gb movies or music – but for work emails,light browsing & checking in with family/office (on a different time zone) – how much can that really be ?

Really odd thing, on my personal travels, the cheapest of chain hotel/motels with cheery staff both in US and Europe mainland, where rooms have been less than $60 per night, the WiFi is 9 out of 10 times (in my experience) FREE – and that makes me laugh – then doubly annoyed next time I check into a 5 star “business hotel” on my biz travels.

[BeckyBoop]

What is strange most hotels in my experience that charge for Internet also have a business centre or reception/lobby/lounges which allows FREE internet access?!?!?! If they have a rubbish network you can sometimes unplug the network cable to the PC in the business centre and plug it into your laptop and boom it works… this doesnt always work! xx

[RichHI1]

Some hotels in Santiago Chile where internet provider kept locking me out from streaming video. Whne I contacted them they said email was the only fair use that Broadband supported in Chile. Luckily W hotel used a corporate provider not usual Chilean provider and my slingbox streaming worked fine.

[MartynSinclair]

The excuse for charging for Wifi will undoubtedly be “its cost us xxxx to install”.

If you look at the newly refurbed Savoy, where I am sure all IT was upgraded, I wonder what they charge for 24 hours wifi use.

Wifi is a rip off, but at least with SPG plat, it is free in all SPG hotels.

[BeckyBoop]

Martyn never go to the Savoy its the worst 5 star hotel in London. Overpriced poor quality food and bev and bad service.. a joke and a disgrace! xx

[LPPSKrisflyer]

Martyn,

I’ve listened to the line of wifi is extra because of the installation costs and argued back that no doubt the showers in the bedrooms cost money to install too but they are reasonably included in the price and a five star hotel is not an O’Leary offshoot. I was granted free wifi access and have never had a problem in that hotel since.

[RichHI1]

Whilst I get free wifi from Starwood and Fairmont, I do not mind paying for wifi as long as it is truly broadband. I really hate properties where the bandwidth is either so restricted it is useless for nything other then txt mails or where it constantly fluctuates leading to time outs amd disconnections. Spent many hours trying to download videos and massive presentations for it to fail with under 1MB left to go.

[Author]

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