Category Archives for Hotels.
The Federal Trade Commission has finalized a rule banning deceptive bait-and-switch pricing for hotels, short-term rentals like Airbnb, and event tickets. They’re targeting resort fees, cleaning fees, and other add-ons that aren’t clearly disclosed during pricing display prior to booking.
It appears that the water inside the bottle is complimentary – but the bottle is $12 if you take it with you.
The agent upgraded the guest, and then tried to pocket an upgrade fee in cash. But since the guest was already upgraded, and they wouldn’t want them complaining to management, the guest kept the room they were already in. It seems clear to me that the agent processed the upgrade (whether they were supposed to or not) angling to line their own pockets. And the solicitation to pay in cash is always a giveaway.
The Aloft Rogers-Bentonville hotel in Arkansas apparently has a laminated sign in guest rooms outlining the property’s “Hotel Towel Policy.” It says that guests will be charged a variable fee up to $50 per dirty towel.
Marriott reset member expectations a year ago about how upgrades work, changing the name so that an upgrade isn’t necessarily to a suite and giving out upgrades only closer to check-in. Well, they’re changing upgrades again!
Bellmen sometimes carry a doorstop or door wedge. It’s often made of rubber (but sometimes plastic) and is shaped like a small triangle or wedge. They place it in the door to hold it open while transporting bags. Sometimes room service staff carry these, too.
But what about a guest when they’re on their own? Self-wedging doors are brilliant, a tremendous convenience, and more hotels should emulate this.
Here’s what you get for spending $23,000 a year at Marriott hotels, in addition to benefits like occasional room upgrades and continental breakfast. The hotel chain has sent out end of year holiday gifts, and a reader shares that they received a lego puzzle set of a Marriott Design Hotels property in Iceland.
Despite making the booking directly with Marriott, submitting credit card information to guarantee the reservation, and receiving a confirmation email, the hotel reached out to demand separate payment. And it sure looks like phishing or a scam, like someone had gotten hold of new bookings and was trying to steal money.
A year ago Hyatt started testing online redemption of suite upgrades. That feature is now live, and it works for both suite upgrades and club access awards, through both the Hyatt.com website and through the Hyatt mobile app as part of the booking process.
This hotel does something a little bit differently – something I have never seen before. They ask guests to tip the front desk agent checking them in.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
