Category Archives for Hotels.
You’re charged 18% more than the actual published price of what you order, and then likely assume it covers the tip. You should add another, say, 18% – 20% on top of the 18%. But since many won’t, not asking the question, this service charge almost certainly leads to lower tips even as it leads to higher profits. In other words, it’s not just the guest being cheated it’s the employees too.
The owner of the Hilton San Francisco Union Square and Parc 55 hotels in has chosen to stop making payments on $725 million in debt and turn the keys over to their lender, J.P. Morgan Chase.
Park Hotels and Resorts says San Francisco is too much of a mess and won’t be turned around any time soon.
The new brand is not yet named but internal project names are often revealing, and this one is “currently being referred to as Project MidX Studios.”
They literally tell you the new chain is mid.
There are four major hotel loyalty programs, at least for Americans: Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott and IHG. Hyatt has the smallest footprint but the best benefits for frequent guests. Marriott is great on paper but most inconsistent at the property-level delivering promised benefits. IHG never had much in the way of benefits at all until last year when everything changed. And Hilton stands alone, promising almost nothing.
IHG now has, in my view, the second best elite upgrade program behind Hyatt – which allows confirmed upgrades at booking to suites, and allows them more often for their heaviest stay guests – but whose confirmed upgrade benefits only start after 50 nights. Marriott allows confirmed upgrades based on availability (and only into capacity controlled suite inventory) starting 5 days prior to check-in for elites after 50 nights. And Hilton doesn’t require hotels to upgrade elites to suites at all.
Some properties add mandatory fees that are not actually disclosed to guests when committing to a stay. They might charge a resort fee that’s not shown on the hotel’s website or in the confirmation e-mail. They might add an undisclosed extra fee for property taxes and energy fees. But hotels usually pick just one fraudulent fee.
Airbnb rules are frequently infuriating. You pay a cleaning fee and still have to clean. Just stick it in the rate, right? And the list of chores can be maddening. I’ve been told to carry trash to a community dumpster several blocks away, and I’ve encountered condos with lock boxes over the thermostat to prevent use of the air conditioner. Others have been told to wait on property to manage repair services, and to mow the lawn.
Here’s a reported notice to guests, though, that contains some items I haven’t seen before
A great staycation can be getting a room at a local resort and enjoying everything they have on property, but you can do this without even booking the room. Many resorts offer day passes, and some people go without buying the pass. And it can make a great place to kill time before the airport, especially if you don’t have guaranteed late checkout where you’re staying.
The Thompson Hotel Denver is a recent-build property owned by T2 Hospitality. Like many lifestyle hotels, they don’t just rely on room revenue to earn a profit. They lean heavily into food and beverage. And this hotel has a unique strategy for bumping up their revenue – by 3%.
As this charge slip from the hotel’s bar shows, they add an automatic 20% surcharge and pocket 3% of it for themselves. You’re not just required to tip the servers, you’re also required to tip the owners.
A housekeeper at MGM’s Vdara in Las Vegas is accused of stealing more than $1 million in jewelry from a guest room consisting of “two Rolex watches, an Audemars Piguet watch, a Cartier watch, seven diamond Cuban link chains, a couple of bracelets and a gold ring.”
Here’s the story of tweedle dee and tweedle dumber.
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 »
