Category Archives for Hotels.
A major hotel asset manager wants to see luxury hotels end turndown service and for hotels to eliminate food service – and is pushing hotel chains to loosen their brand standards.
A hotel guest reports that they left their room in perfectly normal order when they checked out. On their way down the hall they handed their key to housekeeping. But after their stay the property charged them a $150 cleaning fee – and sent them photos.
And who boy, the photos are something, with hot sauce everywhere in the room – on the bed and bedding and even on the wall. It looks like blood!
On February 12, the Kansas City Chiefs will face off against the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium in the Phoenix area.
Events like this drive up hotel room rates. But if you book a year in advance you can often reserve a room at normal pricing, or book nights on points. And the hotel may look to try to wiggle out of the reservation.
The food and beverage credit is a ‘choice benefit’ and members have been choosing these since the program launched and guests started reaching the required number of nights.
But they haven’t yet been able to spend them. These are $20 credits which can be applied to a stay folio for spending at hotel restaurants, in-room dining, minibar food and beverage items (and can be used to cover tax and tip where applicable). Fortunately they’re now going live in the first wave of a release.
President Biden went to war against hotel resort fees and other consumer fees this past fall. He directed federal agencies to find a way to clamp down on or ban them.
Now, however, the CFPB is prepared to limit credit card late fees to $8 but as for the rest of junk fees the President criticized, agencies will do nothing more than continue to “prioritize them” and he’s instead calling on Congress to act. That’s akin to doing nothing, but is also potentially better for the President politically.
Last year IHG rebranded its loyalty program IHG One Rewards, meant to unify all of the chains brands and give customers a reason to stay loyal. They introduced whole new suites of benefits including top tier Diamond status with free daily breakfast, and benefit choices like confirmed suite upgrades, club lounge access, and food and beverage spending credit to use on property.
I spoke with IHG’s Senior Vice President Heather Balsley to learn more about how the new program is going, and what benefits are coming next.
The Baymont By Wyndham Des Moines North was an unlicensed hotel, despite being branded as part of a global chain and being owned by McKinney, Texas-based Relianse Global.
On December 22, hotel inspectors found “trash, pests, nonworking smoke detectors and a “sex toy” in the microwave oven of a guest room.” And the property has been given a government license to operate.
The range of things for which tipping is being solicited in the United States has grown tremendously. Tipping, it seems, is no longer just for personal services someone provides – like a waiter in a restaurant, or a stylist in a salon. You’re asked to tip when you bus your own tray after waiting in line for food at a restaurant. You’re asked to tip when picking up food for carry out. And the amount you’re asked for has grown, from 15% to 20% and now sometimes 25%.
Surely there has to be a line. How much will we stand for? Isn’t a reasonable principle that tipping ought to be reserved for service provided by people and not machines?
I’ve even documented instances where the difference in room rate was over $450 per night! It’s amazing that even as hotel chains spend a lot marketing that you’ll find the best rates on their rooms through their own websites, hotels are unloading rooms for less through Airbnb.
One guest even managed a successful Marriott best rate guarantee against an Airbnb listing.
Loyalty programs like Marriott Bonvoy, World of Hyatt, IHG One Rewards, and Hilton Honors all sell points to consumers, and generally the cost to the program of redemption is lower than the cost of sale. That practice would be banned by New Jersey law if this ultimately passes.
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 »
