T he statement for my stay — which had been slipped under the door of my hotel room earlier this morning — had a donation of one Euro added to it.
One Euro is not much — but that is not the point. Regardless of the amount, I believe that it is rather quite rude and tactless to add an unsolicited donation to a hotel bill without advanced notice. Are guests not taxed, burdened with fees and nickel-and-dimed enough?
Of course, you do have the option to go to the front desk and request that the donation be removed from the bill — and an agent at the front desk will usually fulfill the request almost immediately and give you a revised statement upon request…
…but that creates an awkward moment for the guest, who should not have to go through the trouble in the first place — and it wastes paper, toner, electricity and the time of the hotel employee to engage with the guest who wants the unsolicited optional charge removed.
Would all of that not add up to one Euro? Perhaps the hotel property should just consider donating the funds directly on behalf of its guests.
It is possible that the awkward moment is the plan of the hotel property, with the hopes that guests will simply say that it is not worth the trouble or the bother to have the charitable donation removed.
In my opinion, I do not want any entity to attempt to compel me to donate to a charity about which I know nothing. I will donate to what charitable organizations I want when I want.
Should hotel properties now place envelopes for charity in hotel rooms — similar to what was proposed from Marriott pertaining to gratuities for members of the housekeeping staff? Perhaps Marriott and other hotels should add an “optional” additional charge for those gratuities — an idea which I would not support, by the way?
What has been your experience with unsolicited charitable donations added to your hotel bill? Do you just shrug them off and pay them — or do you request for the charge to be removed?
