You may have noticed that the rates at hotel, motel, and resort properties in general seem to be higher than in the past due to such factors as significant inflation, shortages of employees and labor, increased costs for food and energy, pent-up demand as a result of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus pandemic, and eased restrictions — but have you noticed at least 13 ways how hotel services have devalued — some stealthily?
13 Ways How Hotel Services Have Devalued — Some Stealthily
…but more expensive rates are simply not enough for management at hotel and resort properties. Many of them have resorted to tactics — some of them unscrupulous, deceitful, and dishonest — that are designed to devalue their services to you.
Those tactics include — but are unfortunately not limited to — the following, in no particular order:
1. Useless Mandatory Fees
An increasing number of hotel and resort properties — and even hostels and motel properties, for that matter — have been charging guests a mandatory:
- Resort fee
- Room fee
- Destination fee
- Amenities fee
- Facilities fee
- Damage waiver fee
- Fee for having a safe in the room — but yet the hotel property is not responsible for valuables
- Parking recapture fee — whatever that is
Imagine being charged as much as $8,257.00 for staying a week at this resort property — or being forced to pay both a service charge and a resort fees on the same hotel folio.
Astonishingly, guests even get to have the privilege of paying taxes on these useless and nefarious mandatory fees.
If you are forced to pay a mandatory fee at a hotel or resort property, remember that there is one simple way to reclaim that mandatory fee which you paid — and it has reportedly been quite successful.
2. Longer Reservation Cancellation Penalty Period
Once upon a time, reservations at hotel and resort properties could be canceled without penalty as late as 6:00 in the evening on the day of arrival…
…but in recent years, lodging companies have changed their policies to become more restrictive. Although some hotel and resort properties do tend to still allow guests to cancel their reservations without penalty as late as 6:00 in the evening on the day of arrival — which is rather rare these days — others tend to permit customers to cancel their reservations without penalty:
- The night before the day of arrival
- Two nights before the day of arrival
- Three nights before the day of arrival
- One week before the day of arrival
- 30 days before the day of arrival
- Even as much as three months before the day of arrival
Be sure that you read your hotel cancellation policy carefully — especially exactly when the free cancellation expires — to ensure that you do not get charged if you must cancel your plans.
3. Unknown Brands or Items of Lesser Quality
Kleenex is a brand of tissue that is arguably deservedly well respected; but although it was once somewhat ubiquitous in lodging establishments, you will rarely find that brand of tissue in the bathrooms of hotel and resort properties these days — even those whose rates are hundreds of dollars for one night. Instead, you might find some brand of tissue which you do not recognize; and you will likely notice that the tissues are of a lesser quality.
At some hotel properties which offer items free of charge if you simply ask for them — such as deodorant, toothpaste, a toothbrush, or a razor — you might get an aerosol can of shaving cream with a brand name such as Colgate…
…or you might be handed a couple of packets of gloppy shaving cream which were manufactured in India or China and do little to improve the experience of shaving — even while in a hot shower.
4. Items Not Properly Replenished
Speaking of tissues, you might have noticed issues with too few tissues in hotel rooms in recent years. Some lodging options may not include tissues in rooms at all.
Even worse than a disgusting nozzle is when a bulk dispenser of shampoo, conditioner, or body wash is empty of its product — especially while taking a shower. The days of the miniature bottles and small tubes of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, body lotion, and other amenities seem to be numbered as bulk container dispensers are increasingly being installed in the bathrooms of hotel and resort properties — mainly due to local and state laws that ban them; as well as the changing policies of lodging companies towards initiatives that are friendly to the environment.
Pens and pads of paper have also been increasingly difficult to find in the rooms of hotel and resort properties — and even if they are supplied, they may be of a lower quality.
5. Reduced Housekeeping Of The Room
Not everyone needs his or her room cleaned or maintained every day — and that is fine. Economizing on water and cleaning materials can be a good way to help the environment while simultaneously saving money on costs for the hotel or resort property…
…but not only have room rates not been reduced in conjunction with the reduction of housekeeping services, guests are still expected to leave a gratuity for members of the housekeeping staff for reduced service.
Fortunately, some hotel properties — such as those of Holiday Inn Express & Suites as one brand — do offer 500 membership points during stays of multiple days for each day when housekeeping services are declined.
6. Fewer Items at Breakfast With Lower Quality
Hotel and resort properties which offer breakfast as part of the room rate at no additional charge have been reducing the amount of items with which guests can partake — as well as offering fare of lower quality.
Imagining something more unappetizing than shoving a blob of dough that is supposed to pass for a bagel into your mouth is difficult to do — despite being toasted and masked with condiments from some manufacturer with which no one is familiar. Hard-boiled eggs increasing come pre-packaged in cellophane containers and refrigerated ice cold in water. Breakfast meats seem fattier. Some fruit is past its prime or rotting altogether. Watery oatmeal and watery juice do not help. Even water seems watered down…
7. Diminished Hours For Complimentary Breakfast
…and even if you enjoy water for breakfast, the hours when this complimentary meal is offered have diminished over the years. The standard of sorts was from 6:00 in the morning until 10:00 in the morning, with an hour shifted forward on the weekends from 7:00 in the morning until 11:00 in the morning.
At some hotel and resort properties, breakfast may only last from 6:30 in the morning until 9:00 in the morning. That is a mere 2.5 hours; and if the hotel or resort property is full and has no vacancy, you can look forward to a mob of people constantly emptying items with no place to sit.
Even worse is that jars and containers for tips and gratuities for the staff to maintain these breakfast areas have been appearing at an increasing number of hotel and resort properties.
So much for the complimentary breakfast…
8. Breakfast Included For Members? That Depends…
Options for breakfast for members of the membership programs of lodging companies have become more complicated and confusing overall.
What was initially touted as a temporary initiative by Hilton seems to have unofficially become permanent. Instead of the complimentary unlimited breakfast option for elite members of the Hilton Honors membership program, the credit amounts across the lifestyle and full-service brands of Hilton within the United States were limited to $15.00 per night; and to $18.00 per night in select markets — which means that the maximum credit value for a minimum of two guests at those hotel properties were limited to $30.00 per night; and $36.00 per night in select markets effective as of Tuesday, February 1, 2022. Granted, the credits could supposedly be used at any time of the day and not solely for breakfast — but for many people, this benefit became less popular and inconvenient.
In effect as of Thursday, November 1, 2018 is the policy that only members of the World of Hyatt frequent guest loyalty program who book their reservations directly with Hyatt instead of through third parties will qualify for breakfast to be included with their stays when paying an eligible rate.
Marriott International, Incorporated and InterContinental Hotels Group have also been known to tinker with free breakfast options for members of their respective membership programs who have earned elite status to the point of leading to confusion and dissatisfaction.
Check carefully to see if you qualify for breakfast to be included at a full-service hotel or resort property before booking your reservation if breakfast is that important to you.
9. Fewer Lounges With Fewer Offerings
Breakfast in the restaurant of the hotel or resort property at one time did not affect the guest who had earned elite status in the membership program of a lodging company, as he or she could simply head to the executive lounge instead for a quieter and more private meal to start the day — as well as hors d’oeuvres and beverages during the late afternoon and evening hours; and an hour after that for desserts and sweet treats.
Unfortunately, finding hotel and resort properties with executive lounges has become more difficult — especially within the United States — and some hotel and resort properties outside of the United States have decreased both their offerings and the hours in which they are open. Some lounges are closed altogether during weekend days and nights.
If you have earned elite status and want to stay in a hotel or resort property which includes a lounge, you may have to conduct some research to find one — and even then, whether that lounge offers what you want.
10. Complimentary Shuttles at Hotel Properties Near Airports
The complimentary shuttle at hotel properties located near airports has been becoming more of a myth than a reality lately.
Once a bargain for being located near an airport instead of in the center of a city, the rates of hotel properties located near airports have increased while complimentary shuttle services to and from the airports have decreased.
Researching whether hotel properties located near airports offer complimentary shuttles can be an exercise in futility. The official Internet web sites of some of these hotel properties will claim that shuttle service is indeed offered; but some vital information may be omitted — whether purposely or accidentally:
- The hours of operation of the shuttle
- The frequency of operation of the shuttle
- Whether the shuttle is complimentary or a fee is charged to use this service
As an example, this hotel property — which is yet to be named — offers a complimentary shuttle service to a major international airport; but it was unavailable at approximately 10:30 in the evening. Almost $24.00 was paid to a ride-sharing service instead, with which the rate of the hotel property became less competitive — and the shuttle services of several competing hotel properties were in operation at that time.
Unfortunately, you might need to contact someone directly at the hotel property at which you plan on staying — and even then, the information imparted to you may not be completely accurate.
11. Directories and Other Documents No Longer Printed
Physical paper copies of directories of guest services, room service menus, and other documents have become increasingly more difficult to find in rooms at hotel and resort properties — to the point where they are endangered of becoming extinct.
If you want to view what services and amenities a hotel or resort property, get your portable electronic device out and scan the code.
Saving on paper and ink or toner may be good for the environment while the hotel or resort property saves money on costs — but whether this technology is convenient overall to the guest is arguable.
12. Upgrades May Not Be Complimentary
Receiving an e-mail message from the hotel property the night before your stay begins stating that you have been upgraded can be euphoric — but watch out, as this could be yet another tactic for the hotel property to extract money unnecessarily from you.
“Stay at Hilton Canary Wharf last night……. The day before I was preupgraded to a junior suite, however I also noticed the price increased from £122 to £208 !” according to this cautionary tale from FlyerTalk member wizla. “After some email tennis they changed it back to the original price so no problem, apparently when hotels upgrade guests they have to manually change the price back and on this occasion it was missed ( so I was told ).”
The recommendation by wizla is to take a screenshot of original price and room, as the reservation e-mail message only has a link to current room — with the upgraded room rate as well.
“This could have caused hassle trying to get the funds back if I hadn’t noticed, just a thought guys.”
13. Pay For Checking In Early or Checking Out Early — Or Late
Arriving at a lodging establishment early could be a game of luck: could you check in early; or will you be required to wait until the official time to check in for all guests?
More often than not, the person behind the front desk will greet you and cheerily hand you a key to your room despite arriving early — or he or she may say that your room is not ready yet and if you can wait. Either way, you will usually not be charged for checking in for your stay early.
The standard time to check in for a stay at a hotel or resort property was typically 3:00 in the afternoon on the day of arrival; and the standard time to check out of a stay was typically noon on the day of departure…
…but an increasing number of hotel and resort properties have changed their times to not check in until 4:00 in the afternoon on the day of arrival; and guest must check out of their stays by 11:00 in the morning — which means two fewer hours for the guest to stay; and some hotel and resort properties may be even more egregious. The shortening of hours between checking in and checking out has created an expanded opportunity for extra income for the lodging establishment: charge a fee for checking in early — perhaps $30.00 for arriving two hours early as an example.
Earning elite status in the membership program of a lodging company can extend those hours by offering the ability to check in earlier and check out later without being charged extra money to do so — but that is not guaranteed.
Final Boarding Call
Try to research as much as possible the lodging establishment at which you plan to stay to prevent unexpected charges and experiences; and compare it to competitors. If you find that the hotel or resort property in question does not ultimately fulfill what you are seeking, find another one.
Ensure that you get a copy of your final room bill before leaving the hotel or resort property to avoid any surprises later on — but be aware that the agent behind the front desk might dissuade that from happening and offer to send the final folio to you via e-mail message instead…
…to save money on paper and ink or toner, of course.
This list of 13 ways hotel services have devalued is not exhaustive; so if anything is missing from this article, please let me know in the Comments section below.
All photographs ©2023 by Brian Cohen.
