Last month stopped overnight at a Springhill Suites (Marriott) in Columbus, Ohio. Not in the city, near the highway. Lots of parking available in a big lot running all the way around the hotel. Lots of similar chain hotels, restaurants, plenty of parking in the area. Shocked to be charged for parking upon checkout. When questioned, the guy at checkout said: "I dunno. It's always been like that since I've been working here." Being Marriott Gold member did not get us any benefits at that property.
Marriott #2 scam: Last month suffered thru air-conditioning failure at Residence Inn in sweltering Charleston, SC (100+ degrees). After a day of misery, the engineer came and said the A/C was in total failure mode in our room. He went to the front desk, told them, came back and advised the front desk would call us to get us moved. However, they didn't have availability of a room in our category and said (seriously this is a QUOTE) "You do not deserve a better room." Told us pay for a room upgrade to obtain functioning A/C. When my calm, cool, collected husband went to the front desk to discuss in person, the clerk was agitated & combative so my husband asked to speak to a manager. That really set her off, so my husband began to video to demonstrate she was shouting & unhinged while he remained calm just asking for a room with functioning A/C.
That ended with her shouting she was calling the police; throwing a key at him, and storming into the back office with a door slam. All so weird.
No Marriott Gold member service at that property either!
As a Marriott Titanium status gal, I'm sadly not surprised. I travel weekly for business, and it is all sliding downhill rapidly. Recently, I stayed at a high-end, boutique-style Marriott where I am a regular. It was overrun with children's lacrosse teams and had kids running and shrieking through every corner, throwing candy (gummy worms stuck to my room door in the morning), and making ungodly noise in the hallways until nearly 1am. I fault the parents for creating the problems, but the Marriott staff insisted there was "nothing we can do." Really? You cannot keep 12-year-olds from running and wrestling in the bar - yes, the bar, not even the restaurant - while paying customers are trying to eat a meal or have a cocktail? You cannot tell children shrieking as they play lacrosse in a hallway at midnight that they must return to their rooms? $600+ rack rate for that hotel, typically 80+ nights/yr for me, and I was exhausted as I started work the next morning at 6 am. But at least no staff screamed at me, so I suppose I should be grateful.
But also, I find that hotel personnel are not usually willing to take steps to make their guests be respectful, quiet, control kids, etc. Oftentimes these days there is just one person at the front desk or generally understaffed hotel personnel who don't want to get into fights with people who are obviously rude and combative. I sort of can't blame the staff -- so this is why I always take headphones and a white noise machine when I travel.
I had both noise canceling earbuds and a white noise machine but a lacrosse game outside my door came through both. Normally I love the sound of happy kids playing but not at midnight!
And agreed - there often are not nearly enough hotel staff but if they have multiple tour buses of kids coming in they need to increase that staffing.
This is where I think it's useful to post reviews on websites like Trip Advisor or Google where you can give an appropriate rating and back it up with your experience. I dont take everything I read as lock solid true but when a place has many reviews you can get a good idea of the good and the bad and usually its telling when the bad that involves interactions with personnel when issues are brought up to them and HOW they are addressed that get my attention. I always read reviews and think it's our turn to influence others decisions both positively or negatively. If places want to find creative ways to make extra money, let them defend it.
Make it a point, when reserving a room, ask what is included on the price, note down person giving info and when checking in, confirm accuracy of info you received when confirming hotel reservation.
It is impressive how we become to deal with all these scams, seeing it as "normal", and fighting every day against these thefts from almost every corporation, airlines, hotels, car rentals, phone companies, cruise lines, insurance companies, credit cards, you name it. We have to add other big troubles like almost 60% of ph nbrs for a recall never answered ... It is becoming a real headache to try to live a normal life, applying hundreds of hours during the year just to prevent or recover what they are steeling.
On the other hand, it is as well impressive the excellent job of Christopher Elliott and his team, helping so many victims of all these crook policies. Congrats Chris.
It’s ridiculous for hotels in big cities such as NY, Chicago, San Francisco and similar to charge a resort fee. These hotels are not resort properties. To me a resort means amenities such as an outdoor pool, tennis courts, golf, hiking trails. You
aren’t going to find these at a hotel in the middle of a city.
The popularity of travel has created far too many "gotchas" in all aspects of the experience. Nothing can ever be assumed. I am planning a trip to Africa in the fall. I have now collected and printed over 100 pages of Ts and Cs! I have 20+ pages of "contracts for carriage" from 4 different airlines, all written in an indecipherable code. Fare classes, fees, rights are all there but are mostly impossible to follow. I bought trip insurance and now need an attorney just to understand the inclusions and exclusions. I use a wheelchair in airports due to limited mobility. Airlink requires a 3-page request form and a one-page release of liability form, both 72 hours in advance of travel in order to be provided a wheelchair. One night hotel stays in the arrival and final destinations require unknown "fees" and advance reservations for airport transfers and timely notice if my flights are off schedule. The tour operator requires a total hold harmless agreement. This is the first time I actually tried to "know" all of the disclaimers and risks in advance. I am a seasoned traveler and know to just "roll with the punches". I leave a detailed document with family members, so they at least have a shot at helping me in the event of an issue. The "trip-of-lifetime" traveler is simply at the mercy of numerous agents, agencies, contracts, terms and conditions. The "trusted providers" have become as bad (or worse?) as the professional "scammers"!
I remember staying at at Peabody hotel and complaining that they did not have a coffee maker in the room. It wasn't a matter of charging more. They wanted to force you to get dressed and go downstairs for coffee at Starbucks. When I complained they defended the policy. Never stayed with them again. In Scotland the hotel claimed to have air conditioning but in fact had some kind of cooler that did nothing. They eventually gave us a better room at no extra charge but the first night was miserable.
MARRIOTT SANIBEL HARBOUR & SPA. SANIBEL ISLAND, FLORIDA.
When I checked in (2023) I asked if they were any additional fees or costs. They told me there was a "Resort amenities fee" of $ 25/day. I told them that I will not pay any fees not properly declared when I made the reservation, plus, such "amenities" were almost not existing as the resort was under repairs after a hurricane. In addition, when I arrived to my room, the TV was not working. They sent a maintenance guy to fix it. Instead I gave him a $ 20 tip and he exchange my TV for another new one of next room. They did not charge me any hidden fees at all. The pros: nice personnel, I did not mind to leave good tips.
Going to wonderful Azerbaijan last year, all the hotels I checked started the inclusions list with three items you might assume would be included
sheets and pillow cases
towels
toilet paper
shower
bath soap
shampoo
wi fi
one bottle of water a day
A/C
hairdryer
ironing board
and on and on.
In other words everything was VERY carefully spelled out, even for upscale resorts, of which there are many.
One thing that was not inclded but was assumed that guests aboslutely needed, was a decal in a top drawer that showed which direction to face for Mecca for daily prayers.
That’s the way most things are outside of tourist destinations. Sadly his travel gets easier and people become more adventurous after Covid we’re going to see a lot more of these type of complaints that are really just the way the system generally is.
Seems like the common denominator here is Marriott! We don't us them! For 1 or 2 night stays, we use the low end chain motels. Maybe not perfect, but moving upscale usually leaves us wonder why we did that. Longer stays, we go to VRBO or Booking.com. Tried Air B&B once with poor results.
Be very sure what you want/need. When we traveled through Central and South America we developed a list of needs. We ran through that every night before committing to a room or rooms.
We have found that if it doesn't list something, you usually will not get it. Including a roof or bed sheets!
Many midtown big city hotels began adding "resort" fees when they had no typical resort amenities, and (maybe?) were so embarrassed by the discrepancy that they are now calling them "location" fees or some other name. Illustrates the rule that if you must travel under an alias there is a significant chance your honesty may be subject to question. Also, the objection from many hospitality companies that they must participate in these obfuscations because their competition does it might easily be resolved if our governing authorities simply mandated inclusion of every mandatory fee in the quoted price of a room, and enforced the rule. Fines for more than the fees bring in might change a few minds in the industry. Another point to look into might be how income from these fees is taxed; the airlines pay lower amounts to government by having unbundled ticket + fee billing to travelers, and I am covinced that hotels would find a taxation scheme in which certain revenue streams qualified for a lower tax rate quite congenial as well, if such an option is available to them. Since hotel charges are usually subject to regulation by multiple overlapping jurisdictions, enforcement of a national rule might be more complex in hotel industry than airlines, who are generally exempt from much local regulation, but it would likely be an action generating substantial public approbation. From there, one might then mandate openness in car rental charges, cruise charges, insurance, medical etc fees, but I digress.
I had the same experience being charged a daily parking fee by a Marriott hotel near the Denver airport. There were tons of free spaces and it was never disclosed until I had checked in late in the night.
The service fee was a money grab. We were on the road. Single night. Called several on phone to get rates. Selected Super 8 based on price. They were not cheapest after adding in the undisclosed "service fee". For on the road, single night stays, we look for cheap and reasonably secure.
Super 8 in Shelbyville, In. "Service fee" of $17.99. This was not disclosed in advance. It was a dump as well.. We stayed at other Wyndham hotels with no surprise fees. Local and state taxes are crazy, but we have come to expect that.
Going to wonderful Azerbaijan last year, all the hotels I checked started the inclusions list with three items you might assume would be included
sheets and pillow cases
towels
toilet paper
shower
bath soap
shampoo
wi fi
one bottle of water a day
A/C
hairdryer
ironing board
and on and on.
In other words everything was VERY carefully spelled out, even for upscale resorts, of which there are many.
One thing that was not inclded but was assumed that guests aboslutely needed, was a decal in a top drawer that showed which direction to face for Mecca for daily prayers.
Last month stopped overnight at a Springhill Suites (Marriott) in Columbus, Ohio. Not in the city, near the highway. Lots of parking available in a big lot running all the way around the hotel. Lots of similar chain hotels, restaurants, plenty of parking in the area. Shocked to be charged for parking upon checkout. When questioned, the guy at checkout said: "I dunno. It's always been like that since I've been working here." Being Marriott Gold member did not get us any benefits at that property.
Marriott #2 scam: Last month suffered thru air-conditioning failure at Residence Inn in sweltering Charleston, SC (100+ degrees). After a day of misery, the engineer came and said the A/C was in total failure mode in our room. He went to the front desk, told them, came back and advised the front desk would call us to get us moved. However, they didn't have availability of a room in our category and said (seriously this is a QUOTE) "You do not deserve a better room." Told us pay for a room upgrade to obtain functioning A/C. When my calm, cool, collected husband went to the front desk to discuss in person, the clerk was agitated & combative so my husband asked to speak to a manager. That really set her off, so my husband began to video to demonstrate she was shouting & unhinged while he remained calm just asking for a room with functioning A/C.
That ended with her shouting she was calling the police; throwing a key at him, and storming into the back office with a door slam. All so weird.
No Marriott Gold member service at that property either!
WOW!
As a Marriott Titanium status gal, I'm sadly not surprised. I travel weekly for business, and it is all sliding downhill rapidly. Recently, I stayed at a high-end, boutique-style Marriott where I am a regular. It was overrun with children's lacrosse teams and had kids running and shrieking through every corner, throwing candy (gummy worms stuck to my room door in the morning), and making ungodly noise in the hallways until nearly 1am. I fault the parents for creating the problems, but the Marriott staff insisted there was "nothing we can do." Really? You cannot keep 12-year-olds from running and wrestling in the bar - yes, the bar, not even the restaurant - while paying customers are trying to eat a meal or have a cocktail? You cannot tell children shrieking as they play lacrosse in a hallway at midnight that they must return to their rooms? $600+ rack rate for that hotel, typically 80+ nights/yr for me, and I was exhausted as I started work the next morning at 6 am. But at least no staff screamed at me, so I suppose I should be grateful.
Yikes -- that is ridiculous. I feel you.
But also, I find that hotel personnel are not usually willing to take steps to make their guests be respectful, quiet, control kids, etc. Oftentimes these days there is just one person at the front desk or generally understaffed hotel personnel who don't want to get into fights with people who are obviously rude and combative. I sort of can't blame the staff -- so this is why I always take headphones and a white noise machine when I travel.
I had both noise canceling earbuds and a white noise machine but a lacrosse game outside my door came through both. Normally I love the sound of happy kids playing but not at midnight!
And agreed - there often are not nearly enough hotel staff but if they have multiple tour buses of kids coming in they need to increase that staffing.
This is where I think it's useful to post reviews on websites like Trip Advisor or Google where you can give an appropriate rating and back it up with your experience. I dont take everything I read as lock solid true but when a place has many reviews you can get a good idea of the good and the bad and usually its telling when the bad that involves interactions with personnel when issues are brought up to them and HOW they are addressed that get my attention. I always read reviews and think it's our turn to influence others decisions both positively or negatively. If places want to find creative ways to make extra money, let them defend it.
Make it a point, when reserving a room, ask what is included on the price, note down person giving info and when checking in, confirm accuracy of info you received when confirming hotel reservation.
Good advice!
It is impressive how we become to deal with all these scams, seeing it as "normal", and fighting every day against these thefts from almost every corporation, airlines, hotels, car rentals, phone companies, cruise lines, insurance companies, credit cards, you name it. We have to add other big troubles like almost 60% of ph nbrs for a recall never answered ... It is becoming a real headache to try to live a normal life, applying hundreds of hours during the year just to prevent or recover what they are steeling.
On the other hand, it is as well impressive the excellent job of Christopher Elliott and his team, helping so many victims of all these crook policies. Congrats Chris.
It’s ridiculous for hotels in big cities such as NY, Chicago, San Francisco and similar to charge a resort fee. These hotels are not resort properties. To me a resort means amenities such as an outdoor pool, tennis courts, golf, hiking trails. You
aren’t going to find these at a hotel in the middle of a city.
The popularity of travel has created far too many "gotchas" in all aspects of the experience. Nothing can ever be assumed. I am planning a trip to Africa in the fall. I have now collected and printed over 100 pages of Ts and Cs! I have 20+ pages of "contracts for carriage" from 4 different airlines, all written in an indecipherable code. Fare classes, fees, rights are all there but are mostly impossible to follow. I bought trip insurance and now need an attorney just to understand the inclusions and exclusions. I use a wheelchair in airports due to limited mobility. Airlink requires a 3-page request form and a one-page release of liability form, both 72 hours in advance of travel in order to be provided a wheelchair. One night hotel stays in the arrival and final destinations require unknown "fees" and advance reservations for airport transfers and timely notice if my flights are off schedule. The tour operator requires a total hold harmless agreement. This is the first time I actually tried to "know" all of the disclaimers and risks in advance. I am a seasoned traveler and know to just "roll with the punches". I leave a detailed document with family members, so they at least have a shot at helping me in the event of an issue. The "trip-of-lifetime" traveler is simply at the mercy of numerous agents, agencies, contracts, terms and conditions. The "trusted providers" have become as bad (or worse?) as the professional "scammers"!
$50.00 per day parking at my hotel in Miami last year, with no option as there was no overnight parking at any public lot. Collusion with the city?
Maybe. Probably.
I feel for you! I thought $10 was bad
I remember staying at at Peabody hotel and complaining that they did not have a coffee maker in the room. It wasn't a matter of charging more. They wanted to force you to get dressed and go downstairs for coffee at Starbucks. When I complained they defended the policy. Never stayed with them again. In Scotland the hotel claimed to have air conditioning but in fact had some kind of cooler that did nothing. They eventually gave us a better room at no extra charge but the first night was miserable.
MARRIOTT SANIBEL HARBOUR & SPA. SANIBEL ISLAND, FLORIDA.
When I checked in (2023) I asked if they were any additional fees or costs. They told me there was a "Resort amenities fee" of $ 25/day. I told them that I will not pay any fees not properly declared when I made the reservation, plus, such "amenities" were almost not existing as the resort was under repairs after a hurricane. In addition, when I arrived to my room, the TV was not working. They sent a maintenance guy to fix it. Instead I gave him a $ 20 tip and he exchange my TV for another new one of next room. They did not charge me any hidden fees at all. The pros: nice personnel, I did not mind to leave good tips.
I like that. You have to fight the fees ASAP when you're at a hotel. Otherwise, they assume they can charge them.
Going to wonderful Azerbaijan last year, all the hotels I checked started the inclusions list with three items you might assume would be included
sheets and pillow cases
towels
toilet paper
shower
bath soap
shampoo
wi fi
one bottle of water a day
A/C
hairdryer
ironing board
and on and on.
In other words everything was VERY carefully spelled out, even for upscale resorts, of which there are many.
One thing that was not inclded but was assumed that guests aboslutely needed, was a decal in a top drawer that showed which direction to face for Mecca for daily prayers.
That’s the way most things are outside of tourist destinations. Sadly his travel gets easier and people become more adventurous after Covid we’re going to see a lot more of these type of complaints that are really just the way the system generally is.
Free airport shuttle wasn't available in this hotel that was picked for that very amenity. We had to pay for a taxicab.
Seems like the common denominator here is Marriott! We don't us them! For 1 or 2 night stays, we use the low end chain motels. Maybe not perfect, but moving upscale usually leaves us wonder why we did that. Longer stays, we go to VRBO or Booking.com. Tried Air B&B once with poor results.
Be very sure what you want/need. When we traveled through Central and South America we developed a list of needs. We ran through that every night before committing to a room or rooms.
We have found that if it doesn't list something, you usually will not get it. Including a roof or bed sheets!
Many midtown big city hotels began adding "resort" fees when they had no typical resort amenities, and (maybe?) were so embarrassed by the discrepancy that they are now calling them "location" fees or some other name. Illustrates the rule that if you must travel under an alias there is a significant chance your honesty may be subject to question. Also, the objection from many hospitality companies that they must participate in these obfuscations because their competition does it might easily be resolved if our governing authorities simply mandated inclusion of every mandatory fee in the quoted price of a room, and enforced the rule. Fines for more than the fees bring in might change a few minds in the industry. Another point to look into might be how income from these fees is taxed; the airlines pay lower amounts to government by having unbundled ticket + fee billing to travelers, and I am covinced that hotels would find a taxation scheme in which certain revenue streams qualified for a lower tax rate quite congenial as well, if such an option is available to them. Since hotel charges are usually subject to regulation by multiple overlapping jurisdictions, enforcement of a national rule might be more complex in hotel industry than airlines, who are generally exempt from much local regulation, but it would likely be an action generating substantial public approbation. From there, one might then mandate openness in car rental charges, cruise charges, insurance, medical etc fees, but I digress.
We have to stay vigilant about these fees -- and call them out when we see them.
I had the same experience being charged a daily parking fee by a Marriott hotel near the Denver airport. There were tons of free spaces and it was never disclosed until I had checked in late in the night.
The service fee was a money grab. We were on the road. Single night. Called several on phone to get rates. Selected Super 8 based on price. They were not cheapest after adding in the undisclosed "service fee". For on the road, single night stays, we look for cheap and reasonably secure.
Super 8 in Shelbyville, In. "Service fee" of $17.99. This was not disclosed in advance. It was a dump as well.. We stayed at other Wyndham hotels with no surprise fees. Local and state taxes are crazy, but we have come to expect that.
What is a "service" fee?
Wel. the customer got an itemized bill, isn't that a "service?"
Hilton actually charged me $8 for an itemised invoice. it was the last line on the bill before the taxes.
All Super 8 hotels are firmly in my AVOID category. Yet another reason for me to keep them there.
Going to wonderful Azerbaijan last year, all the hotels I checked started the inclusions list with three items you might assume would be included
sheets and pillow cases
towels
toilet paper
shower
bath soap
shampoo
wi fi
one bottle of water a day
A/C
hairdryer
ironing board
and on and on.
In other words everything was VERY carefully spelled out, even for upscale resorts, of which there are many.
One thing that was not inclded but was assumed that guests aboslutely needed, was a decal in a top drawer that showed which direction to face for Mecca for daily prayers.
That's a good plan.