14 Aug 2015

Should hotels charge separately for amenities and services?

Submitted by Wanderlust Andi

Are you interested in paying the minimum price for a hotel? Hotels have amenities that people believe are unnecessary, and so it might be helpful if hotels "unbundled" their services and charged for these services individually. That way, you could pay less by not paying for amenities you don't use.

So, for example, you might be presented with the ability to pay separately for items like;

WiFi
TV
Housekeeping
Towels (or, at least, clean towels every day)
Shampoo
Coffee in the room
Holding your bags
Breakfast
Early check-in or late checkout

It could be good. In fact, it could lead to hotels providing additional services (for a price), such as a late checkout, Netflix on your TV, or a great breakfast. I do stay at the Extended Stay America hotels, and appreciate the fact that the hotel can offer a lower price due to the fact that it offers only weekly housekeeping.

However, it is already a pain to figure out the best deal for a hotel. Adding in the various amenities you want would make comparison hotel shopping almost impossible. Plus, it just might lead to a feeling of "bait and switch" if you end up booking a hotel room, only to discover that even the most basic amenities are not offered.

So - it is food for thought. But, I doubt if we will see much in the way of "unbundling" for a while.

2014: the year that more and more hotels heard our plea for free WiFi

Submitted by Wanderlust Andi

If you pay $200 per night for a 3-4 star hotel, the last thing you want is to pay $30 per day for Wi-Fi - especially when 2 star hotels usually don't charge for Wi-Fi. But - Virgin hotels has listened to you - and provides Wi-Fi free. Hopefully, other hotels, such as the Marriott, will pay attention and stop charging for Wi-Fi.

29 Jan 2015

What are your hotel pet peeves?

Submitted by Wanderlust Andi

If you go through hotel reveiws (such as Trip Advisor), you will find that there are several common issues people have, such as: charging for Wi-Fi, minibars that charge too much, and lousy TV channel lineups. What are your hotel pet peeves?

11 Dec 2014

Why don't more hotels have "convenience stores"?

Submitted by Wanderlust Andi

Basically, as the company Airbnb expands to new cities around the world, the share economy is really taking their toll on regular hotels. Executives have figured a way around this with lend and lease programs all around the country with critical ads like “Forgot it?

2 Dec 2014

Checking into a hotel? Don't be afraid to ask for what you want.

Submitted by Wanderlust Andi

The attached article is interesting, as it implies that the assignment of hotel rooms has less to do with computer assignments, and more to do with the "rooms controller". For, it is the rooms controller's job to review all of the variables, such as price charged, loyalty status, special needs and requests, VIP status, group bookings, etc., and to assign the rooms 3-5 days in advance, with the intention of balancing guest satisfaction with profit.

2 Dec 2014

Why wouldn't you want a hotel with a kitchenette (or at least a fridge and microwave)?

Submitted by Wanderlust Andi

Extended stay hotels are not doing a good job of figuring out how to break into a wider audience of clientele. They offer amenities that other hotels do not, such as kitchenettes. This could be really useful for a lot of different groups such as young families and business people who are trying to save money while traveling. Once people stay at extended stay hotels, they usually enjoy it and come back. But they have to get there initially.