29 Jan 2015

What are your hotel pet peeves?

Submitted by Wanderlust Andi

A hotel is only as good as its service, and there are some trends that consumers don’t like, but hotels seem to continue to do. According to the attached article, minimums at hotel bars, charging for WiFi, and slow WiFi connections are just a few of the issues that hotel guests from around the world are taking issue with. We’re paying for the rooms, so the service should be customer centric, right? Hopefully, the hotels will take note and give us what we all want: a comfortable and convenient hotel stay!

I do agree with many items in the article, such as:

charging for WiFi. What I find amazing is that the more expensive a hotel is, the higher chance that you will be charged for WiFi.
slow and sporadic WiFi.
Minibars that charge you when you use them to store your cream (or pizza, see below).
Peekaboo bathrooms - need I say more?

Others items I would like to add are:

TVs positioned so that you must watch TV from your bed, and not at a table or lounge chair.
lousy to minimal TV channel lineups.
no fridges and microwaves in the hotel room. I know that there are many who stay in a hotel for a weekend, and are not planning on doing any cooking in the room. But, even then, sometimes you have that yummy, left-over pizza or restaurant "doggie bag" that you want to store in a fridge (not an ice bucket) and warm up the next day.
and, minimally, hotels: If you don't have fridge's in the rooms - at least have working ice machines.

Hotels - a personal perspective

Submitted by Wanderlust Andi

This is great overview of ones personal perspective on hotels. With very informative information, it gives you thought and ideas on what makes a hotel good, great or just down right wrong. If you are an avid traveler, I highly recommend this article. The author also gives some recommendations with a list of hotels from personal experience that are worth while to check out to make decision making easier.

9 Nov 2014

Hilton introduces smartphone features

Submitted by Wanderlust Andi

Hilton is offering a new service to their guests that allows them to pick their own room and floor plan from their mobile device. The guests will also be able to customize their stay by requesting certain amenities for their room. The day prior to check-in, the guest will log in with their mobile device and pick their room and added features. Guests will also be able to check in and out of the hotel remotely from their smart phone.

19 Oct 2014

Hotels use online reviews as blueprint for renovations

Submitted by Wanderlust Andi

Hotels like the Omni are basing their renovations on reviews from websites like TripAdvisor. They say that since the customers are so candid, it gives them a good opportunity to understand what is lacking in their hotels, and where they can improve.

19 Oct 2014

What hi-tech hotel equipment do you want?

Submitted by Wanderlust Andi

Hotels are constantly looking for new ways to entice travelers, and the latest development appears to be rooms with hi-tech options for those with a multitude of digital tastes. Business travelers in particular seem to lean toward rooms loaded with new technology, including super-charged remote controls and personal iPads that serve as a digital concierge for guests.

15 Oct 2014

Do you tip housekeeping when you are at a hotel?

Submitted by Wanderlust Andi

Do you tip housekeeping when you are at a hotel? And, if so, how much?

There was a poll done a couple years ago that concluded that if you don't tip, you are one of the 39% of travelers that don't tip. If you do tip, you belong to the 23% minority that always tips. I believe that most people just are not aware that they should tip housekeeping.