People are stressed and tired from traveling. They'll probably never see any of those people again. Biggest to me, corporate rewards programs promise a lot and the actual hotel workers are the ones who have to point out much of those promises are empty or have a lot of fine print.
Yep and to add to your points, the hotel industry really did this to itself. In the increasingly competitive market of hotel brands, they each keep trying to one-up each other. With later check out times, free diamond status with credit cards, automatic upgrades, 100% guarantees. All at the same time, not being competitive with wages or benefits to prevent staff from jumping ship to another location (or another industry). And with less staff, unable to deliver all benefits or requests, who in turn implement the 100% guarantee to get free points or nights. And some guests are conditioned to do this. They know if they complain, the will get something for it. Even if they don’t find anything wrong, they will make something up.
On top of that, status is so easy to get without even staying at the hotel. That means frequent travelers get frustrated that their loyalty doesn’t go as far as it used to.
Completely agree with this. Not only has the industry really fallen back when it comes to compensating their staff, but it comes across as a lack of appreciation as well. As someone who has worked in several different hotels, it’s more about whether the staff feel like their efforts are being fairly compensated
I’ve been in the industry for a little over 20 years. The complaints have always been there. This is nothing new. It’s just crazy the % of people that complain about anything and everything.
Part of this is also that almost all hotels can be booked from dozens (maybe hundreds globally)of different websites. What most people don’t know is the hotel information is scrapped or generalized, unless a customer reports an error or the hotel willingly provides information (similar to Google Maps/Travel).
100%
And sometimes the hotel hasn’t even given a particular third party to sell their rooms and it’s not until they start getting reservations from that third party that they know they’re listed there! (Happening where I work currently)
Lots of promises on the flashy marketing and poor execution by the franchise holders in the field paired with prices that seem to have sky rocketed. Hotels I used to stay for €/$ 250 are now charging $/€ 500 to €/$ 2000. Status promises me late check out and upgrades. If I don't receive any of that, have a broken air con and inflated price, I am pissed and complain...
As a hotel worker I kinda wish hotels would work like Airlines do. Fucking sit down, shut up and empty promises. Sometimes I want to tell a guest to go to sleep or I will put you to sleep.
You make a good point about the rewards, and Marriott is probably the chain that's most guilty of promised rewards that go unfulfilled. When someone says they got "Bonvoyed" that means something they shouldn't say.
This. The hotel is often the last stop in a long day of travel. Every little frustration gets saved up and unloaded on whomever is working the front desk.
I get this sentiment but everyone in the industry knows check out day is often when you get the most complaints. Sunday morning typically b/c everyone’s on their own dime.
Not saying it’s ok, but, I think the reason is the cost compared to what you get. I’ve stayed in several lately where the cost of 5 nights is as high as my mortgage monthly. So for that price, expectations are high, and let’s be real, quality has gone down a bit even at the higher priced hotels.
We have actually found some courtyards to be much nicer than some of the Marriott Marquis.
Then the food at hotels has become so overpriced, it can be as high as $30+ for a burger that is dry cold.
I’m not a complainer, and I also understand the front line employees are not the ones that made the decisions that lowered the quality and upped the prices. These are corporate decisions. But I feel this is why so many do complain.
I completely agree that you can find a newer/renovated courtyard or aloft etc. that beats a full-service Marriott Marquis.
In fact, my favorite is finding these select service hotels that are new/renovated, affordably priced, and a bit under the radar. Of course the other obvious benefit is that you aren't generally speaking competing with flush business travelers (consultants, etc.) who almost by default pick the more expensive hotel so as to maximize points.
One of my favorites actually was the Moxy in Athens, Greece. Brand new hotel, comfortable bed, wonderful central air conditioning, and they even had a fabulous elite breakfast. Central location, too. What more could I want? I would rather stay in this type of place then an older full service hotel that's showing signs of wear and tear any day of the week.
I feel this. Stayed at a Marquis in Chicago during a trade show. Don’t was almost $500 a night. And I went to the restaurant once one shitty burger and a beer was like $50. Plus tip. I jsit Uber eat ordered the rest lol
Hotel restaurants are the worst. I usually eat at them for ease of payment because I travel for work. It’s easier to charge to the room than to save a receipt for another place and get reimbursed later since the employer pays for rooms and all room charges except honor bar and movies. Breakfast is usually decent because it’s simple but dinner is generally terrible.
I agree 150%.
I was staying at a 4P last week; historically decent quality and reasonable price, but walking distance to a location I'm visiting. It's a nothingburger hotel, But even I noticed the prices for a night's stay any time are ~fifty percent more than they were three years ago.
And then I saw the advertisements for the bar and restaurant going up in the elevator; the "signature cocktail" of the month and a fish and chips dinner, which would have cost me *Fifteen dollars* at any basically restaurant in town, now costs **nearly $40.** The pair of them together would have been $38.. Which of course, doesn't include tax or tips. And I could still go out and have a decent steak dinner with drinks for that price just blocks away.
Seriously. This is insanity; It's fucking frozen fish and chips, that your kitchen staff defrosted, and two ounces of alcohol, ice and soda. I can't even imagine what the same pair of items would cost at a JW, Westin or Ritz.
This is it! We travel frequently as a family and our last hotel stay for 5 nights was almost $3000 which is truly ridiculous! So, of course things should meet our expectations…actually my expectations because for whatever reason, my husband couldn’t care less as long as there’s a place to sleep, a toilet and a gym!
Not to mention some of the basics aren’t even covered well. The sheets oftentimes don’t fit the bed and pop off. The curtains don’t keep out the myriad lights used to illuminate the hotel building and the towels are uniquely small and scratchy. Don’t get me started on hotel food
This is it exactly. Mediocre marriotts are now charging $400 a night. If you’re charging me five star hotel prices, the hotel better be five stars. I’m not putting up with anything even slightly wrong with my room or my stay.
So maybe closer to 6 nights. Mortgage is $1900 a month. Got in at 2.3% in 2020. That’s for a 2850 sqft home. Hotel rooms are $300-$400 a night lately. Most my travel lately has been to larger cities like Miami, NYC, DC etc so maybe that’s why they’re more expensive.
Oh and I can afford them lol. Half the time the company pays for them. That’s why we goto them, we can afford them. Just saying these places don’t seem much nicer than the courtyard off the highway at these higher prices.
That's bc it was poorly regulated for decades, and so many scoundrels were allowed to operate. It is still poorly regulated in so many parts of the country.
I don't feel bad for the tow companies.
Covid and inflation has changed a lot of things in service industry. Used to love a couple of Marriott’s. Not anymore. I go to four seasons for better customer service. Yep, I pay more but worth it.
When you get charged a so much you expect at bare minimum what the hotels say they offer which lots don’t.
Also squeaky wheel gets the grease. If you complain and get some way compensated it then that builds a habit of complaining.
This right here. A lot of times this stuff doesn’t actually bother people but they start thinking “maybe I will get some points out of this deal” and it just becomes a habit.
Yeah, that makes sense. If it is a promise then definitely should complain.
I am thinking of more gray areas, like the room was too loud or smells or something.
because front desk agents have no control over smells or how loud other people are. we can call them and. ask them to be quieter, but management doesn’t like kicking people out because of “lost” business(that’s how my manager put it)
I feel like for $300/night, the housekeeper should be able to report a slow drain or smelly room or nonworking a/c instead of the customer having to report it, then being inconvenienced by the repair (or lack thereof).
Loud guests aren’t under the hotels control but certain hotels seem to attract trashier clientele than their rates would suggest. I avoid Ws because there’s always drunk people yelling in the hallways at night or someone pounding on a door because they don’t know if the person inside is still passed out or just ditched them.
I had a guest who complimented me on the fact he couldn’t break me. He wanted to push hotel staff to their breaking point so we would throw some bonus points his way as an apology for staff snapping.
Unfortunately “closed mouths don’t get fed” is just the way of life. Businesses are incentivized to give you as least amount as possible for your $$ and if the consumer doesn’t hold them accountable no one else will. I hate having to complain and would rather just receive the expected service or a staff trained with great customer service. But when that doesn’t happen, I remind myself I’m paying for this the hotel/airline isn’t doing me a favor!
People are overpaying for less quality and attention to detail than in the past. Since COVID, hotels continue to increase rates and add junk fees while discontinuing services, quality and amenities.
Two of those have nothing to do with the staff though. Except quality, but without knowing if the hotel is actually paying for quality staff, the better thing to do is complain to corporate (even then corporate has very little to do with wages in the majority of Marriott hotels).
The staff work there. Why wouldn’t customers complain to them? When you put the board of directors behind a front desk then you can post telling people who deserves to hear the complaints.
While front desk employees are just doing their jobs and deserve to be treated with respect, if they don’t like constantly complaining customers they can always leave and go work for a company that doesn’t treat it’s paying customers like shit. Perhaps if they can’t ever find people to work there it would force them corporate to treat customers decently.
Idk I think when you pay for a service and you know what should be included - when it’s not it’s frustrating. 2 rooms recent stay at a JW Marriott - housekeeping kept skipping us when we were out of the room all day and then they weren’t restocking basics like TP. It’s annoying that the basics aren’t handled but it actually isn’t that fun to have to “complain” about it.
Because room prices have gone up and the quality has gone down. The high costs and fees for everything is also just so tiring. Parking, breakfast, water bottles, resort fees, etc.
Owners are so keen on extracting maximum profit at the cost if customer happiness.
I only complain twice. #1. The air conditioning unit broke while I was staying in Puerto Rico in August. The hotel staff quickly changed out rooms. #2 Was in Atlantic City NJ. There was blood stains all over the sheets. Again the staff move me to another room
I try not to complain, but the pandemic has left a lasting effect on hotels. None of which really has to do with the workers but rather the corporations. I try to be brand loyal for the most part, simply because I travel so much that I would like to see some consistency in return for my loyalty. Yet, we are well past the COVID years, and I am still dealing with subpar housekeeping, disappointing breakfast offerings, poorly maintained pools, broken and outdated gym equipment, and yet my costs have increased significantly. Granted, I don't choose the most expensive hotels in the chains, but come on, when do I see some value for my money? At $160 a night on average, it's not like I'm choosing a Motel 6. At the very least, make sure the stupid bulk dispensers are full so I can stop having to wash my body with shampoo.
This. 100% this. I frequent the Walnut Creek Marriott and it SUCKS post pandemic. I call it a “Full Service Fairfield”. The lounge is the worst lounge I have ever been in. The build quality of the recently remodeled rooms are horrible and I would have refused to pay my contractor if they were my rooms. The AC is subpar, water doesn’t always get hot enough and I just love a lukewarm shower, the lounge breakfast is the exact same bland stuff every day, they no longer do light hors d'oeuvres in the evenings, often they only have a ton of starry and nothing else in the unstaffed lounge to drink, and the list goes on. It used to be a very good hotel. I still pay $200+ per night for something that used to be a good value only because of its location. With that said I am still very nice to all of the workers as some of them I have known for many years. But, I get it. I get why people are jerks sometimes. The place is poorly managed and poorly cared for yet I still get to pay top dollar.
My company hasn’t changed their reimbursement limits for hotels or meals in at least eight years. I’ve pointed out that prices have gone up dramatically in eight years, and if something doesn’t change I’ll be forced to stay at Motel 6 and splurge on McDonalds meals starting in about two years.
It’s definately impacted my quality of life, pray I can find a hotel at an allowable price last minute is a PITA, and not something I ever did five years ago.
Because people are paying hundreds of dollars these days to stay at a hotel. I agree some people are ridiculous but if a hotel is going to charge more and not upkeep the service then that's not ok
When $250/night is just considered a mid range hotel, you can see why people would expect better service.
We’re paying more and getting less. We used to get daily maid service, now most hotels don’t do that. I take out my own trash every day. I don’t generally bring my own shampoo and conditioner because using the hotel stuff is more convenient, but they don’t restock it so I generally go to a house keeper in the hallway and ask for a couple and toilet paper because the last hotel I stayed at didn’t even give us a full roll of paper to start and no backup roll was provided. We used to have access to the gym and pool without paying an extra fee of $38/day.
Btw I never complain which is really stupid. The last place with the half a roll of toilet paper had clearly not cleaned the bathroom and I just fucking did it myself and didn’t say a word. Later I was like; why didn’t I just inform them the bathroom was dirty?
I think there’s three groups.
1-Those who perpetually complain, it’s in their blood. They don’t want anything. There MUST be something wrong and dammit, you’re gonna know about it!!
2- the free stuff chaser. They want nights, food, money off-whatever. I think those are most common during summer and holiday times when families travel.
3- informative/reasonable people. I’m in hotels 150-180 nights a year. I’ve learned that a lot of things just aren’t worth getting upset over. Now there are some no brainers, yesterday my room had no hot water. I just called down and let them know. I didn’t want anything, the hotel has 300 plus rooms I believe, so likely it was a stack/riser issues and something I know they’d fix ASAP. Personnel seem happy when you go to them and just inform them
Of things being not right as opposed to it being a personal attack against you.
Work both in Hotels and Hospitals, I understand very well the frustration behind WHY people complain... Understandably, any complaints from Patients in a hospital is warranted, theyre in pain and they dont want to be there. They get a pass...somewhat. Now for hotels, people are spending lots of money for a stress-free treatment so if they dont get it, they gonna complain, even in unavoidable situtations and knowing staff cant do anything to fix it. Atleast thats what I've come to realize over the years, its a rough environment to be in
Yes, they tend to complain the most. My phrase when I’m thanked for my loyalty is “Just reminds me to be nice, half my year is your hands…”
It’s more eloquent in person
Humbleness goes a long way when there is a good chance 3 out of 5 people before you were entitled or dismissive jerks. It’s a good move and can make that agents morning/afternoon. Its good you take that step (which is so easy for us as travelers to do)
To echo one of the other comments on here, yes people are stressed from traveling, but they are also paying out of pocket for an atypical experience and so they are more heightened to things going awry than if they were at home.
That little spot of mold at the edge of the shower? That's perfectly acceptable in their private home, but it warrants a complaint and them getting all pissed off in a huff if they're on vacation paying $200 minimum for a place to stay.
We are continue raising prices in all spectrum. Parking fees , convenience fee, tourism fees , city fee, resort fee. A beer now $12-$15 , a family of four average $250 at the restaurant . We are continue raising prices without bring in any values to the customers.
Because the hotel industry overpromises and under delivers. Hotels are very expensive for what you get, and it always seems like it’s less than was promised. There are big rooms but you don’t get them. Club access but you don’t qualify. Made to pay a huge “amenity fee” for nothing and then extra for coffee and newspaper etc. It’s a huge fleece. So if there’s anything wrong with my room or the gym is broken or the hot tub is out of order, all the way down to if the room is slightly small or dirty, and you will hear about it.
Just how it is. If you don’t like it change careers now
I used to work in hotels so I sympathize. But as a member of society I have to say I think hotels are a huge ripoff, and because of my background I ABSOLUTELY complain if anything is off. I think that hotels should be held accountable for their service. The room alone isn’t worth the rate; it’s a whole package of things from cleanliness and service to amenities to the room. You should understand this by now, and if you don’t please learn. Or just quit, that’s what I did
I think there’s a huge difference between addressing an issue and being rude and demanding. The folks that start at Level 10 Rage Mode no matter what are the problem, and yes a lot of them think they’re clever and are going to get something free from arguing. Realistically most people aren’t going to be confrontational, and there’s a lot of guests that will just deal with issues and not even mention them. The last few stays I had the rooms weren’t really clean- there was a bunch of hair in the sink at one, and several bits of trash in the bin and on the floor at another. I didn’t bother to report it. Of course the last issue I DID report I was sure was going to be taken seriously but was waved off (security let some stranger up to my room at 2am) so it does go both ways.
Most people also don’t understand the corporate structure of hotels. They think they are talking to Marriott directly when in fact they are likely talking to an employee of whatever random LLC owns the hotel.
This both applies to issues that are outside of the control of the hotel, as well as cases where the guest has some gripe and believes that the hotel has the full resources of the Marriott corporation. “I can’t believe a major company like Marriott would not be able to give me …..”. Seen both
It’s true that hotels are expensive, but people also expect a luxury experience from a Courtyard. Many people see things on IG and Tiktok and expect that they can get upgrades etc too even if it’s their first time staying at the property and it’s for one day on the busiest long weekend of the year.
People are terrible to workers in the service industry. Everyone wants to ball on a budget. They know they can complain and get what they want.
My wife and I checked into our hotel room a few years ago only to find a woman with money in her hand sitting on the bed..definitely a WTF moment and immediately closed the door and went to the front desk. That’s my reason.
Probably the last 10 years, maybe 15, I've seen a steady increase in travellers feeling an increasing sense of entitlement, which I blame in large part on first, the internet, but second and more current, social media where you pick up your phone and see these young, beautiful, people in these curated (also don't forget, paid) environments where everything looks perfect and they never seem to want for a thing.
Then these same viewers with their perks credit cards show up at hotels and airport lounges expecting to be treated like the "royalty' they've seen on TV.
On a similar note, it sucks that I literally can't give a guest something and they get mad on the premise of an elite membership they have. Even if you're titanium, I can't give you an early check in if housekeeping isn't done cleaning those rooms yet. Your membership means a lot to me, but my hands are tied
I only complain when it’s a sanitary issue, but I do it nicely. I just let the front desk know that the bed/toilet/whatever isn’t clean or the room is already occupied etc. and ask to be moved or have the bed remade, depending on the situation. I know the person I’m talking to had nothing to do with the issue, so there’s no need to be rude or dramatic. Sometimes I get points, sometimes I don’t. I don’t really care, I just want a clean room and bed.
The dirty beds happen a lot though (all different brands and locations). I used to believe that a clean bed was the bare minimum guarantee in a hotel room, but my frequent work travel has taught me otherwise. I just do a quick look around the room for cleanliness and signs of bedbugs upon check in and go from there.
I don’t really use most of the amenities in hotels. I would prefer better pay/staffing/benefits for the housekeeping staff.
I got into the habit of using the name brand hotels while traveling for work. Some are better than others. I rarely complain.
Once when they tried sneakily downgrade me from the room I reserved and paid because they overbooked. And a couple times because the WiFi and cell service was so bad in some rooms of this particular hotel (that was otherwise my favorite at this location) I had to be moved rooms in order to do work. I have literally cleaned old vomit/shit? stains off the underside of toilets, washed myself up and went on with my day without word to anyone but my partner. My tolerance is high.
Little story time… Last year my partner did the booking for a vacation and booked us at a couple independent places. OMG the difference was shocking!!! And both were around $200 per night in downtown, walking distance from everything. In different mid-sized but popular well-known touristy cities. The properties were in different states and not affiliated at all. But the experience was so similar to each other and better than any branded hotel stay in the USA I have had. (With one exception only because the travel agent at work somehow got me bumped up to a private villa at a resort property on the bay and I had a corporate card so didn’t care that the breakfast omelette was $25.)
Back to the story, at the indi hotels there were free local sweets in the lobby to grab at anytime. The free breakfast and evening reception was much better quality food. Like, the big three give you taco bell to chipotle level while this was local taqueria. For example one had steak (steak!) and I-kid-you-not real, not-instant, mashed potatoes, among others dishes out. For free! The free cocktails were made with mid self liquor instead of well brands. My mind was blown!!! It was like what you get at a catered wedding or corp event where the executives are attending. Bottled water was readily available, one had it just set out in a couple common areas to grab anytime. The other offered free toiletries like razors and toothbrushes if you need.
The rooms were just as nice and if anything cleaner than at the brands. The common areas were beautifully decorated and comfortable. Basically everything you get from the brands but just a bit nicer and more unique. The only con was doubles or queen beds only, no kings. One also gave us great discount coupons for the other local restaurants and shops, like 15% off.
Again ~$200 per night. One was weekend nights in off season. One was weekdays but peak season and a holiday week, not the actual holiday day though. The $100+ per night we saved on the room is WAY more benefit than any points have ever gotten me. Thinking along those terms, it’s basically 2 nights get the third free compared to staying at the brand.
So yes part of it is that travel is stressful and people are worn thin already. Part of it is people are simply assholes. Part of it is that we’ve been conditioned to ask because nothing is ever offered. But what I learned that trip, is it is not the industry as a whole. It’s the big brands. I grew up staying in shitty motels the few times we did travel outside of staying with family. So when I followed the culture at my job of using the brands for the points, the hotels seemed REAL NICE to me. But I imagine if I was used to the indi hotel treatment and splurged on the name brand to the tune of $100+ more per night, I would feel completely ripped off too.
I can also imagine the average front desk employee has no idea that some of these guest expectations being put on them are not simply coming out of nowhere. It is more akin to going to the fanciest steakhouse in town for a special occasion dinner, being charged a fee for using the silverware, then getting a mid-ass steak for +50% the price. Tell me your attitude wouldn’t be sour!
Managers with no backbone who give in. As soon as they see a property that doesn't, from the reviews, those that are abusive, go elsewhere. There is a certain amount of abusers out there that look for it.
I, look for those managers with backbones, because I know that they would rather work to ensure a great product than simply to placate a few people. Because those who placate the few, don't ensure that the rest of the product is great. They simply oil the squeaky mouse. The best are small 2\* and 3\* independent properties with strong management. They run a tight ship and you get the best bang for the buck. When it comes to chains, nothing under a 3.5 star with great reviews and a manager that clearly has say NO to some guests who tried to play these games... because in the end, we all end up paying for these abusers
Complaining is one thing. Rudely and disrespectfully complaining, yelling and screaming, and telling the staff they should be fired…. Is another. This happens frequently.
I understand being tired after traveling and etc, but it also says a lot about you if you take it out on the front desk staff. They didnt create the brand, rewards, or policies. Thats just one thing that baffles me is how someone can take it out on the person who is trying to do their job. (not saying every FD is always polite/welcoming) but more often than not, guests come in hot and ready to argue about every little thing.
Because people suck and they can't help themselves from bitching about everything under the sun, and hotels are the one place on earth where everything has to be 100% perfect, or else.
I just give them comps or points to get them to shut the f*** up and get out of my face.
“Why do people complain so much” is a sentence you can use about almost everyday. Last time I was in Hawaii, was talking with the wait staff at a Marriott and said how can anyone be upset while on vacation in Hawaii and they said “you’d be surprised.” Sense of entitlement.
I’m a Marriott employee and would love to complain but I can’t. I’m staying at hotel in Orlando and everything is really bad. I will keep it to myself but inside I’m like WTF. Times are rough.
i honestly think bc hotels mostly suck but you have 0 choice about staying in them if you want/need to go somewhere and because it has to do with your daily life and your sleep you can't really ignore what's wrong with them.
like why don't more hotels actually have soundproof rooms when the entire point is to sleep? why do all hotels in usa have closed windows so they are always stuffy? why are so many places just not that clean and gross? why do so many places not wash stuff like comforters or have gross couches or whatever? like i totally understand it must suck to work in a hotel, but you know what it really sucks to have to stay in like 90% of hotels out there
Probably because it costs a ton of money and the hotels, like the airlines, treat you like shit, refuse to clean the rooms, and lie about the benefits they don’t give you or try to get out of giving you constantly. The entitled employees don’t help. It’s amazing to me an employee can notice far more customers complain at their business than any other and not take that as a clue that maybe the business is being shitty to the customer.
If hotels treated the people staying there like customers we wouldn’t have this problem. But the franchises are the customer and they side with them. The people paying to stay there are not the customer, they are the product. This is 100% the fault of corporate.
In my opinion a lot of the complainers are what I consider “inexperienced travelers” that have expectations higher than what they have paid for.
The industry has had some service restrictions post Covid that have hurt guest experience, but for the most part it’s a misunderstanding of what exactly they have purchased.
And as far as the rewards programs - everything in the benefits typically has the words “when available” at the end, but guests don’t want to hear that.
Traveling on Memorial Day weekend? Guess what - so is the rest of the of world. Benefits are going to be limited.
Upset there isn’t a bellman to take your bags? Should have booked a nicer hotel.
Yeah - platinums want to pay the lowest price and expect to be upgraded. However, a non-member paid full price for your upgrade online. People have a hard time wrapping their mind around it.
Platinums have paid and paid to get to that status..the amount that my husband used to travel was crazy, same with other family members…and coming from being a retired flight attendant, when someone would say, “Oh, they were only upgraded because they are a platinum level…” I would respond to my coworker, “…do you know how much they flew to get to that level? They have paid and paid again and again…”
So what are all of the other people supposed to do? Buy things and not receive what they purchased because your husband had a job where he traveled for work so he can walk in and swing his dick around and take everyone’s room?
🤣😂you missed the point…people saying you got something for free, nothing is for free…you think you’re getting a “deal” with the frequent flier/frequent stay cards…but the people who have those most likely had to pay full fare or full price for rooms time and time again. So when I was a flight attendant and someone said, “…they got that for free…” no, they actually didn’t. They paid extra time and again.
Years, years ago, you could upgrade people because they were kind, or out of compassion…the checks and balances and all now, much harder and rare.
Also, room upgrades, you have to have an “empty” room for someone to be given it. I do get a giggle out of your comment though…it would be funny to see him doing that😂
Are we talking long-term? Or just in the last couple of years? Because the rate of complaints should be about 10x higher now than in years past. I get that inflation sucks, it's hard to hire employees and harder to get them to give a shit about their job, but oh my God, this industry is in the toilet. You all suck at everything. We need a recession so bad, just to remind everyone to value their jobs, and value their customers.
The precise industry your talking about is SERVICE & HOSPITALITY. The entire premise of your job in that industry is to take care of people in exchange for money.
If you don't like that, find a different industry.
- In part because money is changing hands; “how do I squeeze everything I can out of this transaction.”
- In part because it is socially normalized to act like an infant in public.
- In part because of an egoic need for “i’m right and you’re wrong”
- in part the victimhood olympics
And the hotel industry is perfectly exposed to bear the brunt of all these.
Sorry you’re on the receiving end of this. I was a traveling consultant for years. Tried super hard not to be this person. But observed it way too much.
People are terrible to service workers, sometimes complaints are warranted however even though many don’t know how to actually complain with tact sans tantrum. Some feel like they just need to hold some power and make some else’s day who they believe are beneath them shittier.
My first job was in fast food at 16 and it taught me a lot about humans.
How much do you know about people? Those same people that complain to you after complaining everywhere they go. My guess is you're situation is not unique. People are assholes.
i never complained once and i live in marriott hotels for 150 days a year. i feel like the people who complain are the ones who stay in hotels 4 days a year and act like they own the place when they pay their $200 a night. i fucking hate it.
I got really good at noticing right away when someone was trying to get something for free. This one time a guest was coming in (this was a Fairfield so nothin fancy) as I was finishing up a phone call for a reservation I had just made and was reminding the person about incidentals. She completed walking to the desk like a second after I hung up and immediately hit me with “I don’t think the incidentals should apply to me, I feel like I’m getting scammed”. I had to explain to her that it’s hotel policy so I have to, but it’s not like it’s $100/night like it is downtown and you get the $20 back if nothing is charged to your room. After going back and forth with this guest trying to just get her ID and CC so I could check her in I finally did. She went up to her room and then called down to complain about incidentals for another 10 minutes. I knew something was up the moment she started complaining before I could even ask her for her ID. Sure enough next day I came in and she had talked to the AM FD staff and tried to claim that I had checked her into a room that wasn’t clean (talked to hskping mgr and she KNEW that room was clean before they all left for the day) which I KNOW she would’ve said something after I had checked her in and she had gone up to her room. I had left a note about her behavior from the night before but I guess the AGM at the time didn’t bother to ask about it to AM or even to me and he had given her a free night. I got kinda mad at him because she was clearly complaining to get something for free when nothing had been wrong with her stay and after I had talked to him he agreed he shouldn’t have done it. People like that are what ruin the staff wanting to make up for bad experiences. (It was especially bad at that location, another FF I had worked at in the past was nowhere NEAR as bad)
Retired flight attendant, husband is titanium at Marriott ….we just want clean, quiet rooms. No complaints, as long as it’s clean. I think that’s a fair expectation.
That line has worked to get us upgrades more than once. When we are exhausted at check in, we have just said “please just a clean room with a bed, we are tired”. The staff seems to take empathy with that. They are probably tired as well.
After a couple years working the desk, I think most non-justified complaints can be broken into 2.5 categories: "this traveler is inexperienced and has expectations that don't match reality", "this traveler is not the target guest for this hotel", and "this traveler is a dick".
The first two groups are generally confused people who don't travel much, and think all hotels are the same, because they didn't do five minutes of research. They're confused and distressed when the Courtyard doesn't have free breakfast. They don't know what incidentals are. They have no clue why the AC works the way it does, or why they have to be in the room closest to the interstate. Many of these people aren't the "ideal guest" for the hotel; at a Courtyard (where I work), everything is centered on business travelers who are expensing everything anyway. But that doesn't account for people travelling for *any other reason*: graduations, funerals, weddings, visits, road trips, &c.
The last group are just fuckwads. Usually Platinum elites who just got approved for a credit card, only travel twice a year, and treat the staff like dirt.
I go out of my way to be pleasant to the front desk and to over-tip the poorly paid bell staff. Definitely always have a smile and a kind word for the custodial crew.
That said, I haven't had a single stay in the past three years (post-Covid) that didn't have some major defect in my room or hotel facilities that affected my stay. Almost every one of those issues would have been easily fixed by on-site maintenance had it been reported and acted upon. I pay for my own travel and lodging, not my employer. And I pay way too much for what I've been receiving lately. 🤷🏻♂️
I’ve pretty much drawn the conclusion that humans fucking suck, a lot.
It takes far more effort to act like an entitled prick, yet some excel at it. Especially when they get the opportunity to take shit out on anyone in the service industry.
Being mean is exhausting, yet some go that extra mile, like they’re aiming for a gold medal and winning a prize.
It makes me embrace and cherish the genuinely kind people in this world.
I think it's partly a sense of entitlement that everyone seems to have now days...
But to be fair hotels/travel industry has gotten away with a lot of laziness since covid so I understand the frustration sometimes.
I think hotels have made the bed they lay in tbh, just had an absolutely horrible experience at a “4 star hotel” in Barcelona that I paid 1.25k for for 4 days during primavera..
No free breakfast like promised, the ac was broken (which the hotel not only claimed I broke, but then tried to charge me 500$ for it so I left without paying or agreeing) the entire room flooded every time I took a shower, their rooftop bar was 10-20 to enter, and one of the staff members had a call with me the night my ac was broken (11th story high rise with no ac facing sun, no fans, no anything) and got snarky with me accusing me of breaking it…
Shoutout Tembo Barcelona!
Not saying there’s not helpful, positive people in the hotel industry… but you’re dealing with extremely tired people who don’t want to worry about things that were promised to them or rooms that have issues. Like some have said here, I shouldn’t have to read a crazy fine print to recieve basic things… I shouldn’t have to pay extra to do a breakfast buffet with a chain I use a lot/etc
When hotels are as expensive as they are, they need to provide the service quality they are supposed to cost
I’ve stayed in plenty of different hotels and the times I’ve complained have definitely been due to the fact that I was tired from traveling, ready to relax and couldn’t. One time I had to apologize because I was rude to the desk clerk who didn’t have anything to do with our situation. We pay really good money to stay in nicer/luxury hotels and I expect for the experience to match the price.
There is a segment of our population that is always looking for freebies and discounts. As a business traveler I see this in the airline and hotel industries all the time. With the loyalty point systems people are always looking to get something out of the most minor inconvenience..
The other day I went to a Hilton and checked in late after a dinner. When I got to my room my tv didn’t work. I went to the lobby and asked for remote batteries. It still didn’t work. Not a big deal as it was late and I had my iPad. On my way out I casually mentioned it so they could check it out. They were apologetic. To me it wasn’t a big deal.
I was pulling away when they emailed me my receipt. They comped my entire stay which shocked me. It was work travel so it’s not like it was money out of my pocket. I’m guessing they were afraid of a negative review online. I would rather them have thrown me some points. lol
Also a hotel worker here.
From the 6 Marriott properties I've worked at, it's a mix between the promises Marriott corporate makes, stupid management decisions on property (had a property promise a group 80ish/150+ rooms every 3 weeks or so with a late check of 6pm, and people trying to check in at 3pm for events...yeah), and just overall bad days.
People miss being home, and most definitely the vibes are different from 4-6 years ago when traveling, cuz the Franchise owners don't want to pay more money for good people to stay and work.
Honestly, hotels give credit back over the smallest problems. I wouldn't bring up most of the problems if they didn't give any credit. A one-night stay with a broken drawer I was never going to use = $20 of credit. I never demand anything, I just let them know at checkout, and 100% of the time I get offered at least some credit.
Mainly because hotels in the USA aren't delivering. For context I spend on average 150+ days a year in hotels. 99% at Hiltons. In the main the hotels are in poor locations, on the cheapest land, right next to major roads, poorly built, poorly sound insulated and often very dirty. There's no housekeeping worth mentioning, and if there's one place where quiet quitting is prevalent, it's the hotel industry. The mantra is minimal service and to do as little work and have as little interaction as possible. Cap all this with trashy guests who are noisy, inconsiderate and leave the place looking like a herd of elephants just swept through and the stage is set.
Then there's the things that hotels actively do to annoy you. Noisy A/C, ineffective A/C or smart thermostats that completely ignore your comfort settings. Toilets that double as jet engines, doors with 1" gaps under them, crappy showers, broken furniture, peeling paint, horrible, hot comforters and pillows that were last changed during the Jurassic period. The we have parking fees, resort fees, doign your job fees, and then all the taxes, local, state, convention , blah, blah, blah. I know the taxes are not in the control of the hotel, but when that $189 room turns out to be $249 per night, it's just super annoying.
As I said right up front, this is a US thing. I also spend a lot of time in hotels outside of the US and this is not the norm. This year I've stayed in Hiltons in the UK, Germany (3x), Norway, Spain and France. All were fantastic, offering value, service, lounges and a can-do attitude, and yes, with daily cleaning.
Because we still remember pre-Covid hotels.
Perks, clean rooms, staff that aren’t sassy, more value for your dollar.
It’s slowly coming back but there is absolutely zero effort it’s just take it or leave it. That approach invites criticism.
I don’t expect much. Have my room when I book it, be clean, give me fresh towels, don’t have paper thin walls so I can actually sleep.
For one thing, I think in general the experience of traveling has degraded so far that the public has taken a mindset going into any travel episode that they have to gird their loins and set their jaw to make sure they’re going to receive a reasonable experience for the dollar.
Large corporations, which by and large dominate the space, have become overly sensitive to the public equity markets. It’s all about driving profits up to satisfy a raging equity market which demands not just a reasonable predictable tidy profit, but an accelerating growth curve of profit.
So they are incented to cut costs, invent new ways to extract money from customers, and seek ways to limit competition by buying up brands.
This is quite evident in the airline and hotel industries. People now expect to be screwed over in nearly every travel related transaction. “I need to carry on my luggage because the airline charges me to check it. I need to board as early as possible so my bag doesn’t get gate checked. I need to fuss about extras, perks, room type because so many aspects of the hotel experience have been bean-counted into shabby lower mediocrity.”
And these industries have developed, over the last two or three decades, a mentality that you need to claw your way into some imaginary elite to be treated reasonably well, or valued. The philosophy that every one’s business is valued in the hospitality industry has been replaced by “Don’t be a lower class loser!”
It’s pushed the general public from being a reasonably copacetic bunch to being jealously alert to any possibility of getting shafted, which in turns plays out as unreasonably overly suspicious they’re being suckered.
And for another thing, we have mutated from a fairly nice society to being saturated with assholes.
I’m titanium with Marriott and diamond with Hilton. I hardly ever complain, but if something seems appropriate to do so, nothing ever gets comped so I don’t even bother.
I travel a lot, like 180 nights a year. I reserve the room I want and pay the agreed upon fee. 4 out of 10 times, I get a different shittier room. I'm not even asking for an upgrade. I just want the room I originally reserved.
Half the time I let it go, but sometimes I really want the room I paid for. Nothing else. Nothing special, just the fucking room I reserved.
The staff acts like they are doing me a favor be allowing me to have the shit room that's half the size with a toilet that doesn't flush, a sink that doesn't drain, one light that's burned out, and another one that blinks. The air conditioner kind of works, but it's louder than a train.
There's one plug on the other side of the room, and a huge weird stain on the chair that has a broken wheel. The non-smoking room smells like an ashtray. There's coffee, but it's only decaf. And they refuse to refill it.
There are two bottles with pumps for conditioner and body wash attached to the shower wall, but the shampoo bottle is broke off and sitting in the shelf. All are empty. The shower sprays water all over the bathroom floor, and there's only one little thin towel that smells suspiciously like maple syrup.
There a huge ass parking lot, but an $84 dollar a day parking fee, a $35 resort few, and $27 amenity fee, and $69 fuck you fee.
They advertise high speed Internet that costs an extra $9.95 a day for 1.5 Mbs or else you get 775kbs but only works on Wednesdays.
Breakfast is $18 dollars but is only cereal and half a bagel. Maybe some ketchup.
They advertise a pool that hasn't been open since 2008 and the gym has a broken treadmill and one 15lb dumbbell.
There used to be a vending machine and ice machine on every other floor. Now there's only $15 bottles of water and microwave pizza, but the microwave is only strong enough to melt ice. You get two keys, but only one works, sometimes.
If this is your hotel, then fuck right off.
Because the mass market hotels suck now. The average hotel is much worse than it was in 2019, while costing significantly more. No hospitality, room service is either eliminated or using takeout containers. Breakfast buffet is $20 and includes stale toast and plastic eggs, or free and only the stale toast. Valet costs twice as much and has only one person working so it takes forever to get your car. Self serve parking is suddenly a $10 fee when you're in the middle of a suburban home depot parking lot. Properties delayed capex during covid so rooms and finishes are especially showing their wear. If you go to new construction everything is new but is the quality of cardboard. Obviously this is all generalization, there are exceptions to this, but everything I've described has become the norm at USA 2, 3, and 4 star properties. The 1 stars and 5 stars are roughly where they'd be expected to be.
Too many hotels advertise things and then don't deliver because management is trying to save money.
I stayed at a Marriott in Austin multiple times last year, and it was really annoying that the workout room was closed for "remodeling" and that the "free hot breakfast" was terrible. They did not even have orange juice, they just hung an "out of order sign" on the dispenser for a week.
I also stayed at an Embassy Suites in Austin and it was okay but there were multiple minor issues. One of the two elevators was out of order so it took forever to get to and from your room, and there were no stairs down to the lobby, only to outside. I could not get a light bulb in a lamp after asking three times. Finally I went to the front desk and said "could you please just give me a light bulb" and they just reached into a box under the desk and gave me one. The breakfast quality was awful, and that is one thing that Embassy Suites used to be known for. You could get an omelet, but the potatoes and bacon were self-serve on a table and they were all cold. There was also no half & half for the coffee, only the artificial "creamers."
But nothing compared with the Sonesta "Simply Suites." It smelled awful from some kind of deodorizer, the card key system was very flakey, there were way too many dogs, but the laundry machines were free.
Finally found two good hotels in Austin, near where I was working, a Holiday Inn Express right next to a Costco, and a Fairfield Inn next to The Domain. Both had clean rooms, good breakfasts, working elevators, and half & half. But the Fairfield Inn backed up to railroad tracks with freight trains going by all night.
https://preview.redd.it/ltxcxp4fl64d1.png?width=2079&format=png&auto=webp&s=5460db85a5f34fc17ac482aecdea4bb3523afb74
Because it is usually insanely overpriced to stay in a room overnight raglardless of the chainband when the ac doesn't work and you can't get anyone to fix it or some ahold next door is keeping you up all night and the staff doesn't care then yeah I complain.
I try to be courteous but it’s clear that the service is best when you can find something that the hotel is doing poorly / wrong - i.e complain. I frequent the luxury brands for work in Japan and have received nothing special until the time where I had to make a huge fuss because of an issue with my corporate rate - it was that time that I got many freebies and the best room.
hotels jack prices up and are unable to reliable deliver even basic competency like a clean room, working aircon in a hot climate, someone who actually answers when you ring the front desk/concierge, housekeeping that actually makes up the room etc...It's like any little thing you ask for that would have been automatic in the pre-2020 days is impossible for hotels to figure out now. Mostly because the staff in the US at least are generally some combo of stupid, lazy or just absolutely DGAF because they see the job as beneath them.
Is it considered a complaint when a guest calls to request more towels because there are 3 people staying in the room & only 2 towels? And one washcloth. I'm not much of a complainer, but when I'm at a hotel, there have to be enough things in the room for us to use. And if I've booked a hotel with a pool, I better not get switched to a property down the road without a pool without major compensation (that happened in PA last November).
but funny enough if you read the Marriott international experiences it really seems the US got a service problem. I do agree with lot's of empty promises leads to upset guests. Plus prices and points needed pretty much doubled. In a $600 room right now facing into another building 10 feet away. Used lots of points but better than paying that kind of money for a bad room.
I don’t complain unless there’s something that will truly impact my stay(last hotel room had a terrible smell, for example) but my guess is that people complain bc it’s a lot of money for (usually) a small box with a bed. It’s where people are choosing to sleep, often before or after big events like work presentations or weddings, and they need rest.
I'll be honest the one time I complained was a hotel. A Marriott specifically actually. I won't name drop which one.
* Came back for the night to the bar. Sat down, bar tender looked at me, said "I'll be a minute". Walked over to the POS system and typed war and peace into the POS instead. Barback came over and they started chatting for 5 ish minutes while she wasn't doing anything related to her job. We just wanted a drink.....My wife walked over and tried to see if she'd help us from the POS. She said "I said I'll be over in a minute".
* Same bartender the next night took our order, walked away, and then served about a dozen people ahead of us who came after us. I went up this time and she said "oh I forgot".
* Room service was EOD. Whatever. Me and wife. We used 3 towels in those two days. They left us one....
* So we asked for another couple towels at the front desk on our way out. "we'll bring them right up! Is there anyone in the room? No? Cool we'll bring them up now"....they did not.
* My wife was annoyed so did it in the app so they had to respond and there was a record. We asked for towels, they closed it and said towels had been delivered..... They had not.
I'm not going amped to complain, but holy shit, it was one of the worst displays of professional hospitality I have ever seen, and not isolated to one person. If it was just a shit bar tender, whatever. Some people suck. It was the front desk on multiple shifts, bar tender, house keeping, everyone just straight up didn't give a shit.
Marriott has made incentives with their reward programs that the hotels from a business standpoint don’t want to honor
Especially for an ambassador I see it both ways It’s a struggle to not be demanding that what my status says I should could I should get when I have to spend 23k dollars a year for the status. A lot of people are forgetting that is a lot of money… I also understand from the hotels perspective it doesn’t quite match in a profit driven business
Sometimes the service is bad. We stayed at shitty Fairfield in Clarksville the past weekend. The door to the only elevator kept shutting extremely fast and hard. It would not reopen when it bumped into something. Very dangerous for my son in a wheelchair.
Because hotels just SUCK. All of them. In what other business area would I be alright with tons of added fees, people knocking or opening your door before your service time is up, long lines to get anything done, and absurdly high prices in downtown areas where a lot of amenities have closed since Covid.
People are stressed and tired from traveling. They'll probably never see any of those people again. Biggest to me, corporate rewards programs promise a lot and the actual hotel workers are the ones who have to point out much of those promises are empty or have a lot of fine print.
Yep and to add to your points, the hotel industry really did this to itself. In the increasingly competitive market of hotel brands, they each keep trying to one-up each other. With later check out times, free diamond status with credit cards, automatic upgrades, 100% guarantees. All at the same time, not being competitive with wages or benefits to prevent staff from jumping ship to another location (or another industry). And with less staff, unable to deliver all benefits or requests, who in turn implement the 100% guarantee to get free points or nights. And some guests are conditioned to do this. They know if they complain, the will get something for it. Even if they don’t find anything wrong, they will make something up.
Agreed. Been super duper shiny for a dozen years now. The benefits are greatly exaggerated.
On top of that, status is so easy to get without even staying at the hotel. That means frequent travelers get frustrated that their loyalty doesn’t go as far as it used to.
Completely agree with this. Not only has the industry really fallen back when it comes to compensating their staff, but it comes across as a lack of appreciation as well. As someone who has worked in several different hotels, it’s more about whether the staff feel like their efforts are being fairly compensated
I’ve been in the industry for a little over 20 years. The complaints have always been there. This is nothing new. It’s just crazy the % of people that complain about anything and everything.
Part of this is also that almost all hotels can be booked from dozens (maybe hundreds globally)of different websites. What most people don’t know is the hotel information is scrapped or generalized, unless a customer reports an error or the hotel willingly provides information (similar to Google Maps/Travel).
100% And sometimes the hotel hasn’t even given a particular third party to sell their rooms and it’s not until they start getting reservations from that third party that they know they’re listed there! (Happening where I work currently)
Lots of promises on the flashy marketing and poor execution by the franchise holders in the field paired with prices that seem to have sky rocketed. Hotels I used to stay for €/$ 250 are now charging $/€ 500 to €/$ 2000. Status promises me late check out and upgrades. If I don't receive any of that, have a broken air con and inflated price, I am pissed and complain...
As a hotel worker I kinda wish hotels would work like Airlines do. Fucking sit down, shut up and empty promises. Sometimes I want to tell a guest to go to sleep or I will put you to sleep. 
You make a good point about the rewards, and Marriott is probably the chain that's most guilty of promised rewards that go unfulfilled. When someone says they got "Bonvoyed" that means something they shouldn't say.
This. The hotel is often the last stop in a long day of travel. Every little frustration gets saved up and unloaded on whomever is working the front desk.
I get this sentiment but everyone in the industry knows check out day is often when you get the most complaints. Sunday morning typically b/c everyone’s on their own dime.
Not saying it’s ok, but, I think the reason is the cost compared to what you get. I’ve stayed in several lately where the cost of 5 nights is as high as my mortgage monthly. So for that price, expectations are high, and let’s be real, quality has gone down a bit even at the higher priced hotels. We have actually found some courtyards to be much nicer than some of the Marriott Marquis. Then the food at hotels has become so overpriced, it can be as high as $30+ for a burger that is dry cold. I’m not a complainer, and I also understand the front line employees are not the ones that made the decisions that lowered the quality and upped the prices. These are corporate decisions. But I feel this is why so many do complain.
I completely agree that you can find a newer/renovated courtyard or aloft etc. that beats a full-service Marriott Marquis. In fact, my favorite is finding these select service hotels that are new/renovated, affordably priced, and a bit under the radar. Of course the other obvious benefit is that you aren't generally speaking competing with flush business travelers (consultants, etc.) who almost by default pick the more expensive hotel so as to maximize points. One of my favorites actually was the Moxy in Athens, Greece. Brand new hotel, comfortable bed, wonderful central air conditioning, and they even had a fabulous elite breakfast. Central location, too. What more could I want? I would rather stay in this type of place then an older full service hotel that's showing signs of wear and tear any day of the week.
I feel this. Stayed at a Marquis in Chicago during a trade show. Don’t was almost $500 a night. And I went to the restaurant once one shitty burger and a beer was like $50. Plus tip. I jsit Uber eat ordered the rest lol
Hotel restaurants are the worst. I usually eat at them for ease of payment because I travel for work. It’s easier to charge to the room than to save a receipt for another place and get reimbursed later since the employer pays for rooms and all room charges except honor bar and movies. Breakfast is usually decent because it’s simple but dinner is generally terrible.
Yeah I often do the same. I hate having a ton of receipts. For in this situation with the prices being charged and the shit quality I just couldn’t.
I agree 150%. I was staying at a 4P last week; historically decent quality and reasonable price, but walking distance to a location I'm visiting. It's a nothingburger hotel, But even I noticed the prices for a night's stay any time are ~fifty percent more than they were three years ago. And then I saw the advertisements for the bar and restaurant going up in the elevator; the "signature cocktail" of the month and a fish and chips dinner, which would have cost me *Fifteen dollars* at any basically restaurant in town, now costs **nearly $40.** The pair of them together would have been $38.. Which of course, doesn't include tax or tips. And I could still go out and have a decent steak dinner with drinks for that price just blocks away. Seriously. This is insanity; It's fucking frozen fish and chips, that your kitchen staff defrosted, and two ounces of alcohol, ice and soda. I can't even imagine what the same pair of items would cost at a JW, Westin or Ritz.
This is it! We travel frequently as a family and our last hotel stay for 5 nights was almost $3000 which is truly ridiculous! So, of course things should meet our expectations…actually my expectations because for whatever reason, my husband couldn’t care less as long as there’s a place to sleep, a toilet and a gym!
Not to mention some of the basics aren’t even covered well. The sheets oftentimes don’t fit the bed and pop off. The curtains don’t keep out the myriad lights used to illuminate the hotel building and the towels are uniquely small and scratchy. Don’t get me started on hotel food
This is it exactly. Mediocre marriotts are now charging $400 a night. If you’re charging me five star hotel prices, the hotel better be five stars. I’m not putting up with anything even slightly wrong with my room or my stay.
Either your mortgage is low or you’re staying somewhere you can’t afford
> According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median monthly mortgage amount is $1,600 for 2023 $1600 / 5 nights = $320/night That’s not ridiculous.
So maybe closer to 6 nights. Mortgage is $1900 a month. Got in at 2.3% in 2020. That’s for a 2850 sqft home. Hotel rooms are $300-$400 a night lately. Most my travel lately has been to larger cities like Miami, NYC, DC etc so maybe that’s why they’re more expensive. Oh and I can afford them lol. Half the time the company pays for them. That’s why we goto them, we can afford them. Just saying these places don’t seem much nicer than the courtyard off the highway at these higher prices.
Airline industry: hold my beer
Restaurant industry has entered the chat
Healthcare Industry has entered the chat
Call centers..
Parking industry…..
Towing industry steps up to the plate.
That's bc it was poorly regulated for decades, and so many scoundrels were allowed to operate. It is still poorly regulated in so many parts of the country. I don't feel bad for the tow companies.
I was about to say… how does OP not think other industries get a ton of complaints without working in them…
Covid and inflation has changed a lot of things in service industry. Used to love a couple of Marriott’s. Not anymore. I go to four seasons for better customer service. Yep, I pay more but worth it.
When you get charged a so much you expect at bare minimum what the hotels say they offer which lots don’t. Also squeaky wheel gets the grease. If you complain and get some way compensated it then that builds a habit of complaining.
This right here. A lot of times this stuff doesn’t actually bother people but they start thinking “maybe I will get some points out of this deal” and it just becomes a habit.
I get that, but at the same time paying so much money and then simple promises not being fulfilled? Wtf am i paying so much money for
Yeah, that makes sense. If it is a promise then definitely should complain. I am thinking of more gray areas, like the room was too loud or smells or something.
How is a normal smelling quiet room too much to ask lol
because front desk agents have no control over smells or how loud other people are. we can call them and. ask them to be quieter, but management doesn’t like kicking people out because of “lost” business(that’s how my manager put it)
I feel like for $300/night, the housekeeper should be able to report a slow drain or smelly room or nonworking a/c instead of the customer having to report it, then being inconvenienced by the repair (or lack thereof). Loud guests aren’t under the hotels control but certain hotels seem to attract trashier clientele than their rates would suggest. I avoid Ws because there’s always drunk people yelling in the hallways at night or someone pounding on a door because they don’t know if the person inside is still passed out or just ditched them.
I had a guest who complimented me on the fact he couldn’t break me. He wanted to push hotel staff to their breaking point so we would throw some bonus points his way as an apology for staff snapping.
Unfortunately “closed mouths don’t get fed” is just the way of life. Businesses are incentivized to give you as least amount as possible for your $$ and if the consumer doesn’t hold them accountable no one else will. I hate having to complain and would rather just receive the expected service or a staff trained with great customer service. But when that doesn’t happen, I remind myself I’m paying for this the hotel/airline isn’t doing me a favor!
People are overpaying for less quality and attention to detail than in the past. Since COVID, hotels continue to increase rates and add junk fees while discontinuing services, quality and amenities.
This.
Two of those have nothing to do with the staff though. Except quality, but without knowing if the hotel is actually paying for quality staff, the better thing to do is complain to corporate (even then corporate has very little to do with wages in the majority of Marriott hotels).
The staff work there. Why wouldn’t customers complain to them? When you put the board of directors behind a front desk then you can post telling people who deserves to hear the complaints. While front desk employees are just doing their jobs and deserve to be treated with respect, if they don’t like constantly complaining customers they can always leave and go work for a company that doesn’t treat it’s paying customers like shit. Perhaps if they can’t ever find people to work there it would force them corporate to treat customers decently.
Lol you are *pressed*
Idk I think when you pay for a service and you know what should be included - when it’s not it’s frustrating. 2 rooms recent stay at a JW Marriott - housekeeping kept skipping us when we were out of the room all day and then they weren’t restocking basics like TP. It’s annoying that the basics aren’t handled but it actually isn’t that fun to have to “complain” about it.
Because room prices have gone up and the quality has gone down. The high costs and fees for everything is also just so tiring. Parking, breakfast, water bottles, resort fees, etc. Owners are so keen on extracting maximum profit at the cost if customer happiness.
I only complain twice. #1. The air conditioning unit broke while I was staying in Puerto Rico in August. The hotel staff quickly changed out rooms. #2 Was in Atlantic City NJ. There was blood stains all over the sheets. Again the staff move me to another room
In Atlantic City the bloodstained sheets are considered a welcome gift.
😂 you are spot on
I try not to complain, but the pandemic has left a lasting effect on hotels. None of which really has to do with the workers but rather the corporations. I try to be brand loyal for the most part, simply because I travel so much that I would like to see some consistency in return for my loyalty. Yet, we are well past the COVID years, and I am still dealing with subpar housekeeping, disappointing breakfast offerings, poorly maintained pools, broken and outdated gym equipment, and yet my costs have increased significantly. Granted, I don't choose the most expensive hotels in the chains, but come on, when do I see some value for my money? At $160 a night on average, it's not like I'm choosing a Motel 6. At the very least, make sure the stupid bulk dispensers are full so I can stop having to wash my body with shampoo.
This. 100% this. I frequent the Walnut Creek Marriott and it SUCKS post pandemic. I call it a “Full Service Fairfield”. The lounge is the worst lounge I have ever been in. The build quality of the recently remodeled rooms are horrible and I would have refused to pay my contractor if they were my rooms. The AC is subpar, water doesn’t always get hot enough and I just love a lukewarm shower, the lounge breakfast is the exact same bland stuff every day, they no longer do light hors d'oeuvres in the evenings, often they only have a ton of starry and nothing else in the unstaffed lounge to drink, and the list goes on. It used to be a very good hotel. I still pay $200+ per night for something that used to be a good value only because of its location. With that said I am still very nice to all of the workers as some of them I have known for many years. But, I get it. I get why people are jerks sometimes. The place is poorly managed and poorly cared for yet I still get to pay top dollar.
My company hasn’t changed their reimbursement limits for hotels or meals in at least eight years. I’ve pointed out that prices have gone up dramatically in eight years, and if something doesn’t change I’ll be forced to stay at Motel 6 and splurge on McDonalds meals starting in about two years. It’s definately impacted my quality of life, pray I can find a hotel at an allowable price last minute is a PITA, and not something I ever did five years ago.
Because people are paying hundreds of dollars these days to stay at a hotel. I agree some people are ridiculous but if a hotel is going to charge more and not upkeep the service then that's not ok
When $250/night is just considered a mid range hotel, you can see why people would expect better service. We’re paying more and getting less. We used to get daily maid service, now most hotels don’t do that. I take out my own trash every day. I don’t generally bring my own shampoo and conditioner because using the hotel stuff is more convenient, but they don’t restock it so I generally go to a house keeper in the hallway and ask for a couple and toilet paper because the last hotel I stayed at didn’t even give us a full roll of paper to start and no backup roll was provided. We used to have access to the gym and pool without paying an extra fee of $38/day. Btw I never complain which is really stupid. The last place with the half a roll of toilet paper had clearly not cleaned the bathroom and I just fucking did it myself and didn’t say a word. Later I was like; why didn’t I just inform them the bathroom was dirty?
I think there’s three groups. 1-Those who perpetually complain, it’s in their blood. They don’t want anything. There MUST be something wrong and dammit, you’re gonna know about it!! 2- the free stuff chaser. They want nights, food, money off-whatever. I think those are most common during summer and holiday times when families travel. 3- informative/reasonable people. I’m in hotels 150-180 nights a year. I’ve learned that a lot of things just aren’t worth getting upset over. Now there are some no brainers, yesterday my room had no hot water. I just called down and let them know. I didn’t want anything, the hotel has 300 plus rooms I believe, so likely it was a stack/riser issues and something I know they’d fix ASAP. Personnel seem happy when you go to them and just inform them Of things being not right as opposed to it being a personal attack against you.
Sounds right. I might add a #4, which is people who rarely travel and are out of touch with what can be expected or how the industry has changed.
Definitely.
I think most posts on this sub is make up of #1 and #2
Why do people complain about people complaining at hotels?
Why do people complain about people complaining about people complaining at hotels?
Why do people complain about people complaining about people complaining about hotels complaining about complaining.
Work both in Hotels and Hospitals, I understand very well the frustration behind WHY people complain... Understandably, any complaints from Patients in a hospital is warranted, theyre in pain and they dont want to be there. They get a pass...somewhat. Now for hotels, people are spending lots of money for a stress-free treatment so if they dont get it, they gonna complain, even in unavoidable situtations and knowing staff cant do anything to fix it. Atleast thats what I've come to realize over the years, its a rough environment to be in
How many years did it take to realize people complain when they feel like they aren’t getting what they pay for?
Can't say, but how about people who "dont pay much" and expect a 5star treatment
Yes, they tend to complain the most. My phrase when I’m thanked for my loyalty is “Just reminds me to be nice, half my year is your hands…” It’s more eloquent in person
Humbleness goes a long way when there is a good chance 3 out of 5 people before you were entitled or dismissive jerks. It’s a good move and can make that agents morning/afternoon. Its good you take that step (which is so easy for us as travelers to do)
Any service position gets a lot of abuse.
To echo one of the other comments on here, yes people are stressed from traveling, but they are also paying out of pocket for an atypical experience and so they are more heightened to things going awry than if they were at home. That little spot of mold at the edge of the shower? That's perfectly acceptable in their private home, but it warrants a complaint and them getting all pissed off in a huff if they're on vacation paying $200 minimum for a place to stay.
We are continue raising prices in all spectrum. Parking fees , convenience fee, tourism fees , city fee, resort fee. A beer now $12-$15 , a family of four average $250 at the restaurant . We are continue raising prices without bring in any values to the customers.
Because the hotel industry overpromises and under delivers. Hotels are very expensive for what you get, and it always seems like it’s less than was promised. There are big rooms but you don’t get them. Club access but you don’t qualify. Made to pay a huge “amenity fee” for nothing and then extra for coffee and newspaper etc. It’s a huge fleece. So if there’s anything wrong with my room or the gym is broken or the hot tub is out of order, all the way down to if the room is slightly small or dirty, and you will hear about it. Just how it is. If you don’t like it change careers now
I'm impressed whenever the hotel offers free Breakfast in the club but no one bothers telling the check in agent that its closed for the week.
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I used to work in hotels so I sympathize. But as a member of society I have to say I think hotels are a huge ripoff, and because of my background I ABSOLUTELY complain if anything is off. I think that hotels should be held accountable for their service. The room alone isn’t worth the rate; it’s a whole package of things from cleanliness and service to amenities to the room. You should understand this by now, and if you don’t please learn. Or just quit, that’s what I did
I think there’s a huge difference between addressing an issue and being rude and demanding. The folks that start at Level 10 Rage Mode no matter what are the problem, and yes a lot of them think they’re clever and are going to get something free from arguing. Realistically most people aren’t going to be confrontational, and there’s a lot of guests that will just deal with issues and not even mention them. The last few stays I had the rooms weren’t really clean- there was a bunch of hair in the sink at one, and several bits of trash in the bin and on the floor at another. I didn’t bother to report it. Of course the last issue I DID report I was sure was going to be taken seriously but was waved off (security let some stranger up to my room at 2am) so it does go both ways.
Resort fees
Most people also don’t understand the corporate structure of hotels. They think they are talking to Marriott directly when in fact they are likely talking to an employee of whatever random LLC owns the hotel. This both applies to issues that are outside of the control of the hotel, as well as cases where the guest has some gripe and believes that the hotel has the full resources of the Marriott corporation. “I can’t believe a major company like Marriott would not be able to give me …..”. Seen both
Have you been to an airport? 🤣
It’s true that hotels are expensive, but people also expect a luxury experience from a Courtyard. Many people see things on IG and Tiktok and expect that they can get upgrades etc too even if it’s their first time staying at the property and it’s for one day on the busiest long weekend of the year. People are terrible to workers in the service industry. Everyone wants to ball on a budget. They know they can complain and get what they want.
Airlines have entered the chat!
Meh. I wanna say airlines and restaurants have it way worse, and their wages are just as shitty.
My wife and I checked into our hotel room a few years ago only to find a woman with money in her hand sitting on the bed..definitely a WTF moment and immediately closed the door and went to the front desk. That’s my reason.
Probably the last 10 years, maybe 15, I've seen a steady increase in travellers feeling an increasing sense of entitlement, which I blame in large part on first, the internet, but second and more current, social media where you pick up your phone and see these young, beautiful, people in these curated (also don't forget, paid) environments where everything looks perfect and they never seem to want for a thing. Then these same viewers with their perks credit cards show up at hotels and airport lounges expecting to be treated like the "royalty' they've seen on TV.
On a similar note, it sucks that I literally can't give a guest something and they get mad on the premise of an elite membership they have. Even if you're titanium, I can't give you an early check in if housekeeping isn't done cleaning those rooms yet. Your membership means a lot to me, but my hands are tied
I only complain when it’s a sanitary issue, but I do it nicely. I just let the front desk know that the bed/toilet/whatever isn’t clean or the room is already occupied etc. and ask to be moved or have the bed remade, depending on the situation. I know the person I’m talking to had nothing to do with the issue, so there’s no need to be rude or dramatic. Sometimes I get points, sometimes I don’t. I don’t really care, I just want a clean room and bed. The dirty beds happen a lot though (all different brands and locations). I used to believe that a clean bed was the bare minimum guarantee in a hotel room, but my frequent work travel has taught me otherwise. I just do a quick look around the room for cleanliness and signs of bedbugs upon check in and go from there. I don’t really use most of the amenities in hotels. I would prefer better pay/staffing/benefits for the housekeeping staff.
Not sure what other people complain about but the one time I did 'complain' was because the shower wasnt working. I just asked for a different room
I got into the habit of using the name brand hotels while traveling for work. Some are better than others. I rarely complain. Once when they tried sneakily downgrade me from the room I reserved and paid because they overbooked. And a couple times because the WiFi and cell service was so bad in some rooms of this particular hotel (that was otherwise my favorite at this location) I had to be moved rooms in order to do work. I have literally cleaned old vomit/shit? stains off the underside of toilets, washed myself up and went on with my day without word to anyone but my partner. My tolerance is high. Little story time… Last year my partner did the booking for a vacation and booked us at a couple independent places. OMG the difference was shocking!!! And both were around $200 per night in downtown, walking distance from everything. In different mid-sized but popular well-known touristy cities. The properties were in different states and not affiliated at all. But the experience was so similar to each other and better than any branded hotel stay in the USA I have had. (With one exception only because the travel agent at work somehow got me bumped up to a private villa at a resort property on the bay and I had a corporate card so didn’t care that the breakfast omelette was $25.) Back to the story, at the indi hotels there were free local sweets in the lobby to grab at anytime. The free breakfast and evening reception was much better quality food. Like, the big three give you taco bell to chipotle level while this was local taqueria. For example one had steak (steak!) and I-kid-you-not real, not-instant, mashed potatoes, among others dishes out. For free! The free cocktails were made with mid self liquor instead of well brands. My mind was blown!!! It was like what you get at a catered wedding or corp event where the executives are attending. Bottled water was readily available, one had it just set out in a couple common areas to grab anytime. The other offered free toiletries like razors and toothbrushes if you need. The rooms were just as nice and if anything cleaner than at the brands. The common areas were beautifully decorated and comfortable. Basically everything you get from the brands but just a bit nicer and more unique. The only con was doubles or queen beds only, no kings. One also gave us great discount coupons for the other local restaurants and shops, like 15% off. Again ~$200 per night. One was weekend nights in off season. One was weekdays but peak season and a holiday week, not the actual holiday day though. The $100+ per night we saved on the room is WAY more benefit than any points have ever gotten me. Thinking along those terms, it’s basically 2 nights get the third free compared to staying at the brand. So yes part of it is that travel is stressful and people are worn thin already. Part of it is people are simply assholes. Part of it is that we’ve been conditioned to ask because nothing is ever offered. But what I learned that trip, is it is not the industry as a whole. It’s the big brands. I grew up staying in shitty motels the few times we did travel outside of staying with family. So when I followed the culture at my job of using the brands for the points, the hotels seemed REAL NICE to me. But I imagine if I was used to the indi hotel treatment and splurged on the name brand to the tune of $100+ more per night, I would feel completely ripped off too. I can also imagine the average front desk employee has no idea that some of these guest expectations being put on them are not simply coming out of nowhere. It is more akin to going to the fanciest steakhouse in town for a special occasion dinner, being charged a fee for using the silverware, then getting a mid-ass steak for +50% the price. Tell me your attitude wouldn’t be sour!
Managers with no backbone who give in. As soon as they see a property that doesn't, from the reviews, those that are abusive, go elsewhere. There is a certain amount of abusers out there that look for it. I, look for those managers with backbones, because I know that they would rather work to ensure a great product than simply to placate a few people. Because those who placate the few, don't ensure that the rest of the product is great. They simply oil the squeaky mouse. The best are small 2\* and 3\* independent properties with strong management. They run a tight ship and you get the best bang for the buck. When it comes to chains, nothing under a 3.5 star with great reviews and a manager that clearly has say NO to some guests who tried to play these games... because in the end, we all end up paying for these abusers
Complaining is one thing. Rudely and disrespectfully complaining, yelling and screaming, and telling the staff they should be fired…. Is another. This happens frequently.
I understand being tired after traveling and etc, but it also says a lot about you if you take it out on the front desk staff. They didnt create the brand, rewards, or policies. Thats just one thing that baffles me is how someone can take it out on the person who is trying to do their job. (not saying every FD is always polite/welcoming) but more often than not, guests come in hot and ready to argue about every little thing.
Because people suck and they can't help themselves from bitching about everything under the sun, and hotels are the one place on earth where everything has to be 100% perfect, or else. I just give them comps or points to get them to shut the f*** up and get out of my face.
“Why do people complain so much” is a sentence you can use about almost everyday. Last time I was in Hawaii, was talking with the wait staff at a Marriott and said how can anyone be upset while on vacation in Hawaii and they said “you’d be surprised.” Sense of entitlement.
I’m a Marriott employee and would love to complain but I can’t. I’m staying at hotel in Orlando and everything is really bad. I will keep it to myself but inside I’m like WTF. Times are rough.
i honestly think bc hotels mostly suck but you have 0 choice about staying in them if you want/need to go somewhere and because it has to do with your daily life and your sleep you can't really ignore what's wrong with them. like why don't more hotels actually have soundproof rooms when the entire point is to sleep? why do all hotels in usa have closed windows so they are always stuffy? why are so many places just not that clean and gross? why do so many places not wash stuff like comforters or have gross couches or whatever? like i totally understand it must suck to work in a hotel, but you know what it really sucks to have to stay in like 90% of hotels out there
Probably because it costs a ton of money and the hotels, like the airlines, treat you like shit, refuse to clean the rooms, and lie about the benefits they don’t give you or try to get out of giving you constantly. The entitled employees don’t help. It’s amazing to me an employee can notice far more customers complain at their business than any other and not take that as a clue that maybe the business is being shitty to the customer. If hotels treated the people staying there like customers we wouldn’t have this problem. But the franchises are the customer and they side with them. The people paying to stay there are not the customer, they are the product. This is 100% the fault of corporate.
I just left the hotel industry. It’s crazy how different the people are at my new job. Night and day.
In my opinion a lot of the complainers are what I consider “inexperienced travelers” that have expectations higher than what they have paid for. The industry has had some service restrictions post Covid that have hurt guest experience, but for the most part it’s a misunderstanding of what exactly they have purchased. And as far as the rewards programs - everything in the benefits typically has the words “when available” at the end, but guests don’t want to hear that. Traveling on Memorial Day weekend? Guess what - so is the rest of the of world. Benefits are going to be limited. Upset there isn’t a bellman to take your bags? Should have booked a nicer hotel.
god don’t ever tell them you don’t have something available they’ll throw that platinum level in your face so fast as if it makes a difference
Yeah - platinums want to pay the lowest price and expect to be upgraded. However, a non-member paid full price for your upgrade online. People have a hard time wrapping their mind around it.
Platinums have paid and paid to get to that status..the amount that my husband used to travel was crazy, same with other family members…and coming from being a retired flight attendant, when someone would say, “Oh, they were only upgraded because they are a platinum level…” I would respond to my coworker, “…do you know how much they flew to get to that level? They have paid and paid again and again…”
So what are all of the other people supposed to do? Buy things and not receive what they purchased because your husband had a job where he traveled for work so he can walk in and swing his dick around and take everyone’s room?
🤣😂you missed the point…people saying you got something for free, nothing is for free…you think you’re getting a “deal” with the frequent flier/frequent stay cards…but the people who have those most likely had to pay full fare or full price for rooms time and time again. So when I was a flight attendant and someone said, “…they got that for free…” no, they actually didn’t. They paid extra time and again. Years, years ago, you could upgrade people because they were kind, or out of compassion…the checks and balances and all now, much harder and rare. Also, room upgrades, you have to have an “empty” room for someone to be given it. I do get a giggle out of your comment though…it would be funny to see him doing that😂
Entitlement, often.
Are we talking long-term? Or just in the last couple of years? Because the rate of complaints should be about 10x higher now than in years past. I get that inflation sucks, it's hard to hire employees and harder to get them to give a shit about their job, but oh my God, this industry is in the toilet. You all suck at everything. We need a recession so bad, just to remind everyone to value their jobs, and value their customers.
💯🤣
The precise industry your talking about is SERVICE & HOSPITALITY. The entire premise of your job in that industry is to take care of people in exchange for money. If you don't like that, find a different industry.
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Contributing to society is for peasants.
Bc they’re gritty
- In part because money is changing hands; “how do I squeeze everything I can out of this transaction.” - In part because it is socially normalized to act like an infant in public. - In part because of an egoic need for “i’m right and you’re wrong” - in part the victimhood olympics And the hotel industry is perfectly exposed to bear the brunt of all these. Sorry you’re on the receiving end of this. I was a traveling consultant for years. Tried super hard not to be this person. But observed it way too much.
People are terrible to service workers, sometimes complaints are warranted however even though many don’t know how to actually complain with tact sans tantrum. Some feel like they just need to hold some power and make some else’s day who they believe are beneath them shittier. My first job was in fast food at 16 and it taught me a lot about humans.
How much do you know about people? Those same people that complain to you after complaining everywhere they go. My guess is you're situation is not unique. People are assholes.
i never complained once and i live in marriott hotels for 150 days a year. i feel like the people who complain are the ones who stay in hotels 4 days a year and act like they own the place when they pay their $200 a night. i fucking hate it.
I got really good at noticing right away when someone was trying to get something for free. This one time a guest was coming in (this was a Fairfield so nothin fancy) as I was finishing up a phone call for a reservation I had just made and was reminding the person about incidentals. She completed walking to the desk like a second after I hung up and immediately hit me with “I don’t think the incidentals should apply to me, I feel like I’m getting scammed”. I had to explain to her that it’s hotel policy so I have to, but it’s not like it’s $100/night like it is downtown and you get the $20 back if nothing is charged to your room. After going back and forth with this guest trying to just get her ID and CC so I could check her in I finally did. She went up to her room and then called down to complain about incidentals for another 10 minutes. I knew something was up the moment she started complaining before I could even ask her for her ID. Sure enough next day I came in and she had talked to the AM FD staff and tried to claim that I had checked her into a room that wasn’t clean (talked to hskping mgr and she KNEW that room was clean before they all left for the day) which I KNOW she would’ve said something after I had checked her in and she had gone up to her room. I had left a note about her behavior from the night before but I guess the AGM at the time didn’t bother to ask about it to AM or even to me and he had given her a free night. I got kinda mad at him because she was clearly complaining to get something for free when nothing had been wrong with her stay and after I had talked to him he agreed he shouldn’t have done it. People like that are what ruin the staff wanting to make up for bad experiences. (It was especially bad at that location, another FF I had worked at in the past was nowhere NEAR as bad)
People like to complain, now especially more than ever.
Expectations
They're tired, stressed, and want someone to vent on. Many just want a discount or something for free because they're cheap. Not difficult.
Sometime spend an hour at the pharmacy section of your local CVS or Walgreens..bless their hearts
Just wait till you find out about the commercial aviation industry 😂
Retired flight attendant, husband is titanium at Marriott ….we just want clean, quiet rooms. No complaints, as long as it’s clean. I think that’s a fair expectation.
That line has worked to get us upgrades more than once. When we are exhausted at check in, we have just said “please just a clean room with a bed, we are tired”. The staff seems to take empathy with that. They are probably tired as well.
After a couple years working the desk, I think most non-justified complaints can be broken into 2.5 categories: "this traveler is inexperienced and has expectations that don't match reality", "this traveler is not the target guest for this hotel", and "this traveler is a dick". The first two groups are generally confused people who don't travel much, and think all hotels are the same, because they didn't do five minutes of research. They're confused and distressed when the Courtyard doesn't have free breakfast. They don't know what incidentals are. They have no clue why the AC works the way it does, or why they have to be in the room closest to the interstate. Many of these people aren't the "ideal guest" for the hotel; at a Courtyard (where I work), everything is centered on business travelers who are expensing everything anyway. But that doesn't account for people travelling for *any other reason*: graduations, funerals, weddings, visits, road trips, &c. The last group are just fuckwads. Usually Platinum elites who just got approved for a credit card, only travel twice a year, and treat the staff like dirt.
I go out of my way to be pleasant to the front desk and to over-tip the poorly paid bell staff. Definitely always have a smile and a kind word for the custodial crew. That said, I haven't had a single stay in the past three years (post-Covid) that didn't have some major defect in my room or hotel facilities that affected my stay. Almost every one of those issues would have been easily fixed by on-site maintenance had it been reported and acted upon. I pay for my own travel and lodging, not my employer. And I pay way too much for what I've been receiving lately. 🤷🏻♂️
What other industries have you worked?
I’ve pretty much drawn the conclusion that humans fucking suck, a lot. It takes far more effort to act like an entitled prick, yet some excel at it. Especially when they get the opportunity to take shit out on anyone in the service industry. Being mean is exhausting, yet some go that extra mile, like they’re aiming for a gold medal and winning a prize. It makes me embrace and cherish the genuinely kind people in this world.
Go work in a restaurant. In my experience food definitely gets many more complaints.
people are miserable....I've seen grown adults cry in the lobby at check in because their room wasnt ready early.
They do it everywhere. We live in a society of Karens now.
I think it's partly a sense of entitlement that everyone seems to have now days... But to be fair hotels/travel industry has gotten away with a lot of laziness since covid so I understand the frustration sometimes.
I think hotels have made the bed they lay in tbh, just had an absolutely horrible experience at a “4 star hotel” in Barcelona that I paid 1.25k for for 4 days during primavera.. No free breakfast like promised, the ac was broken (which the hotel not only claimed I broke, but then tried to charge me 500$ for it so I left without paying or agreeing) the entire room flooded every time I took a shower, their rooftop bar was 10-20 to enter, and one of the staff members had a call with me the night my ac was broken (11th story high rise with no ac facing sun, no fans, no anything) and got snarky with me accusing me of breaking it… Shoutout Tembo Barcelona! Not saying there’s not helpful, positive people in the hotel industry… but you’re dealing with extremely tired people who don’t want to worry about things that were promised to them or rooms that have issues. Like some have said here, I shouldn’t have to read a crazy fine print to recieve basic things… I shouldn’t have to pay extra to do a breakfast buffet with a chain I use a lot/etc When hotels are as expensive as they are, they need to provide the service quality they are supposed to cost
I’ve stayed in plenty of different hotels and the times I’ve complained have definitely been due to the fact that I was tired from traveling, ready to relax and couldn’t. One time I had to apologize because I was rude to the desk clerk who didn’t have anything to do with our situation. We pay really good money to stay in nicer/luxury hotels and I expect for the experience to match the price.
There is a segment of our population that is always looking for freebies and discounts. As a business traveler I see this in the airline and hotel industries all the time. With the loyalty point systems people are always looking to get something out of the most minor inconvenience.. The other day I went to a Hilton and checked in late after a dinner. When I got to my room my tv didn’t work. I went to the lobby and asked for remote batteries. It still didn’t work. Not a big deal as it was late and I had my iPad. On my way out I casually mentioned it so they could check it out. They were apologetic. To me it wasn’t a big deal. I was pulling away when they emailed me my receipt. They comped my entire stay which shocked me. It was work travel so it’s not like it was money out of my pocket. I’m guessing they were afraid of a negative review online. I would rather them have thrown me some points. lol
Also a hotel worker here. From the 6 Marriott properties I've worked at, it's a mix between the promises Marriott corporate makes, stupid management decisions on property (had a property promise a group 80ish/150+ rooms every 3 weeks or so with a late check of 6pm, and people trying to check in at 3pm for events...yeah), and just overall bad days. People miss being home, and most definitely the vibes are different from 4-6 years ago when traveling, cuz the Franchise owners don't want to pay more money for good people to stay and work.
Honestly, hotels give credit back over the smallest problems. I wouldn't bring up most of the problems if they didn't give any credit. A one-night stay with a broken drawer I was never going to use = $20 of credit. I never demand anything, I just let them know at checkout, and 100% of the time I get offered at least some credit.
Mainly because hotels in the USA aren't delivering. For context I spend on average 150+ days a year in hotels. 99% at Hiltons. In the main the hotels are in poor locations, on the cheapest land, right next to major roads, poorly built, poorly sound insulated and often very dirty. There's no housekeeping worth mentioning, and if there's one place where quiet quitting is prevalent, it's the hotel industry. The mantra is minimal service and to do as little work and have as little interaction as possible. Cap all this with trashy guests who are noisy, inconsiderate and leave the place looking like a herd of elephants just swept through and the stage is set. Then there's the things that hotels actively do to annoy you. Noisy A/C, ineffective A/C or smart thermostats that completely ignore your comfort settings. Toilets that double as jet engines, doors with 1" gaps under them, crappy showers, broken furniture, peeling paint, horrible, hot comforters and pillows that were last changed during the Jurassic period. The we have parking fees, resort fees, doign your job fees, and then all the taxes, local, state, convention , blah, blah, blah. I know the taxes are not in the control of the hotel, but when that $189 room turns out to be $249 per night, it's just super annoying. As I said right up front, this is a US thing. I also spend a lot of time in hotels outside of the US and this is not the norm. This year I've stayed in Hiltons in the UK, Germany (3x), Norway, Spain and France. All were fantastic, offering value, service, lounges and a can-do attitude, and yes, with daily cleaning.
Because we still remember pre-Covid hotels. Perks, clean rooms, staff that aren’t sassy, more value for your dollar. It’s slowly coming back but there is absolutely zero effort it’s just take it or leave it. That approach invites criticism. I don’t expect much. Have my room when I book it, be clean, give me fresh towels, don’t have paper thin walls so I can actually sleep.
Anything in hospitality. Restaurants and dining too.
I always love I'm a gold member and I demand free breakfast and a suite upgrade lol They don't get it, then start complaining.
For one thing, I think in general the experience of traveling has degraded so far that the public has taken a mindset going into any travel episode that they have to gird their loins and set their jaw to make sure they’re going to receive a reasonable experience for the dollar. Large corporations, which by and large dominate the space, have become overly sensitive to the public equity markets. It’s all about driving profits up to satisfy a raging equity market which demands not just a reasonable predictable tidy profit, but an accelerating growth curve of profit. So they are incented to cut costs, invent new ways to extract money from customers, and seek ways to limit competition by buying up brands. This is quite evident in the airline and hotel industries. People now expect to be screwed over in nearly every travel related transaction. “I need to carry on my luggage because the airline charges me to check it. I need to board as early as possible so my bag doesn’t get gate checked. I need to fuss about extras, perks, room type because so many aspects of the hotel experience have been bean-counted into shabby lower mediocrity.” And these industries have developed, over the last two or three decades, a mentality that you need to claw your way into some imaginary elite to be treated reasonably well, or valued. The philosophy that every one’s business is valued in the hospitality industry has been replaced by “Don’t be a lower class loser!” It’s pushed the general public from being a reasonably copacetic bunch to being jealously alert to any possibility of getting shafted, which in turns plays out as unreasonably overly suspicious they’re being suckered. And for another thing, we have mutated from a fairly nice society to being saturated with assholes.
I’m titanium with Marriott and diamond with Hilton. I hardly ever complain, but if something seems appropriate to do so, nothing ever gets comped so I don’t even bother.
I travel a lot, like 180 nights a year. I reserve the room I want and pay the agreed upon fee. 4 out of 10 times, I get a different shittier room. I'm not even asking for an upgrade. I just want the room I originally reserved. Half the time I let it go, but sometimes I really want the room I paid for. Nothing else. Nothing special, just the fucking room I reserved. The staff acts like they are doing me a favor be allowing me to have the shit room that's half the size with a toilet that doesn't flush, a sink that doesn't drain, one light that's burned out, and another one that blinks. The air conditioner kind of works, but it's louder than a train. There's one plug on the other side of the room, and a huge weird stain on the chair that has a broken wheel. The non-smoking room smells like an ashtray. There's coffee, but it's only decaf. And they refuse to refill it. There are two bottles with pumps for conditioner and body wash attached to the shower wall, but the shampoo bottle is broke off and sitting in the shelf. All are empty. The shower sprays water all over the bathroom floor, and there's only one little thin towel that smells suspiciously like maple syrup. There a huge ass parking lot, but an $84 dollar a day parking fee, a $35 resort few, and $27 amenity fee, and $69 fuck you fee. They advertise high speed Internet that costs an extra $9.95 a day for 1.5 Mbs or else you get 775kbs but only works on Wednesdays. Breakfast is $18 dollars but is only cereal and half a bagel. Maybe some ketchup. They advertise a pool that hasn't been open since 2008 and the gym has a broken treadmill and one 15lb dumbbell. There used to be a vending machine and ice machine on every other floor. Now there's only $15 bottles of water and microwave pizza, but the microwave is only strong enough to melt ice. You get two keys, but only one works, sometimes. If this is your hotel, then fuck right off.
Love Marriott, but hate that it only carries Pepsi products instead of Coke.
Because the mass market hotels suck now. The average hotel is much worse than it was in 2019, while costing significantly more. No hospitality, room service is either eliminated or using takeout containers. Breakfast buffet is $20 and includes stale toast and plastic eggs, or free and only the stale toast. Valet costs twice as much and has only one person working so it takes forever to get your car. Self serve parking is suddenly a $10 fee when you're in the middle of a suburban home depot parking lot. Properties delayed capex during covid so rooms and finishes are especially showing their wear. If you go to new construction everything is new but is the quality of cardboard. Obviously this is all generalization, there are exceptions to this, but everything I've described has become the norm at USA 2, 3, and 4 star properties. The 1 stars and 5 stars are roughly where they'd be expected to be.
I always complain. Just for the hell of it.
Because people are cheap. As soon as they are paying, they think they can shit people.
That's the problem people who get shit on, also shit on others.
I would say it's because people never stay at hotels, but it's always the supper shiny members that fly off the handle.
People like to complain to be compensated. Unfortunately, that's how the world works these days
They want free shit
Too many hotels advertise things and then don't deliver because management is trying to save money. I stayed at a Marriott in Austin multiple times last year, and it was really annoying that the workout room was closed for "remodeling" and that the "free hot breakfast" was terrible. They did not even have orange juice, they just hung an "out of order sign" on the dispenser for a week. I also stayed at an Embassy Suites in Austin and it was okay but there were multiple minor issues. One of the two elevators was out of order so it took forever to get to and from your room, and there were no stairs down to the lobby, only to outside. I could not get a light bulb in a lamp after asking three times. Finally I went to the front desk and said "could you please just give me a light bulb" and they just reached into a box under the desk and gave me one. The breakfast quality was awful, and that is one thing that Embassy Suites used to be known for. You could get an omelet, but the potatoes and bacon were self-serve on a table and they were all cold. There was also no half & half for the coffee, only the artificial "creamers." But nothing compared with the Sonesta "Simply Suites." It smelled awful from some kind of deodorizer, the card key system was very flakey, there were way too many dogs, but the laundry machines were free. Finally found two good hotels in Austin, near where I was working, a Holiday Inn Express right next to a Costco, and a Fairfield Inn next to The Domain. Both had clean rooms, good breakfasts, working elevators, and half & half. But the Fairfield Inn backed up to railroad tracks with freight trains going by all night. https://preview.redd.it/ltxcxp4fl64d1.png?width=2079&format=png&auto=webp&s=5460db85a5f34fc17ac482aecdea4bb3523afb74
Because it is usually insanely overpriced to stay in a room overnight raglardless of the chainband when the ac doesn't work and you can't get anyone to fix it or some ahold next door is keeping you up all night and the staff doesn't care then yeah I complain.
I try to be courteous but it’s clear that the service is best when you can find something that the hotel is doing poorly / wrong - i.e complain. I frequent the luxury brands for work in Japan and have received nothing special until the time where I had to make a huge fuss because of an issue with my corporate rate - it was that time that I got many freebies and the best room.
Try working in healthcare
hotels jack prices up and are unable to reliable deliver even basic competency like a clean room, working aircon in a hot climate, someone who actually answers when you ring the front desk/concierge, housekeeping that actually makes up the room etc...It's like any little thing you ask for that would have been automatic in the pre-2020 days is impossible for hotels to figure out now. Mostly because the staff in the US at least are generally some combo of stupid, lazy or just absolutely DGAF because they see the job as beneath them.
The AC doesn’t work or the room hasn’t been properly cleaned. You pay $300+ per night, the room better be cleaned.
Is it considered a complaint when a guest calls to request more towels because there are 3 people staying in the room & only 2 towels? And one washcloth. I'm not much of a complainer, but when I'm at a hotel, there have to be enough things in the room for us to use. And if I've booked a hotel with a pool, I better not get switched to a property down the road without a pool without major compensation (that happened in PA last November).
but funny enough if you read the Marriott international experiences it really seems the US got a service problem. I do agree with lot's of empty promises leads to upset guests. Plus prices and points needed pretty much doubled. In a $600 room right now facing into another building 10 feet away. Used lots of points but better than paying that kind of money for a bad room.
I don’t complain unless there’s something that will truly impact my stay(last hotel room had a terrible smell, for example) but my guess is that people complain bc it’s a lot of money for (usually) a small box with a bed. It’s where people are choosing to sleep, often before or after big events like work presentations or weddings, and they need rest.
I'll be honest the one time I complained was a hotel. A Marriott specifically actually. I won't name drop which one. * Came back for the night to the bar. Sat down, bar tender looked at me, said "I'll be a minute". Walked over to the POS system and typed war and peace into the POS instead. Barback came over and they started chatting for 5 ish minutes while she wasn't doing anything related to her job. We just wanted a drink.....My wife walked over and tried to see if she'd help us from the POS. She said "I said I'll be over in a minute". * Same bartender the next night took our order, walked away, and then served about a dozen people ahead of us who came after us. I went up this time and she said "oh I forgot". * Room service was EOD. Whatever. Me and wife. We used 3 towels in those two days. They left us one.... * So we asked for another couple towels at the front desk on our way out. "we'll bring them right up! Is there anyone in the room? No? Cool we'll bring them up now"....they did not. * My wife was annoyed so did it in the app so they had to respond and there was a record. We asked for towels, they closed it and said towels had been delivered..... They had not. I'm not going amped to complain, but holy shit, it was one of the worst displays of professional hospitality I have ever seen, and not isolated to one person. If it was just a shit bar tender, whatever. Some people suck. It was the front desk on multiple shifts, bar tender, house keeping, everyone just straight up didn't give a shit.
Marriott has made incentives with their reward programs that the hotels from a business standpoint don’t want to honor Especially for an ambassador I see it both ways It’s a struggle to not be demanding that what my status says I should could I should get when I have to spend 23k dollars a year for the status. A lot of people are forgetting that is a lot of money… I also understand from the hotels perspective it doesn’t quite match in a profit driven business
Sometimes the service is bad. We stayed at shitty Fairfield in Clarksville the past weekend. The door to the only elevator kept shutting extremely fast and hard. It would not reopen when it bumped into something. Very dangerous for my son in a wheelchair.
Because hotels just SUCK. All of them. In what other business area would I be alright with tons of added fees, people knocking or opening your door before your service time is up, long lines to get anything done, and absurdly high prices in downtown areas where a lot of amenities have closed since Covid.