Outdated Hotel Rating Systems?
Question of the Week…
Are current hotel ratings systems outdated? Some of the new avant-garde properties and chains offer décor and style that may not match traditional ratings (like 4 or 5 AAA Diamond/Mobil Star), yet they are clearly high-end properties.
What do today’s travelers want from hotels? Send us the top 3 things you want from your hotel. Also tell us what’s not important.
Do you really care about the bed ruffle and someone knocking on your door at 9 p.m. for “turndown service?”
Tags: issue of the week, meeting industry, meeting planner feedback
July 3rd, 2008 at 11:54 am
The top 3 things I want from my hotel is a non-smoking room that’s REALLY non-smoking, counter space in the bathroom and a comfortable bed. I don’t need the extra charges included for things I don’t use and turndown service isn’t necessary. Since I only use a hotel room for a place to sleep, shower and change clothes (whether on business or vacation), I don’t need any fancy decor…maybe just a decent view.
July 8th, 2008 at 11:15 am
I appreciate Maureen’s top three and I would add these:
1) overall cleanliness, including no smoke odor
2) a good shower, with enough water pressure and hot water
3) quiet, with no noise leak from the hallway
We were just at a very nice all-suite hotel 1 & 1/2 blocks from the beach in Rehoboth Beach, DE. Everything was great, except the baby next door’s wailing was piped into our room via the vent system in the middle of the night.
July 8th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Well, I don’t need little pointy folds on the toilet paper, and I don’t appreciate it when the maid rearranges all my toiletries and lays them out on a washcloth. And when I move all the junk on the desk so I can work on it, I don’t like seeing all those little informational tents and huge room service menus reappear every day. And don’t tell me I have to place a little sign on the bed in order to get fresh sheets. If I’m paying $150 a night for the room, I expect clean sheets without having to take special steps in order to get them. And let’s lose the 7 assorted ornamental pillows that I need to stash in the corner of the room before I can go to bed every night (yes, I know that’s what turn-down service is for, but I frequently am in the bathtub or in bed by the time housekeeping comes around at night.
My top three desires are:
1. counter space and decent lighting in the bathroom
2. an HVAC system that allows me to get the room temperature down to 65 degrees so I can sleep in a room where the windowsdon’t open.
3. no opportunistic or excessive charges: that means no surcharges on 1-800 calls, no charges if I move things around in the minibar so that I can put my own stuff in there, no charge for using the in-room safe, and not charging me $5 for the half-liter of water sitting on the desk when I can buy the same bottle in the gift shop for $2 (except that I checked in so late that the gift shop is closed).
I’m in a room for at least three nights, and maybe as many as eight, so I use my room as an oasis after nine hours in a meeting or twelve hours on the convention floor. I never leave anything lying on the floor or the bed, and I try to keep my room easy to clean. In return, I wish that the housekeeping staff would leave my toothbrush in my empty water glass rather than putting it on the bare countertop; leave my face-down opened book on the night table instead of moving it and losing my place; and leave the radio set to the classical music station that it took me 15 minutes to locate, so that I’m not awakened at 4:00 in the morning by a blast of rap music when I was expecting Mozart.
July 8th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Skirt hangers are on the top of my list. Back in the 70’s and 80’s they rarely showed up in hotel room closets, even in the suites, and getting a few from housekeeping was not easy. Now it is infrequent to not see them there.
An easy to find and read TV/Cable Guide is necessary for obvious reasons…if one wants to catch up with the news or find something to watch/listen to for relaxtion or getting ready for the next event.
And how many of us have lost sleep from air conditioner and heating units that “groan”? On the road for business especially, sleep is a necessary component of being as fresh as possible for the next day, and calling the Front Desk in the middle of the night due to a non-functioning unit is not even possible. Unfortunately, one may not know there is a problem until after a late night and on the feet all day for a conference or convention. Getting through the night in these circumstances is a challenge!
I do have a suggestion for extra pillows…use them to put under the covers with you and sleep with your feet, from the knees down, on top of them. You will be surprised when the new day arrives. More hours on the convention/meeting or tradeshow floor? - I guarantee your day will begin with more smiles to share!
July 10th, 2008 at 7:14 am
No matter what all the “courting” over the last couple of decades, most hotels still can’t get the bathroom counter space adequate. While I can understand with certain historic properties, most can be engineered. I love the way the “hot” bandwagon is life-style hotels but why do they pay big bucks for designers who don’t seem to travel with more than a toothbrush? The whole trend fails to let me figure out how it creates a business environment, either for the individual or a meetings group.
And totally skip the turndown…save money. After a hectic, people filled day, no matter how charming, I don’t want to be disturbed. I also concur with a comment before mine. I actually have stayed in one hotel that required the maids to re-set the radios to “easy listening” or classical stations before leaving the room. And I appreicated that the next morning!
November 7th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
I travel a lot with lines of work and I really just need four things 1) a clean odorless room, 2) a relaxing bed, 3) a good shower, with tremendous water pressure and 4) a place with restaurants nearby, since most of the time I am always in a hurry to eat.
I have some of the worst stories from the road. Places where I thought I would fall asleep and probably not wake up because of the location and overall safety of the place where I was.
Unless you can trust the place, always ask to see a room before putting down your credit card.