Yahoo Finance Simple steps for the best hotel stay — and what to do if it goes wrong
Writer and editor Adrian Brijbassi travels for a living and can recall just a handful of frustrating hotel experiences.
Those stays included non-smoking rooms that reeked of smoke and once the unsettling sight of a bathtub filled with dirty water.
In each of those bad experiences, he politely but firmly dealt with management and received a satisfactory outcome. But when it comes to travel, that can be deeply unsatisfactory.
“The point of a vacation isn't to have a ‘satisfactory’ experience. We want each of our holidays to be incredible in every way because the time and money we invest on our vacation choices are so precious,” says Brijbassi, the founder of the Canadian concierge site Vacay.ca
What Brijbassi has learned is that poor hotel stays all have one thing in common: the properties were not of high quality and that’s why, through bad experiences, he avoids hotels rated three-stars or lower.
“The higher-end hotels deliver dependable experiences and can often wow you with their service, amenities and value,” he says.
But even higher-end hotels are not immune to problems that cause guests uncomfortable stays.
Left in the cold
In Winnipeg earlier this year, the century-old Marlborough Hotel in downtown Winnipeg prides itself on being the city’s longest-serving hotel and offering visitors amenities such as free WiFi and complimentary hot breakfast.
But what the hotel doesn’t always offer its guests, as some found out, is heat.
Dozens of Marlborough Hotel guests were left shivering when a boiler busted January 8 leaving them in the cold for 12 hours. The freezing temperatures forced them to huddle under blankets and cranked up heaters while they waited for the heat to return.
That night in Winnipeg, temperatures fell to minus 22oC. Several families were so cold they left their rooms and camped out instead in the hotel lobby wearing their winter coats.
Guests at the hotel — many of whom were in Winnipeg from out of town for medical treatment — said the chill in the building lasted two days, and the conditions made it difficult for those in the hotel who were in-between surgeries.
Hotel management declined to comment about the broken boiler but guests complained about the treatment they received.
Karmen Omeasoo, who lives in Winnipeg and had family staying at the hotel, said there were no warnings to guests who were already booked for their stay and the hotel continued to take bookings despite not having the heat up and running.
"For me, it's just horrible because these people are away from their homes, they're away from their element," he said. "I'd hate for me to bring my whole family out to Ontario or something and then the hotel has no heat. Like, what are you going to do about it?"
Making things right
Vacay.ca founder Brijbassi says some problems go beyond a simple nuisance and is an indication of a property’s ongoing violation of consumer confidence. He has some suggestions of what hotel guests can do when things go wrong:
Do know your consumer rights when making a reservation. Often, if you pre-pay in full, you receive a lower price but also have less flexibility in your booking.
Do make sure you take photographs of any damage or flaws in your hotel room and document your complaint as fully as possible.
Do make sure you have travel insurance.
He also has some don’ts of actions guests shouldn’t take:
Don't book your hotel based solely on TripAdvisor rankings. Those rankings are not verified and they often don't reflect the true landscape of destination's hotel offerings. Trust credible, journalistic sources for advice on your booking.
Don't use social media to put pressure on the hotel managers until after you've given them a chance to professionally respond to your complaint. You may get your point across on Twitter and may have your immediate issue dealt with, but you may also lose out on getting other perks that a smart hotelier will offer up to keep customers happy.
Don't cheap out. If you book only based on price, you may lose out on the quality of your holiday — and you may also inadvertently be costing yourself money in other ways. For example, if the hotel you book is in a location that is not convenient to attractions where you intend to spend your time, you could end up paying more for taxis or other vehicle transportation during your stay.
Most reputable hotels will honour claims for out of pocket expenses and consumer groups like TICO, the Ontario travel regulator suggests giving the company the chance to resolve problems first and keeping all receipts for expenses incurred.
The right thing for the hotel to do would be to offer a full refund at the minimum but Brijbassi advises hotels to do even more.
“The hotel itself should go above and beyond because it can rescue a public relations nightmare with generosity and goodwill,” Brijbassi says of the Malborough incident. “Offering free hotel nights to guests in the future as well as gift certificates to attractions and restaurants in Winnipeg."
