I travel a bit and have stayed in everything from small B&Bs to big resorts. Here are some of my beefs:
1. Please put on your web site whether you provide hair dryers and irons/ironing boards in the rooms. I usually have to end up calling the hotel, motel, whatever to find out. Then I can plan my packing and whether I have to bring my travel hair dryer and steamer for my clothes.
2. I need coffee! Most places provide at least a one cup coffee maker. What I hate is the prepackaged "condiments" - sugar, creamer, stirrer, napkin that the majority of places include. I wish these places would just provide these things separately. I use only creamer in my coffee and always feel guilty not using the rest of the pack. I love places that have the creamers in a little cup (hint hint)
3. Parking - whether I have my own vehicle or a rental car, please provide a safe place for me to park. I recently was booked at what appeared to be a charming hotel in a small downtown area of a fairly big city in Maine. I was impressed with their web site and looked forward to the stay. I drove my personal vehicle, a 1999 BMW. Yes, 10 years old, but it's in great shape and I recently paid it off. When I drove past the front of the hotel, I noted it was in a row of buildings and the downtown area was not as nice as I'd hoped. I pulled around the back of the building to the "parking" area. I was not impressed. There were cement barriers separating the hotel's lot from the next buildings with the name of the hotel *spray painted* on them. There were no security cameras or any lighting that I could see. And there was NO way I was going to leave my Beemer in that lot. I found another hotel, a Holiday Inn, to stay in instead. And I felt safer.
4. If you offer discounts for AAA or AARP or other program members, please mention it at check-in. I don't always remember to ask for this and thank goodness the Holiday Inn I stayed at reminded me. I whipped out my AAA card and got an extra 15% off my room. These days, I am saving every penny I can and I am sure other people are as well.
5. Make sure the room you give me is not only empty, but cleaned and the beds made. I've had it happen several times to me - I'll be given room keys, go to the room and either the room keys don't work (which turns out to be that someone else already had that same room) or I'll get in and the room hasn't been touched since the last guest. I always check the beds when I get in the room, before I even unpack, and pull the blankets and sheets down. If there is anything questionable - dirt, dead bugs (which has happened to me), obvious stains, etc, then I will go back to the front desk and ask for another room.
6. If you have on-site restaurant/bar, offer your guests 10-20% off their bill for patronizing these. I am more likely to eat/drink at the hotel if I'm given a discount. If I'm not, then I'll find a place nearby that I know will be less money. The more you offer your guests, the more they will spend with YOU.
7. Yes, I know I can ask for something I may have forgotten at home from the front desk, but the minimals that should be in my room are: Soap, hand/body lotion, shampoo and conditioner. I hate the shampoo w/the conditioner already in it. It never condition my hair right. Want to make me really happy? Throw in some Q-tips for my ears!
8. When I book a room, especially at a small inn or B&B, please tell me if I have to share a bathroom with another guest. I don't like sharing and I will ask for a room that has a private bathroom, or quite honestly, I'll look elsewhere for a place that does.
9. Please provide a clock with an alarm on it, at the least (a radio is nice). I've stayed in places where there is nothing and yes, I may have a cell phone and my laptop, but I like to know what time it is in my room.
10. If you have the TV Guest Services checkout in your rooms, make sure they WORK! I can count on one hand the number of times where I could actually checkout in my room without having to go to the front desk to checkout, or picking up the phone. If I have nothing outstanding and a receipt that was slipped under my door, I want to be on my way home or to the airport.
What do you look for when you stay in a hotel, motel, B&B, etc?
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