I started working at a boutique hotel in my hometown about 3 months ago. It has been an eye opening experience to say the least. There is certainly a lot more for me to learn, but here are some early revelations for travelers to think about when it comes to their accommodations.
- Online travel agents (OTAs) cost hotels more than you would think: Expedia and Booking.com can cost hotels up to 25% for each reservation. That may not be a huge hit for chain hotels, but independent boutique hotels really suffer from guests using these sites. The same can be said of using hostelworld or hostelbookers if you are booking a hostel. The price may look cheaper on an OTA but…
- It should really be lost and lost: Very few things in our lost and found get claimed. I would say 70% of what people leave behind is pillows or blankets. I DON’T GET IT. Bedding is something you can count on hotels to have. People leave it behind all the time and then are furious if we can’t find it for them. If I can help get something back to someone I am ecstatic. It just doesn’t happen that often. Also – sometimes people think the onus is on us to pay to send it back to you – it’s not. If you leave something behind, you should be paying for it and frankly don’t expect to get it the next day. It isn’t always at the top of our priority list to get it out to you.
- Call us for a discounted rate: because of the cost associated with OTAs, we will always give you a better rate if you call our hotel directly. It may take an extra minute on the phone, but you could save up to 20% of our online rate. If you want a more personalized experience, we also make notes of reservations, services, and special occasions when you call us. If you love a hotel/hostel, it is worth it to give them the extra money by booking directly with them.
- Check-out time is sacred: This biggest complaint I get is our check-in and check-out time. As a small hotel with a small housekeeping staff, it takes longer than you would think to get our rooms cleaned and ready. I would say I get 5-10 complaints a week about not being able to get into the room early. Here’s the thing though, if we have a full house or several late checkouts, there is almost no way to get you in early. My least favorite guests? People who assume they can check out whenever they want. It is an inconvenience.
- Some services may be free, but not perfectly convenient: we offer complimentary driving within three square miles of our hotel. We have one car to accomplish this. Most of the time, we are able to get everybody when they want a ride. Occasionally on weekends, people are shocked to hear that they may have to wait 20 minutes for the car to come. You should not assume everything complementary is going to be perfect service.
- There are some things that are out of our control: You can absolutely be upset that the fire alarm went off when we had a kitchen fire. We probably aren’t going to take any money off your bill. A siren from the streets woke you in the night? How is that our fault? We get a lot of complaints. Some of them are completely helpful constructive criticism. However, if you are complaining about something that we couldn’t help you with, it’s probably something to just swallow.
- The front desk personnel may wear many hats: I work the front desk. There’s a lot of aspects to my job. I make reservations, check people in and out and also answer the phone. However, to be honest, that’s not even the bulk of my job. Most of my job is making a list of our guests for the evening and different things about them, matching them to the best rooms for them, and coordinating all the different departments to make sure breakfast gets taken down, cars get brought around, housekeepers know which rooms to clean and more. Here’s my one gripe – none of these things are “tip worthy” to most of our guests even though I get paid the same (or less) as all the other employees. If you had a great stay, at least 30% of who made it possible was the front desk person. Tip them accordingly.
One Day Away 