Hotel Room Woesby Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger 12 Jun 2007 10:02 AM A couple of weeks ago we traveled out of town to attend a children's festival. We did not make hotel reservations as we were planning to return the same day. Big mistake. The event turned out to be grander than we had anticipated and we ended up staying a lot longer than we had planned. Instead of starting the 2.5-hour drive back home we decided to spend the night at a local hotel. (I always leave an overnight bag in the car so we were covered in that respect.) Since we didn't have hotel reservations we stopped at a local university and used one of the computer pods at the Union. I did a quick online search and booked a room that offered a fair amount of amenities at a reasonable rate. I wish I could say that everything turned out wonderfully and the rest of weekend was stress-free--not quite. The hotel's website described a beautiful hotel (it was part of a chain that I had stayed at before), with lots of amenities, for a really great rate. Unfortunately, that's not what we found after we checked in. Without getting caught up in all the gory details (let's just say that the room was filthy, the bed had a single sheet, the pillows were riddled with cigarette burns, and the bugs were upset we had crashed their party) I think it is safe to say that the room was not reflective of what was displayed on the hotel's website. The point of this blog is not to rail on this specific property (I was careful not to mention the city we were visiting); rather it is to provide tips on how to manage a similar situation and not let hotel woes ruin your vacation. If you run into a problem or your room falls far below your expectations there are a few things you can do to get positive results in the shortest period of time: • Target The Problem. You want to seek out the person who is most able to resolve your problem on the spot. For example, if your problem concerns the cleanliness of your room, don't waste your time speaking to a bellman or a clerk--ask to speak to a housekeeping supervisor. • Don't Stop There. If you do not get the help that you expected from the person in charge of a specific department, ask to speak to the general manager. If you are unable to resolve the problem with the hotel's general manager, ask for a contact number of a district manager or corporate office. • Timing Is Everything. Don't waste time contemplating whether or not you should talk to someone if you are unhappy with your room. It's best to try to resolve the problem as soon as it happens. If your concerns are not addressed by employees on site (and you still decide to stay at the hotel), write a letter to the hotel's corporate office documenting what happened (it's very important to document), include how you tried to resolve the problem, and how you would like your complaint resolved. You may be surprised with the outcome. Hotels are dependent on return guests, and most are truly interested in hearing how they can provide quality service. I am in the process of writing a letter myself. I'll let you know what happens. Related Articles: Creating A Kid-Friendly Hotel Room Kids and Hotels---Safety Counts Traveling with Children: Finding the Best Hotel Room Travel Tip: Beware of Hotel Cribs Holiday Travel: 10 Hotel Safety Tips What To Do In Case Of A Hotel Fire What To Do In Case Of A Hotel Fire---Part 2 Learn more about Michele Cheplic  Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. Relevanttravel tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Community Tags family travel, hotel, hotel room, Travel, travel tips Discuss this article
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