Staying in a Hotel - Would You Complain?

JupiterKid

Myself and a friend have been staying in a hotel in the West of Ireland the past few days. It says it is a 4 star, and the food and the standard of the rooms are very good.

But half the staff seem rude or at best abrupt and icy cold, a request seems to garner a sigh/eye rolling and they are carrying out renovations which means that some amenities stated on their website are currently not available to guests. The mobile phone signal is almost non-existent and the wifi is patchy.

Would you complain about this? I know us Irish tend to just suck it up and say nothing but should this be the way things should be?

Have you ever stayed at at a hotel and found it to be wanting in terms of what you had expected?

Sofiztikated

JupiterKid wrote: »

Myself and a friend have been staying in a hotel in the West of Ireland the past few days. It says it is a 4 star, and the food and the standard of the rooms are very good.

But half the staff seem rude or at best abrupt and icy cold, a request seems to garner a sigh/eye rolling and they are carrying out renovations which means that some amenities stated on their website are currently not available to guests. The mobile phone signal is almost non-existent and the wifi is patchy.

Would you complain about this? I know us Irish tend to just suck it up and say nothing but should this be the way things should be?

Have you ever stayed at at a hotel and found it to be wanting in terms of what you had expected?

Irish people complain all the ****ing time in hotels.

Mobile phone signal is nothing to do with the hotel. WiFi is. Is it paid or free? Either way, tell them the service isn't up to scratch. Similarly, if the staff are a bit ****ty, tell the duty manager. Renovations are necessary, it's just a bit **** that you are there at that time.

Noddyholder

Million percent I would complain , Ask to see the manager, You paid good money I presume,The days of taking crap service & unrudely staff are well gone, And don't forget to put your complaints in writing and also up on reviews on hotel websites,

Junkyard Tom

Write a review of your experiences.

tripadvisor.ie

Use the sandwich method of constructive criticism.

percy212

Yes. The amenities are part of the hotel offering, and they are not available to you. You should receive a discount or room upgrade, or get comped for something. As for rude staff, yes you should complain. You go to a hotel to have your ass kissed and relax, not to worry that you are going to annoy the staff.

Your Face

I'd like to hear the staffs side of it.

freshpopcorn

I'd ask to speak to a manager or supervisor?
It also depends on the amenities your missing. I did work in a four hotel before and the rooms on the fifth floor had a lot more amenities than those on the other floors because they paid a lot for the rooms.
Sometimes staff can be rude and others their crippled with people complaining and the management won't fix the issues.

Cameo

I'd leave complaints about the renovations out of it - them's the breaks during renovations which have to be done, unfortunately. But the rudeness seems unacceptable - eye-rolling like, good god.

It's a tricky one because they might get revenge on you if you report them while you're there (they don't seem to give a sh*t) but the way people (and it's not just Irish people) write a scathing review, without the full context, on TripAdvisor and social media after they've come home is so cowardly. This is someone's livelihood and they are not always directly responsible for their staff's behaviour (even if they are responsible for improving it).

Maybe a happy medium would be to say it to the manager at a time before you leave when there aren't any opportunities for them to get revenge on you?

Or just cut out the middle man and politely ask them directly to lose the tone next time they're rude to you?

Mountainsandh

Junkyard Tom wrote: »

Write a review of your experiences.

tripadvisor.ie

Use the sandwich method of constructive criticism.

I would spontaneously highlight the good as well as listing the bad on TripAdvisor's reviews, but IMO a hotel staff is absolutely not my "team", and I would not sugarcoat a situation the way it is advised in the link.

If service is dire, I would call it like it is on TA.

I don't see much point in complaining on the spot if you're leaving soon OP

milehip

On behalf of everyone who's ever worked in a hotel or dealt with the public may I say get over yourself OP just cos you booked into a hotel for few nights doesn't evelate you to demi god status.

that goes for all you other moaning ****ers out there aswell, **** right off with your
" Im paying your wages" shtick, it's a really gauche arguement, do you expect people to work in these place for free???

by all means run off and tell the teacher on the staff but they( the staff) still won't give a dam cos they're most likey on minimum wage and hate the sight of you and the establishment.

No offense OP I'm sure you're a lovely person.( That's the second slice of bread, I forgot the first,sols)

Stheno

I stay in hotels a lot due to my work, and tbh it would be rare to encounter bad service in Ireland in my experience

I do also tend to go out of my way to find a manager to compliment them on their staff if they have been particularly helpful or gone over and above in terms of service.

JupiterKid

milehip wrote: »

On behalf of everyone who's ever worked in a hotel or dealt with the public may I say get over yourself OP just cos you booked into a hotel for few nights doesn't evelate you to demi god status.

that goes for all you other moaning ****ers out there aswell, **** right off with your
" Im paying your wages" shtick, it's a really gauche arguement, do you expect people to work in these place for free???

by all means run off and tell the teacher on the staff but they( the staff) still won't give a dam cos they're most likey on minimum wage and hate the sight of you and the establishment.

No offense OP I'm sure you're a lovely person.( That's the second slice of bread, I forgot the first,sols)

Well, from that post I'm sure you're a delightful person too. I've paid good money to enjoy my stay in a hotel and it is not measuring up. Is that my fault?

Or are you just trolling?

Cameo

milehip wrote: »

On behalf of everyone who's ever worked in a hotel or dealt with the public may I say get over yourself OP just cos you booked into a hotel for few nights doesn't evelate you to demi god status.

that goes for all you other moaning ****ers out there aswell, **** right off with your
" Im paying your wages" shtick, it's a really gauche arguement, do you expect people to work in these place for free???

by all means run off and tell the teacher on the staff but they( the staff) still won't give a dam cos they're most likey on minimum wage and hate the sight of you and the establishment.

No offense OP I'm sure you're a lovely person.

Ah they didn't say anything about paying the staff's wages (it is one of the arsiest lines all right though - and they don't really because whether they're there or not, the staff will get paid either way!) or wanting to be treated like a demi-god. They made their point pretty reasonably.

I deal with the public too, and I encounter some absolute maniacs, but there is no excuse for being rude to a customer who's not acting unreasonably and is just asking questions/making requests, as is to be expected surely.

I wholeheartedly agree with standing up for yourself if a customer is rude, but not taking your hatred of the job out on a customer who's just being a normal person. If you opt to work with customers, it isn't exactly too much to expect no rudeness, abruptness, coldness or eye-rolling/sighing!

Ficheall

How much interaction have you had with the hotel staff, OP?

milehip

JupiterKid wrote: »

Well, from that post I'm sure you're a delightful person too
I've paid good money to enjoy my stay in a hotel and it is not measuring up. Is that my fault?

Or are you just trolling?

Nope not trolling and not having a go at you expressly, but no one put a gun to you head and forced you to hand over your money. I never suggested it was you or any other guest to blame.

Fair enough if the entire staff is pissy I'd be a little mifed also if that was the case, but having seen it from the other side I'd assume that if the majority of staff there are unhappy,Id deduce its a sympthon of working for a shower of pricks who treat their staff like a resource to be be worked as hard as possible for as little as possibe
The very same pricks who most people complain to and in turn take it out in the staff creating further discontent.

Hotels skimp on staff,equipment, wages, produce all so they can provide the best "value" to you and the maximum profit to the owner.

I'm sure if most people knew the horrible working condition in "4 star " hotels they'd think twice about staying in one.(likewise Luxury cruises and holidays in Dubai), but they dont and that is your fault op ( that last part IS a troll)

endacl

Noddyholder wrote: »

Million percent I would complain , Ask to see the manager, You paid good money I presume,The days of taking crap service & unrudely staff are well gone, And don't forget to put your complaints in writing and also up on reviews on hotel websites,

Word of the day. So obvious a great word that it seems patently bizarre that it never existed before you typed it!

I shall use it. Repetitiosingly.

milehip

Cameo wrote: »

Ah they didn't say anything about paying the staff's wages (it is one of the arsiest lines all right though - and they don't really because whether they're there or not, the staff will get paid either way!) or wanting to be treated like a demi-god. They made their point pretty reasonably.

I deal with the public too, and I encounter some absolute maniacs, but there is no excuse for being rude to a customer who's not acting unreasonably and is just asking questions/making requests, as is to be expected surely.

I wholeheartedly agree with standing up for yourself if a customer is rude, but not taking your hatred of the job out on a customer who's just being a normal person. If you opt to work with customers, it isn't exactly too much to expect no rudeness, abruptness, coldness or eye-rolling/sighing!

My opening salvo there wasnt aimed directly at the OP but more at the spurious moaners out there who send food back becque its the wrong colour and won't look good on their Instagram (this really happened It was on the opening of Sean Moncrieef yesterday)

I do think that some Irish people get up thier own holes when they stay in a "4 star hotel" its a problem we have as a nation where we like to pretend we're the salt of the earth but in reality we're paying over the odds for a room so we can tell the neighbour "oh we stayed in the- insert name of ****ty soulless hotel chain here-" notions I believe it called.

freshpopcorn

milehip wrote: »

I do think that some Irish people get up thier own holes when they stay in a "4 star hotel" its a problem we have as a nation where we like to pretend we're the salt of the earth but in reality we're paying over the odds for a room so we can tell the neighbour "oh we stayed in the- insert name of ****ty soulless hotel chain here-" notions I believe it called.

One thing I would say the level of standard in Four Star hotels in particular can go from one extreme to another!

suicide_circus

freshpopcorn wrote: »

One thing I would say the level of standard in Four Star hotels in particular can go from one extreme to another!

See Four Star Pizza

biko

The Irish favorite sport - complaining about "rude" people

Rock up to the front desk and demand staff to be more courteous, and less of the eyerolling!

wakka12

Yes complain. You are paying for a service and those people were hired to be pleasant to paying customers in return for their salary. its the least they can do, definitely report them. They don't deserve to have the job if they cant do it properly

Lovely Bloke

Complain to your phone company about the signal, that's not on the hotel in the slightest and bizarre to even mention it in the OP really.

Graces7

If I were ever lucky enough to stay at a 4**** star hotel, I would be too busyenjoying it to notice anything amiss. I mean long hot baths!... a big comfie bed..... and whatever else comes with the 4****

My last ever Craft Fair was at a 4 **** hotel and I loved it. They even insisted I had a "wee hot meal" .... HUGE and fine fare ....

andekwarhola

If you think that your mobile phone signal is the responsibility of the hotel, I'd wonder how reasonabale your expectations are for service staff.

90% of the time I stay in hotels, it's basically somewhere to crash when I'm away from home - don't usually even eat there - so I'm sanguine enough about standards as long as it's acceptable.

The other times - when the hotel stay is the actual holiday, like a hotel break with the wife - I'd definitely raise it with the staff only if it was genuinely poor as I'm easy going enough.

__Alex__

Complain, definitely. If you're doing a TripAdvisor review be firm but fair. I loathe vindictiveness on review sites.

Irish Guitarist

I think I could go without the internet for a week. I wouldn't care too much about them rolling their eyes either. I believe in freedom of eye movement.

freshpopcorn

What do you expect the staff to do about the phone signal? Theirs generally a landline in the room!

FizzleSticks

This post has been deleted.

SAMTALK

milehip wrote: »

Nope not trolling and not having a go at you expressly, but no one put a gun to you head and forced you to hand over your money. I never suggested it was you or any other guest to blame.

Fair enough if the entire staff is pissy I'd be a little mifed also if that was the case, but having seen it from the other side I'd assume that if the majority of staff there are unhappy,Id deduce its a sympthon of working for a shower of pricks who treat their staff like a resource to be be worked as hard as possible for as little as possibe
The very same pricks who most people complain to and in turn take it out in the staff creating further discontent.

Hotels skimp on staff,equipment, wages, produce all so they can provide the best "value" to you and the maximum profit to the owner.

I'm sure if most people knew the horrible working condition in "4 star " hotels they'd think twice about staying in one.(likewise Luxury cruises and holidays in Dubai), but they dont and that is your fault op ( that last part IS a troll)

Silly remark really about handing over their money!. People stay in hotels for holiday/work and they expect to get good value for their money.
If you go to a restaurant and get a bad meal do you just eat it and pay without saying anything??

If you go to a clothes shop and buy a jacket and find when you get home that the zip is broken / there is a rip do you just say nothing?

The fact of staff not being happy in their workplace is not the problem of the customers and shouldnt be brought out on them. Working conditions are not the customers fault either .

Likewise some people treat the staff horribly which is equally as bad and should not be tolerated by the staff either.

JupiterKid

I've mentioned my grievances to the manager. I did add that I thought the rooms and food were very good. He agreed with me that the renovations issue has been a problem for a number of guests and that they will do a discount on the bill as a result of this.

I appreciate the phone signal is not the fault of the hotel's. Just venting there!

Samuel T. Cogley

Your Face wrote: »

I'd like to hear the staffs side of it.

I asked for you, but as wooden poles, they were unable to reply.

Mountainsandh

__Alex__ wrote: »

Complain, definitely. If you're doing a TripAdvisor review be firm but fair. I loathe vindictiveness on review sites.

Some reviews are ridiculous. Many people lowering ratings of hotels because "it rained the whole time".

retro:electro

I stayed in a hotel the night before a wedding once and there wasn't even hot water to have a shower! I complained and we moved rooms but the same thing again no hot water. At this stage I was running late for the wedding so had to have a tinkers wash but I never felt so grubby in all my life. They assured me that this was a once off scenario as they were doing some maintenance and I ended up getting half of my money back and went to leave a poor review on T.A and saw that so many people going back two years had the same complaint as me! One review was left by a Bride who couldn't even shower on the morning of her wedding. It's worth complaining to perhaps get some money back, just don't expect them to rectify any mistakes made or grievances had.

milehip

SAMTALK wrote: »

Silly remark really about handing over their money!. People stay in hotels for holiday/work and they expect to get good value for their money.
If you go to a restaurant and get a bad meal do you just eat it and pay without saying anything??

If you go to a clothes shop and buy a jacket and find when you get home that the zip is broken / there is a rip do you just say nothing?

The fact of staff not being happy in their workplace is not the problem of the customers and shouldnt be brought out on them. Working conditions are not the customers fault either .

Likewise some people treat the staff horribly which is equally as bad and should not be tolerated by the staff either.

Wow seem to have struck a nerve with a few of you seems the
I'm a customer and I'm paying your wages brigade is easily triggered,
anyhow this ones for you guys keep on yelping.

https://youtu.be/pDlR_ccnZww

Cameo

Cameo wrote: »

Ah they didn't say anything about paying the staff's wages (it is one of the arsiest lines all right though - and they don't really because whether they're there or not, the staff will get paid either way!)

Without trying to drag this off topic, and I'm definitely not siding with anyone who throws the "I pay your wages" line in the face of serving staff. But in the absence of paying customers exactly how long do you expect those people "will get paid either way" to continue for?

andekwarhola

__Alex__ wrote: »

Complain, definitely. If you're doing a TripAdvisor review be firm but fair. I loathe vindictiveness on review sites.

The best ones are from morons who book cheap, budget hotels and seem genuinely furious that they're, you know, cheap, budget hotels.

JupiterKid

We check out tomorrow morning. I've had a word with the manager. TBH it was more my friend who was unhappy at the issues with the hotel but I agree with him. I think it's better to notify the management than give the place a negative review on trip advisor. Any review should be fair and balanced. The quality of the rooms and the food were good. The renovations, attitude of some staff and wifi access that were the issues.

I think a lot of Irish put up with poor service and quality but don't return. Better to let management know of the problems so they can address them.

Spanish Eyes

Management at hotels are very quick to sort things out in my experience. Provided the complaint is not frivolous and vexatious if you get me! Better done sober than when returning from the pub too...

I would urge people not to leave a bad Tripadvisor review if they haven't complained at source first and then got no satisfaction.

Personally I have stayed in many an hotel both here and abroad and haven't had an issue yet that wasn't resolved with a quiet word. But very very few issues would cause me to do that in the first place. An hotel has many clients and not all are sweetness and light either. Earplugs and an eye mask help sometimes, if everything else is good!

Rezident

You must complain to improve things. A lot of Irish people - certainly in the past - like my parents etc. would never complain for fear of upsetting someone so standards here remain poor in many areas.

__Alex__

There seems to be a view that people only go on Tripadvisor when they have a bad experience. I have a Tripadvisor account and I've written more positive reviews than negative ones and in my experience, most users are the same.

Parchment

Graces7 wrote: »

If I were ever lucky enough to stay at a 4**** star hotel, I would be too busyenjoying it to notice anything amiss. I mean long hot baths!... a big comfie bed..... and whatever else comes with the 4****

My last ever Craft Fair was at a 4 **** hotel and I loved it. They even insisted I had a "wee hot meal" .... HUGE and fine fare ....

This post makes no sense.

jameorahiely

Why go to a hotel and hang out with the staff?

byhookorbycrook

Tripadvisor is full of fake reviews and even destination experts looking for freebies in return for a good review. Stick to sorting out things with the hotel itself, not a profit driven and now sadly less credible site.

__Alex__

^^^ It's very easy to spot both vindictive and overly effusive reviews on Tripadvisor, IMO. Sorting things out with the hotel is fine for you yourself but is of no help to anyone else.

B.A._Baracus

Junkyard Tom wrote: »

....
Use the sandwich method of constructive criticism.

There's actually a name for that now? :pac:

I find it very poncy tho how that article put it much prefer how it's described in wrestling (yes wrestling of all things) when you 'bury someone'....

so you start off by not wanting to come off as a dick so you say Jim is a great guy.... (then proceed to say what you really want to say).... but Jim can't do anything right for ****.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

There's actually a name for that now? :pac:

I find it very poncy tho how that article put it much prefer how it's described in wrestling (yes wrestling of all things) when you 'bury someone'....

so you start off by not wanting to come off as a dick so you say Jim is a great guy.... (then proceed to say what you really want to say).... but Jim can't do anything right for ****.

The sandwich method was abandoned by most organisations about twenty years ago because people can see through it a mile off.

B.A._Baracus

Koa Little Plane wrote: »

The sandwich method was abandoned by most organisations about twenty years ago because people can see through it a mile off.

Yeah you can see through it.

Yamanoto

And as for the bagel method...

Omackeral

Yamanoto wrote: »

And as for the bagel method...

I can think of at least one major hole in that one.

alan1963

Parchment wrote: »

This post makes no sense.

Graces7 is an old lady,so you're complaining about old ladies now,first its the waiters now its old ladies who next?

jd83

I'd murder a sandwich now!