Hotel Net Info

Meg of San Ramon writes: 

My husband gave me a gift certificate to stay at this Bed and Breakfast for Christmas, 2001. It was purchased from Mia for 2 nights, and he paid $458.15 for it. The Coast Guard Inn didn’t have enough time to send the certificate, so via email they sent something saying that it was for 2 nights. 

In March, my husband called Mia again and booked the reservation for May. We stayed there on May 24, 25 and left Sunday morning around 10:15-10:30. Kevin called my husband on Tuesday morning saying that they had a three-night minimum and he was upset that we had left. My husband told him he had no idea what he was talking about. 

Kevin said he had sent us a “contract”. We looked on the email and it said in tiny asterik that SOME weekends required three nights. However, when we bought the gift certificate and when we made the reservation we were never told this. They were both made for 2 nights. Kevin was very rude and my husband said that we weren’t aware and hung up. 

Two days later, Kevin had charged our account for $269.50 with NO AUTHORIZATION. We held up our end of the bargain. We paid for two nights, we stayed two nights. He put a charge through without us knowing and for something we didn’t even receive or WANT.

The Inn apparently grabbed the funds from Meg’s bank account so she can’t dispute the charge with her credit card company. We’d recommend a stiff demand letter that gives the Inn 30 days to make a full refund. Thereafter, Small Claims Court is the likeliest solution. 

The inn responds: 

I don’t know who you are, but I do know that you have acted in haste, without the facts and irresponsibly. Your email to me states that you received a complaint and are considering it for publication. The fact is that you published it on your web site before even sending this inquiry. It is our policy to protect the privacy of our guests; therefore, I will not go into the specific details of the (complainant’s) behavior in this matter, except to say that they were treated very well and in accordance with the highest of ethics and the law. If you had actually read the complaint, you would have noted that (Meg’s) complaint goes into great detail, albeit inaccurately, about matters that even according to her she has no first hand knowledge of, as they involved her husband. All of this makes me wonder: “Is there a resposible consumer web publication one can complain to when one has been libeled as you have chosen to do here? 

Sincerely, Kevin Gallagher 

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/ 

Posted: 2007-07-09 by Allana Mattook 

My husband and I visited Puerto Vallarta in June 2005 and ended up purchasing a timeshare at Velas Vallarta. We already owned a timeshare in Las Vegas. However, we were told that we could rent some of our weeks. This sounded like a good opportunity to us, we could use the rental possibilities to pay off the time share and we would have additional weeks for personal travel. We were sold by a Mr Greg Melton (known as Rojo), he even put us on to a rental agency Elizabeth at Resorts International, we paid a registration fee however to date have not gotten any rental options. 

We were contacted via email by Mr Melton (Rojo) on May 6, 2007 indicating that he had found someone who was interested in taking some weeks at US$1600.00 after maintenance. He indicated that developers of Hotel Bel Air , which was under construction in the Marina in Puerto Vallarta, wanted to rent weeks to bring their clients to invest in pre-construction. I checked online and saw listing for hotel Bel Air on a few sites (including red week and deluxe mexico destinations) there were not any rental options available. This seemed natural since, he indicated that the hotel was still under construction. We stupidly trusted Mr Melton (Rojo), seeing that we originally purchased from him, and forwarded US$109.00 per week to indicate that we were willing to give up 9 Velas Weeks, 9 Bonus Velas Weeks and 9 HSI weeks. Mr Melton (Rojo) indicated that we should transfer the money to the Accountant ABERTANO AGAMA MEZA via Western Union. Mr Melton (Rojo) constantly kept in contact with us via telephone and email, I have attached the emails for additional information. Mr Melton (Rojo) indicated that the weeks were doing so well that they wanted more, so again we transferred more money. Mr Melton (Rojo) even indicated that because he had sold over one million in time share he was in some time share professionals club and could get us a good deal on tickets and accommodation in Puerto Vallarta. We discussed it and decided it would have been nice to visit Puerto Vallarta again and asked him to get us a place to stay from November 10, 2007 to November 17, 2007. Mr Melton (Rojo) then indicated that he will also be able to get our airline tickets at a reduced price via a wholesaler, so we indicated that we were interested in coming along with two other couples. 

Mr Melton (Rojo) enquired if he were to be able to get a better price on the rental, if we would give him a commission of US$50.00 per week, we agreed thinking that he would be seeking our interest. Mr Melton (Rojo) asked us to send him an email indicating that we would be willing to give up additional weeks if they were to give us a better rental rate, so that he could show the email to his boss, which we did. Mr Melton (Rojo) then came back to us indicating that they would pay more money only if we were willing to give up ALL the rest of our weeks. We went to the bank, borrowed additional money and forwarded it to him with additional money for our airline tickets, which he said he was getting at US 898 per person from Trinidad to Puerto Vallarta. 

Mr Melton then told us that he had gotten a fare of US 542 per person for our friends who were coming from New York. They indicated that they would be coming and would transfer the money; however, due to personal commitments they were not able to transfer the money. He indicated that he went and paid for the tickets and because of this he had incurred a bank charge of US $500.00 because his check bounced. We felt sorry and kept asking us to send the money, he even asked us to loan him some money to cover till the next week when he would receive his commission from Bel Air. We sent up US $500 to help because we felt responsible; he gave us another name to forward the money to. Our friends got the money for their tickets to us and we forwarded it Mr Melton at the second name. 

http://www.complaintsboard.com/ 

2007-07-06  

A week ago, I had the opportunity to go to Chicago to teach a class. As I normally do, I booked the trip through Expedia.com. I took one of their package deals - hotel, car, airfare. Since I had never been to Chicago before, I simply selected the first hotel that came up on their rankings for the suburb in which I was staying. 

I arrived in Chicago, rented my car, and drove to the hotel, arriving about 1am. The clerk at the front desk informed me that the machine to make keys for the rooms was broken, but that he could let me into the room and I could get a key in the morning. This raised some suspicions, but it was 1am, I was tired, and had to work the next day, so I said fine… 

The next morning, the day clerk - who I later learned was the manager - said that the machine was still broken, and that I would be able to get a key that night. 

As it happened, some family members happened to be visiting Chicago at the same time,… 

http://www.blogowogo.com/ 

HOTEL resort fees are making a comeback.

Caroline Hwang

With the decline in the lodging industry after 9/11, the fees, which cover everything from the use of a pool to housekeeping tips, began to vanish — if not from hotels’ policies, then from guests’ bills. A polite complaint was usually all it took to have a fee waived.

No longer. With room prices and occupancy rates soaring, many hotels are again quietly imposing these unpopular surcharges. And this time, the industry has devised new strategies to make the extras stick. Hotel companies like RockResorts are improving the disclosure of the fees by adding notifications to their Web sites, sending prearrival e-mail messages to guests and alerting travel agents. They are offering detailed descriptions of what the charges cover. And increasingly, some are refusing to remove fees when a customer complains.

Although no one tracks the number of resort fees, analysts believe that at least 10 percent of the hotels in the United States currently charge such fees, which are typically $10 to $20 a room a night, and can cover almost anything. “The cost of housekeeping, or a bellman, or beach towels,” said Robert Mandelbaum, a hotel analyst at PKF Consulting in Atlanta. “I think I’ve seen it all.”

Resort fees are not illegal, says Timothy E. Eble, a lawyer who specializes in class-action cases in the travel industry, but they are ethically troubling. “Trying to disclose the fees doesn’t change the fact that the charges are quasi-bogus — that some of the things that are included in a resort fee really should be included in the cost of a hotel room,” he said. “I think a lot of the fees are just designed to increase a hotel’s profits.”

Joe McInerney, president of the American Hotel and Lodging Association, said that his organization did not have a policy on resort fees. “It’s left up to the discretion of the hotel.” He disagreed with the assertion that the fees were meant to raise profit, arguing that the charges covered legitimate expenses. The organization, however, strongly recommends that the fees be explained to guests before they check in.

But many guests go to great lengths to avoid the fees. Anthony J. Landler of Sherman Oaks, Calif., has looked for hotels on discount Web sites like Priceline.com in the hope of sidestepping the charges. Mr. Landler, an environmental engineer, recently found a room for $70 a night in Scottsdale, Ariz., through the site. The hotel was the Scottsdale Plaza Resort, which charges a resort fee of $10 a day. Mr. Landler said he didn’t find out about the fee until he had arrived. “I was willing to leave rather than pay the fee,” he said, “but I had already prepaid for the room, and the hotel wouldn’t give me a refund.”

Brian Ek, a Priceline spokesman, acknowledged that some properties on Priceline impose fees. “And the assignment of a Priceline hotel is luck of the draw,” he added. “Since we don’t know your hotel until after the transaction is completed, we don’t charge the resort fee upfront.” Priceline does, however, warn of a possible fee on its site. It refused to refund the fee to Mr. Landler. (He disputed the charge with Visa, which returned the money.)

Hotwire.com, which sells rooms in a similar way, also works with hotels that charge resort fees. Earlier this year, a spokeswoman, Emily Collins, said Hotwire was working with its hotels “so that in situations where we are aware of resort fees at specific properties, they will be included in the total price charged to customers booking on our site.” The company, however, now says it’s reviewing “several options” regarding fee disclosure. A lawyer for Hotwire said it was being sued because of resort fees, but the company would not comment further.

Some hotels are trying to tell the guests about the fees. “We over-communicate the fees that will be charged and what they cover,” said Bill Hall, RockResorts’ vice president for operations. “Guests at a luxury resort should not feel abused by nickel-and-dime charges.”

Each RockResorts hotel publishes a Web page that describes its resort fee. For example, the Equinox Resort & Spa in Manchester Village, Vt., imposes a mandatory $20-a-room fee, which pays for, among other things, access to an 855-acre nature preserve, use of snowshoes and cross-country skis and a ski resort shuttle. Each guest is sent a prearrival e-mail message that outlines the fee.

With added disclosure, resorts are understandably reluctant to remove the fees when guests object. Little Dix Bay, a high-end resort in the British Virgin Islands, adds a 10 percent resort fee, which includes all tips plus water skiing and the use of the resort’s sailboats and kayaks. With rates starting at $650 a night, the fee for a three-night stay this time of year would cost at least $195.

“If we included this in the price of our room, it could put us at a competitive disadvantage,” said Brian Young, vice president for resort operations at Rosewood Hotels and Resorts, which runs Little Dix Bay.

Still, if guests objected, he said he would be reluctant to insist they pay. “If they said they had a problem with the fee before they arrived, I think I would sit down and explain what it was for,” he said. “And then I would say, ‘Why don’t we talk about this when you check out and see how you feel?’ ”

BUT large chains already know what their customers think of mandatory resort fees: they do not like them.
Marriott International has begun phasing out the fees “based on guest feedback,” said John Wolf, a spokesman. “Today, it is our policy that hotels cannot charge a mandatory resort fee. It must be optional and therefore it must demonstrate real value for guests.” Only a handful of Marriott properties still have mandatory resort fees, he said.

Hilton Hotels, which runs the Conrad, Waldorf-Astoria and Hilton brands, also frowns on fees. Several of its properties charge fees, but they are almost always optional. At the Hilton Key West Resort & Marina, for instance, guests can use the hotel’s private beach on nearby Sunset Key for $10. A hotel spokeswoman, Kathy Shepard, said there were only three exceptions in the entire chain: the Waldorf hotels.

But the rest of the industry seems reluctant to follow, in part because many of its customers, even if they think the charges are unfair, do not object strongly.

“I think that most hotel guests feel that resort fees are a backhanded way of making money,” said John Fareed, a hotel industry consultant with Fareed and Zapala in Winter Park, Fla. “But until people do more than fill out the comment cards — until they go up to the front desk and drive the hotel crazy with their complaints — the fees are going to stay. And we’ll probably see more of them.”
http://travel.nytimes.com/

By The Knowland Group

In developing and marketing our service, we heard hoteliers around the country complain about existing reader board services.

What is a Reader Board Service? Hoteliers working in a group sales office are familiar with the traditional method of finding out what’s going on in your competition’s group meeting space. You check the reader board in their lobby, typically by hiring a company or an individual that provides this service for a fee. A few of these companies are nationwide; some are small local operations run by ex-hoteliers. They all do pretty much the same thing.

At the Knowland Group (www.KnowlandGroup.com), we’ve taken the reader board concept to the next level.

KnowGroups, our patent-pending online application was designed to increase group sales at your property and increase real-time visibility into the group meeting activity of your competition. We designed a state-of-the-art system that provides faster information and is easier to use.

We designed our product to address each of the issues that were top of mind with hoteliers. Then we added more.
Here are the top five complaints about existing reader board services.

We Pay for a Hotel Reader Board Service but My Staff Doesn’t Use It

We hear this all the time. The main reason hoteliers don’t utilize a reader board service is because, well, they’re hard to use. They typically arrive a few days to a few weeks after an event and they are sent as an attached .pdf file. To use them you have to open the attachment and search for the information you want. Occasionally staff will print them out and take them to a weekly sales meeting. Frequently they are put into binders… where they sit.

What if your Reader Board reports were delivered the next day? What if the reports arrived in the body of your email in easy-to-use tables and graphs, with contact information included and easily accessible through hyperlinks? What if these reports included detailed information on group size, included information on catered events and square footage utilized? And how about if all of this was topped off with hotel and travel trivia and news articles from your comp set? Well, that’s just the start of what we offer at the Knowland Group: a reader board service that will definitely get used.

Our Hotel Reader Board Service has Poor or Missing Contact Information

The second most common complaint is that the contact information is inaccurate or missing altogether. Many times the contact information will include generic 800 numbers or main mailing addresses. Frequently they’re just post office boxes.
What if you received internet research on all contacts overnight, and you had a team of researchers at your disposal. Researchers tasked with finding the actual meeting planner responsible for scheduling an event. And those researchers not only determined contact information but also important qualifying information - like the number of room nights actualized or the dates of future events. And they asked up to three qualifying questions of your choice? Well, that’s what you get from the Knowland Group, much more than just a mailing address.

Our Hotel Reader Board Service is Difficult to Use

Adobe Acrobat is a great product, but printable document files (.pdf’s) are designed so that you can only do one thing with them — and that’s print them. You want to copy and paste information on a group from a .pdf - good luck. Some services send their reports as spreadsheets. Certainly a step above Acrobat but that increases your risk for computer viruses, corrupt data and a whole host of other problems. And as far as an online application with custom reports and searchable parameters, forget it.

Our system and our reports were designed to get used (see complaint number one) and the first rule of making a product that gets used is to make it easy. Our system is easy and intuitive and powerful. You can do nothing at all and get detailed reports delivered to you every day at eight o’clock in the morning. Reports so easy to use that they don’t even have to be opened - just scroll through the information in your preview pane. And for power-users or IT folks – our system has it all. Custom reports, searchable parameters, animated graphs, downloadable data for import into other systems or spreadsheets – its all in there. The data is yours, and with iKnowGroups – you get the most out of it.

The Information We Get in Our Hotel Reader Board Service Isn’t Timely Enough

Simply put, stale or old information is, well, stale or old information. Even if it’s only a week old – wouldn’t you rather know what happened yesterday? And contact information with other reader board services – sometimes that can take weeks, just for basic internet research.

At the Knowland Group – you get your information generated overnight and delivered with your morning coffee. Our reports are delivered at 8 AM the next day, that’s why they’re called 8AM Comp Set Reports.

Our Reader Board Service Charges us for Historical Data and Special Reports

Of course they do, they’re designed that way. Custom reports, historical data, the ability to search for groups or events that meet specific criteria? Traditional reader board services charge additional fees for these things.

What if you never had to pay an additional fee or wait for a custom or special report? If all your data were available online – with a simple to use web interface that allowed you to search for information whenever you want? A report builder that lets you create custom reports that you can schedule for delivery on specific days of the week? And, of course, daily reports delivered with compelling, easy to use graphics and charts built right into the body of your email. All of these things are available through iKnowGroups and The Knowland Group (www.KnowlandGroup.com) right now.

Based in Washington, D.C., The Knowland Group provides market intelligence services to the hospitality industry. Through technology-based business practices, The Knowland Group’s services include providing clients with qualified group sales leads, event planner contact information, upcoming events suited to their properties and detailed information on group activities in their competitive set. For more information, visit www.KnowlandGroup.com or call (888) 841-2289. 
http://www.hotelinteractive.com/

Sarah, who stayed at the Ledson Hotel in July 2004, writes, “Pure and utter indulgence. This being a small place and us arriving mid week, gave us a very personal feeling with the staff. We actually felt as if we just got home from a long journey. The room (Winslow) was absolutely gorgeous, all very plush furnishings from the heavy drapes to the damask sheets. Ambient music throughout added to the feeling of relaxation. 

“The Jacuzzi bath in the room, was sadly neglected by us but time was a precious commodity which we preferred to spend in the wonderful restaurant below us. Getting back to the room, the two-sink washroom and the black marble shower all added supremely to our well being. A cheese platter and complimentary bottle of wine help to get you into the right spirits, supported by the absolutely magnificent truffles waiting for you on your return to your room, sitting on a Wedgwood plate, nestled in a pillow on top of your downturned bed. 

 “The complimentary breakfast, which gets served from 9-10:30, just adds to the indulgence. In other places breakfast finishes at 9:00. At the Ledson, your day starts at your convenience. Breakfast was a treat as well of course and served us well for the rest of the day. Do we have any complaints? Yes, why did we have to leave?” http://hotels.about.com/ 

June 4, 2007 

With the unofficial start to summer, the travel industry is warning of an increase in vacation-related scams, which cost consumers an estimated $10 billion a year. Out of the 3,900 industries it monitors, the Better Business Bureau says the travel industry consistently ranks near or in the top 25 for number of complaints.  “The BBB System continues to see vacation and travel-related fraud cases in every one of our 128 BBBs across the United States and Canada,” said Steve Cole, president and CEO of the Council of Better Business Bureaus. “Before booking travel plans, consumers need to do their research and check with the BBB for trustworthy advice on dependable businesses to keep from getting burned this summer.” 

Among the recently reported travel-related fraud: • A San Diego-based firm selling discounted vacation packages on eBay to Hawaii, Mexico and the Virgin Islands scammed consumers across the U.S. out of several hundred to more than $5,000 throughout 2006 and early 2007. 

• Travelers were tricked with bait and switch tactics and ended up paying much more for the vacation packages than they planned. After paying for the vacations, some consumers also found that rooms, travel, and other reservations were made with invalid credit cards, or never booked at all. Consumers in the Savannah, Georgia area spent over $11,000 with a company conducting seminars in local hotels that promised travel incentives, discounts and assistance in becoming a “travel agent.” • An investigation found that the Branson, Missouri-based company routinely charged consumers membership, administrative, and renewal fees that greatly exceeded any discount on vacation packages, and that much of the information ‘sold’ by the company could be found elsewhere free-of-charge to consumers. 

Travel experts say consumers should gather information before spending any money or making any commitments. Get names of airlines, hotels, car rental companies and travel providers. Consider contacting these businesses directly to verify arrangements. Always ask for confirmation of your travel arrangements in writing and ensure you receive copies of cancellation and refund policies. 

Also, it’s a good idea to pay with a credit card and avoid deals that require you to book 60 days in advance. Credit card companies may allow consumers to dispute a charge within 60 days of purchase.  http://www.consumeraffairs.com/  

Kathryn Viau, Rancho Santa Margarita, California

May 15, 2007 

We stayed at Paris Las Vegas from 5/10 to 5/15/07. When they lost the reservation 3 times before we got there, that should have warned us, but we stayed anyway.  On Saturday, 5/13/07, my friend and I had spent the day sightseeing. We ate breakfast at the hotel - splitting a croissant and a danish. We then split a salad for lunch at Mandaley Bay. By 9pm, we were hungry and laughingly said, we were not splitting dinner. But, we ended up at Le Cafe at Paris both getting the turkey wrap. She got fries and I got the POTATO SALAD. I woke up at 4am Sunday with horrible food poisoning. It would not stop so we called the medical line. I ended up at the hospital with 3 bags of saline to try and rehydrate me. I called the hotel from the hospital as the security person said that they would send a cab to pick us up. 

From my hospital bed, Paris Las Vegas switched me to a number of people (most of them worked at Ballys as they do not have the switchboard down yet). Finally, the Front Desk Manager, who I think is named John, but I was seriously ill in the hospital, so I cannot be sure, and told me that (1) they would NOT send a cab, that it was not their problem and I had to deal with it; (2) if I wanted to stay an extra night (I was so depleted by then that I could barely move) they would charge me $79. I would say they were rude, but when you are lying in a hospital bed AND THEY PUT YOU THERE, I would call that CRUEL. Then, when I got back to the hotel barely able to walk through the lobby, they said we had to change rooms. HAD TO CHANGE ROOMS? I could barely walk! They called, they came to the door, and each time I told them I was too sick to move, I was out of there the next morning, and to please LEAVE ME ALONE. When we checked out the next morning, they raised the $79 rate for the last night to $103. The last knife in my side. I will be contacting the legal department of their corporation. DO NOT STAY THERE. You are not a “guest” to Paris Las Vegas. You are only $$$ coming in and they do not care at all about you. 

http://las-vegas-hotels.tripadvisor.com/ 

Liars, And Cheaters - Liars

Posted By: STACIPOOX on 5/22/2007

I worked at Ramada inn by the Portland airport for three months. I was fired because, quote, “you don’t look happy”. I am a single parent and my income is the only income.

I received a call from my boss, [name removed], stating to come pick up my last check, an hour before I was starting work. I was forced to live in a homeless shelter with my daughter because they didn’t give me a notice. I have so many complaints about that hotel, i couldn’t even write down because it would be too long.

#1. “We have 24 hour surveillance cameras of the parking lot and the shuttle driver goes around and patrols the lot.” thats what we were told to tell customers. Really there is no surveillance camera and the shuttle driver does not even patrol the parking lot. They are heartless. If your car is broken into, they could care less. I’ve seen so many people upset because there car was broken into and the hotel doesn’t do anything to help them.

#2. Employees at the front desk work over 8 long hours a day and never have token a lunch before. That is against the law.

#3. Whenever somebody has a complaint and wants to talk to a manager, my boss, [name removed], hides in the back office until they leave and we are instructed to tell the guest that we are sorry but there is no manger on site at the moment and to call tomorrow. Then when they call, [name removed] tells everybody to tell the guest that he is not in.

#4. The workers is the kitchen are drinking liquor the last half of their shift.

#5. When an employees’ cash drawer is short, the owners make them put their money out of pocket into the drawer.

I could go on and on forever. I feel so bad for the guests that choose that hotel. Its cheap but you aren’t getting anything close to what you expect.
http://www.my3cents.com/

Sheringham, NR26
 
On Monday evening (20th August), I rang the Montague Lodge Guest House in Montague Road, Sheringham and booked a double room for the nights of 24th, 25th and 26th August. As agreed with the proprietor, I posted a cheque for £20 the next morning to cover the deposit for the booking.

We arrived home from work this evening to find my letter and cheque returned to us with a note scribbled on the bottom of my letter to say that “owing to a late confirmation I am unable to take you for this weekend”.

As you can imagine, it has proved impossible to find alternative accommodation at such short notice and on the Bank Holiday weekend. My husband rang the guesthouse for an explanation as to why they had not telephoned us sooner as I had given them our telephone number and it was also on my letter. He had the phone put down while he was speaking.

I would very much like to take this matter further as it has caused us great inconvenience and expense, including a wasted day’s holiday taken from our places of employment.

To this end, are you able to advise us of any steps we can take to deter this establishment from repeating this unfortunate practice, which I am sure you will agree, also brings into question the hospitality of the local tourist industry.

We have written a letter of complaint to the local Tourist Information Centre.
http://www.clik2complaints.co.uk/