Justin Aldrich worked for many years at the Marriott hotel chain. In the process, he noticed some annoying behaviors on guests.
During a holiday at a hotel, guests want great service, good food and comfortable rooms – but if the service does not correspond to what the offer promised, complaints quickly arise. But travelers also make it easier the other way around if they treat the hotel staff politely and inform themselves about the rules of the hostel before arrival: This saves both sides unnecessary discussions or even disappointment. At least that's what Justin Aldrich, who worked for the US hotel chain Marriott for seven years, thinks. In a guest article on the online portal Insider, he revealed which guest behaviors bother him the most – here are five of them:
Don't just come earlier – sign up
Again and again, it can happen that guests want to check in earlier than planned – in this case, however, you should inform the hotel in good time, as Aldrich writes. It could be that it was fully booked the night before: "Which means that there is literally no more room for you if you arrive too early."
+Do you want to check in earlier at the hotel? Then you should let the staff know in time.
© YAY Images/Imago
In a hotel where he worked, the suites and spa rooms were always cleaned slowly because they were particularly unpopular with the cleaning staff. But if a guest wanted to check in before the usual time – in this case 15 p.m. – this was also done by 10 a.m. However, this is not possible without warning: That's why he advises guests to call the day before or at the latest on the morning of arrival and ask if an earlier check-in is possible.
Is the equipment really missing – or was it just not read properly?
Aldrich is regularly annoyed by hotels getting bad reviews, simply because guests didn't read the information properly online: "If you need a microwave or drawer with drawers in your room, please take a look at the listing before booking. Once you've booked, arrive and unpack, there's nothing more we can do to make it better." In addition, it is ridiculous when guests book a room in minimalist hotels and then complain to the reception that there are no sofas. "If you take 10 minutes more time to look through the photos of the rooms and the lobby before booking, your next stay will really be more enjoyable," says the hotel employee.
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If you check out too late, you can expect consequences
Each hotel has its own fixed check-in and check-out times. These are needed to ensure that the rooms can be cleaned for the next guests. But if you want to check out later without warning – for example, because the journey home is only in the evening – you cause the staff great inconvenience, says Aldrich. On top of that, it can lead to the careless guests being locked out of the room or incurring additional costs.
So it is better to make the staff aware of the desire for a late check-out in good time. Many hotels would have moved their standard departure times back anyway to accommodate guests. If you ask for it nicely, you may also have the chance to leave at 13 p.m. or 14 p.m. But this only applies if the guests do not leave the room in full devastation.
The smell of cigarettes in the room is always noticeable
Smoking is not welcome – or even prohibited – in most hotels. Anyone who does it anyway must expect consequences, as Aldrich explains. In the hotel where he worked, smoking guests had to pay 200 to 500 dollars (about 190 to 465 euros) as a punishment.
"I've seen all sorts of tricks that people use to think they can hide the cigarette smoke," he said. "The towel under the door, the candle and the ventilation shaft in the bathroom don't do what you think." Each room would be scrutinized before the arrival of a new guest – a strange smell or ash on the carpet would immediately notice this. Holidaymakers should therefore rather smoke outside.
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Snacks more expensive at the hotel than at the gas station? Guests should be able to handle this
If you stay in an upscale hotel, you inevitably have to reckon with the fact that this will be reflected in the prices. The same snack can cost more than you would pay for it at the gas station. "We know that prices are high," Aldrich writes. And he also agrees that these are sometimes ridiculous – but the staff is also aware. So it doesn't have to be held against them again by the guests. Instead, he advises travelers to think positively: "Look at it this way: the gas money we saved you for shopping is included in our prices."
Category list image: © YAY Images/Imago
