Etiquette for hotel discounts or refunds...
A boiler broke down at work causing water to range from warm to cold. My co-worker who worked the shift before me had to hear complaints and give out refunds or discounts from late night till after lunch for a whopping 16 hours. As I sit dealing with the aftermath and any complaints left over and I learned something: the majority of the people don't understand the etiquette of refunds and discounts at hotels.
1.) Don't rain your wraith down upon the hotel staff's head: You're upset that your stay wasn't what you dreamt of. Mistakes and accidents happen and generally we want to help you. If you're screaming and threatening us at the top of your lungs then the likelihood of you actually getting what you deserve is most likely not going to happen.
2.) Time does play a factor in complaints: If you stayed in a unclean bed and took a shower last night without any towels then you are not a matyr. You are stupid for accepting the room and not calling the desk. You will recieve nothing the next day except disgust for being too lazy to tell us.
3.) You don't always have to take the first offer: Many people think that what they are offered by the hotel is the only offer. The hotel industry like every other business is trying to make money while making you happy. So if you're happy with the offer we make you then we're happy. If not then say so and maybe we can work out a compromise or better deal. Just remember 1 or this probably won't work.
4.) Once you check out then it's over: You are not going to get any refunds or discounts if you don't tell us there was a problem. So why do you think you'll get anything for checking out of the hotel and then telling us later what was wrong? The only reason we may have apologized to your friend and gave him a discount/refund was because he told us he wasn't happy with something. If you remain silent during your entire stay then we'll rightly assume you were happy with everything. Once you check out our job is done and you are no longer our customer. This may sound harsh, but the squeaky wheel gets the grease and there were definitely no displeasing sounds coming from you.
So there's four simple rules to keep in mind when you feel you may be entitled to a discount or refund.
1.) Don't rain your wraith down upon the hotel staff's head: You're upset that your stay wasn't what you dreamt of. Mistakes and accidents happen and generally we want to help you. If you're screaming and threatening us at the top of your lungs then the likelihood of you actually getting what you deserve is most likely not going to happen.
2.) Time does play a factor in complaints: If you stayed in a unclean bed and took a shower last night without any towels then you are not a matyr. You are stupid for accepting the room and not calling the desk. You will recieve nothing the next day except disgust for being too lazy to tell us.
3.) You don't always have to take the first offer: Many people think that what they are offered by the hotel is the only offer. The hotel industry like every other business is trying to make money while making you happy. So if you're happy with the offer we make you then we're happy. If not then say so and maybe we can work out a compromise or better deal. Just remember 1 or this probably won't work.
4.) Once you check out then it's over: You are not going to get any refunds or discounts if you don't tell us there was a problem. So why do you think you'll get anything for checking out of the hotel and then telling us later what was wrong? The only reason we may have apologized to your friend and gave him a discount/refund was because he told us he wasn't happy with something. If you remain silent during your entire stay then we'll rightly assume you were happy with everything. Once you check out our job is done and you are no longer our customer. This may sound harsh, but the squeaky wheel gets the grease and there were definitely no displeasing sounds coming from you.
So there's four simple rules to keep in mind when you feel you may be entitled to a discount or refund.