Travel Contest: 2 Nights Free at Properties Around the U.S.

Lights that don’t work. I regularly enter a hotel room and find at least one lamp with a blown bulb. High end or mid-range. It doesn’t matter. It is an easy thing to fix, but also a easy thing the staff to check between guests.

Lights in the halls must all work.  We stayed in a hotel that was a three-star near Sacre Coeur in Paris.  One day as we walked to our room there was the odor of dog excrement.  We continued to walk to our door in the obscurity hope that we didn’t take a wrong step.

Getting to your room only to find that the electronic key has already demagnetized and you have to head back to the front desk to get it reinitialized. Not fun!

Stray hairs in the bathroom-cleaners not giving a 100% -though I guess everyones’ standards are relative. Secondly since I read about bed covers and decorations on beds not being washed or covers changed each time a guest leaves-would love it if hotels were able to wash these top covers too!

No good reading lamps at bedsides. Doesn’t anyone read in bed anymore? Those big gaudy table lamps are worthless. I’d suggest offering free reading lamps when people check in. Be kind to readers!

I can honestly say my travels throughtout Europe, Canada and the US have been nothing less than inviting and exciting; I think a place to hang my hat and venture out into the country I love is why possibly I have no complaints!!!  The world is full of people who form this melting pot and my focus is on them, their surroundings and the food, ah yes, the food!!!  
My one experience I do remember was when my son left for the Middle East and The Gulf ; we spent our Christmas with the Marines at  Camp LeJeune; this had been a sad time for our family; the children’s dad was ill, I had lost my job and my son’s college education was interrupted because of the Gulf War.  We sat in a restaurant for 3 hours waiting for dinner and since the town wasn’t fully  prepared for feeding the troops and their families they ran out of food.  We ended up returning to our  motel where the owner brought us a mac and cheese tv dinner for the 4 of us , a bag of cheetos and Oreo cookies.  To this day, we laugh but remember how blessed we were to have spent this time together before our brother , my son left for active duty ! It was a different adventure, but one we will never forget and neither will the motel owner!!!!

Personally- my biggest pet peeve is when a hotel is in a low season- has just a few people staying at the hotel- and still puts them in rooms right next to each other. For example: Several years ago I booked my bachelorette weekend at a ski resort off season. It was also a spa- which was what my friends and I were going for. The resort was empty- and there were 5 of us that rented out a suite to accomodate us. The beginning of the night we were sitting around opening the gifts, talking- no radio, no tv, no wild ANYTHING. We had a neighbor who kept calling the front desk to complain about us- which didn’t make any sense. It wasn’t late- but she had an early meeting. Why oh why did the at least not spread people out down the hall? She complained numerous times and eventually was moved. I can’t help but think the whole thing could have been avoided if we were all spread out in the hallway. Why would you put a single cranky woman with an early rising time next to a group of bachelorettes? Pretty silly if you ask me.

Furthermore- I would rather be put away from people when I stay with my kids. I don’t want to be bothering anyone with potential noise or crying in the middle of the night.

No power outlet within a mile of the bed, except for Four Seasons Santa Barbara where I am now- outlet on wall just above night table!

I would say the noise bleeding between rooms and the room and the hallway. It is distracting during the day if I’m trying to make calls or work, and can keep me up at night when I hear a lot of noise. It seems that more insulation could prevent at least some of this.  I’ve been in some hotels, that I would consider higher end, that I’ve been able to hear conversations at a fairly clear level.  And no, my hearing isn’t superhuman!  Of course I could just wear ear plugs, but then I’d probably sleep through my alarm and miss my meetings!

I am always aggravated to find I am in a room with only one sink in
the bathroom and we have to take turns jockeying around the faucet
just to brush our teeth.  We could be finished with our morning
rituals  in half the time with
two sinks.

My worst hotel peeve is hotel staff that and not friendly especially those at front desk when you check in.

Plastic glasses instead of glass in the room! Sure sign of a cheap-ass hotel.

Also, no output on the radio for ear buds, so you can listen to radio while the others sleep.

Cheap shampoo! Easily fixed with an upgrade of brands

Poor lighting is my worst hotel pet peeve of all time.  Often when drapes must remain
closed for privacy, it is very difficult if not almost impossible to see clothing hanging in
the closet or items packed in a suitcase.  And don’t even think about trying to read!

Charge for internet access.

Poor/indifferent service. Once I checked in to a room only to find that maid had not yet been there, and prior occupants had left their used prophylactics all over the room. Twice, the occupants were still IN the room. Their remedy? They tried to give me another room, poorer quality, same price. Try again. I went elsewhere.

For some reason I can never plug in my hair curling iron in the bathroom.  There is only the plug set up for a shaver and the one that is permanently connected to the hair dryer.  I am always trying to use the plug in the kitchenette or under the night stand, then finding a way to angle a small mirror so I can curl my hair!  Solution:  Put in a plug for that in the bathroom OR offer an extension cord that one can use so that you can curl your hair in front of the bathroom mirror.  Seems to be true in the USA and outside the USA as well.  

My worst pet peeve are hotels that charge $10/day for Internet access.

My pet peeve is no non-slip mat in the bathtub which makes it difficult to get in and out of the tub without slipping. Many accidents in hotel bathrooms are caused by this. The remedy is to provide non-slip mats or have safety strips installed in the tubs. I have reported this to the front desks in numerous hotels in Europe.

 The reasoning behind plastic glasses is for the patrons safety.  Even in expensive hotels, at times, glasses made of glass are not always washed, but instead rinsed and reused.  Same goes for coffee pots if available.

My pet peeve is how so many motels & even hotels now ofter ONLY fluorescent lighting for all of the lamps in most if not all rooms. It would be great if hotels would allow you to call down to the desk and have the blubs changed for a warmer room feel. I’m away from home for God’s sake please give me a break. So I always travel with a couple of 75 watt bulbs in bubble wrap and change the bulbs myself. To make sure I don’t accidently leave the blubs behind I always put the bubble wrap in my toiletry kit. This reminds me before I pack up and leave to grab the blubs.Room phone cords are too short also (why don’t they give you a choice). So I travel with a 50 foot phone cord & a small double female attachment so when I am called I can take the phone all over the room…even the bathroom and balcony.

I get very annoyed when the hotel does not follow their own Green policy’s. Many times I have placed a towel on a hook or bar to indicate i will reuse but the service personel change it anyway. I am always looking for better ways to help save the planet but I can not do it if we do not have cooperation from all involved.

My worst hotel pet peeve is in the breakfast area, especially around the waffle maker.  They have one waffle maker for 50 guests and it is usually occupied by someone who doesn’t know how to use it or kids or the rude guests that walks away while it is cooking.  The last hotel had it in the corner and everyone was in danger of getting burned when they reached for things.  My solution:  move the waffle maker away from other items like the plates, etc. and have at least one more maker.  There should also be some posted guidelines.

My pet peeve is when they can’t get the room key situation right and they give a key to your room to someone else.  For some reason, this has happened to me numerous times at many different chains.  We always keep the chain on the door for this very reason.

I hate it when the light and exhaust fan in a hotel bathroom are on the same switch, and it’s impossible to turn one on without the other. Most exhaust fans are so loud….I’ve usually just finished hearing the sound of a jet engine when I check into a hotel; I don’t need more noise in the WC!

Hmm… I dislike when there are a million employees in the lobby area but only a fee helping with check/in check/out. Happens all the time, the hotels that get it right must have more loyal customers. Everyone should be cross trained…everyone!

I’ve had the misfortune a few times in the past year to stay in rooms with a noisy heating/cooling system. I find the individual room blowers pretty obnoxious to begin with (but I get it…it’s the only way to regulate temps in individual spaces), but these unbearable units had some sort of cyclic hum that I couldn’t even tune out with a pillow over my head. Maintenance even came to look at it and confirmed that, yep, the hotel had recently put in new units and they were loud. Sigh.

 My biggest hotel pet peeve is the lack of adequate electrical outlets.  Hotels are constantly under renovation, so you’d think they’d realize that people now have laptops, tablets, iPods, cell phones, and who knows how many other electrical devices they need to power and/or recharge. 

Stylish, moody lighting in bathrooms that can’t be overridden to see what it is you’re doing to your face when shaving.

When a family of four checks into their pre-booked room only to find enough towels for two guests, not four. The guests must then call to request additional towels and tip the housekeeper that brings the towels. If I pre-book and pay extra for four family members in my room, I would like to have enough towels in the bathroom for the four of us!

I hate the cheap ipod docks in some of the hotels. They are not user-friendly

My worst hotel pet peeve is when they only give top customers an upgrade on a paid stay.  So when I’m traveling for work alone and could care less about getting a nice room, voila, an upgrade.  When I’m on vacation with my wife, and using points from all my previous stays, I’m in the best mediocre room available, with no other benefits.  Would it really be so hard for a hotel to ‘bank’ a space available upgrade for me when I’m traveling for business?  My wife hears about these gorgeous rooms I stay at while traveling, but we never get to enjoy them!

No power outlets on or near the nightstand. Huge pet peeve if I have to charge my phone across the room.

Pet peeve: Key cards that need to be inserted into the electronic slot in order to open the door to your hotel room.  They always seem to require multiple tries before they work.

Solution: Key cards where all you have to do is touch it against a sensor to open the door.  Some hotels have this and it makes it so much easier to open doors, especially when you are holding items in your hands.

Hotel room doors that inconsiderate guests/staff allow to slam shut (especially late at night). I understand they must close fully for security reasons, however, lacking education amongst hotel guests worldwide I would suggest a soft-closing mechanism to ensure proper closure without the noise.

My biggest peeve is insufficient lighting. There may be six lamps but only a 40W bulb in each, and I have to run around the room figuring out how each of them is turned on. The solution is fewer lamps with brighter bulbs. I’ll probably be able to do quite well with only one or two lamps on instead of all six.

my peeve is I hate to see hair anywhere, though its the worst if I am taking shower and I found hair sticking to the wall.. that really gross me out. HOW DID THAT HAIR GET UP THERE?

Bad enough to find “stray” hairs in the tub, but pubic hair on the sheets is beyond unacceptable.  The way I fixed it was to trot down to the main desk and ask them to send up a complete set of new bedding.  This was not a budget hotel!

My biggest pet peeve is staying at a high end hotel and being required to pay up to $50 per day to park with no price break offered even if you’re staying there a whole week. Why do budget motels have free parking yet high end hotels expect your car to pay the same amount as your airfare? 

I hate having to hunt to find suitable power outlets near the desk or bed

My biggest pet peeve is having water bottles placed in the room that you have to pay for!! Come on!!! Either give the water for free or don’t give it at all! What a smack in the face. 

I hate hotel rooms with beautiful flat screen televisions that still only get 20 channels that you have to manually flip through. Welcome to the 21st century! If you’re going to invest in nice TVs, pay an extra dollar and integrate on-screen channel guides.

The motion detector mini bar! I wanted to basically read the label on a wine bottle and the nutritional value on a can of mixed nuts. When the friend I was sharing a room with saw me move the items I thought a bomb was going to go off from her expression and gasp. Move an item and you bought it. Talk about an uninviting room. I felt like a bomb was going to go off every time I touched the room. My comfy high end room quickly became uncomfortable.

My pet peeve is having to deal with the noise when the room has an adjoining door…although I specifically stated on my profile comments “absolutely no adjoining doors.”

My pet peeve is the fact that housekeepers frequently unplug fixtures such as lamps or cordless phones in order to (presumably) plug in vaccuum cleaners, but when finished vacuuming simply unplug and depart without re-plugging in whatever they unplugged. Very annoying to try unsuccessfully to turn on lamps in the dark, or to make a phone call only to find out the phone isn’t even plugged in. The hotels which do this seem to make a habit of doing it every day which is exasperating; I find myself kneeling and plugging while keening “Not Again”.

My worst hotel pet peeve? Loud, inconsiderate neighbors while I’m trying to sleep.  Hotels should enforce a “quiet time” policy (perhaps from 11pm to 7am) and promptly follow-up on complaints.

My biggest pet peeve is the casino carpeting – crazy, disgusting designs! Let’s keep it classy!

I hate it when I ask for something like extra shampoo, lotion or towels and they don’t show up.  I just sit in my room, waiting… and waiting… Then call the front desk and ask for it again.  The employees needs to be well trained and learn to be  efficient.  I noticed a lot of employees are more interested in talking to their coworkers or on the phone/texting.

My pet peeve is when ALL employees are not professional.  They are the faces of the establishment they are working at.  They must be trained in the “ART” of customer service and professionalism, right down to the maids.  My friends and I travel a lot and we can definitely say for sure that hotels out of the USA are usually much more professional and hospitable, especially in Asian countries.  We need to insure that the guests leave the hotels thinking “WOW! that was amazing service, I’m coming back!”  It’s like the phrase “It’s not what you know, but who you know”.  Similiarly, it’s the word of mouth regarding hotels that makes customers keep coming back or spread the word.

I hate it when the blankets are tucked into the bed. I always untuck them anyway – who wants to feel like a cocoon?

My biggest pet peeve is dealing with rude front desk agents. Being a front-of-the-house employee, they should always be polite and courteous to a guest even if they are having a bad day. If they can’t do that then get a new job because you are just hurting your hotel’s reputation if you consistently do this. This is also coming from a hospitality student who has experience providing great customer service and loves it. 

Low flow showers are certainly agravating, even more so is uncomfortable room temperature and the hotel staff doing nothig to correct the situation.

pet peeve: 

Not enough outlet plugs –  we are now living in a tech world – even my 10 y/o has a cell phone. Sometimes you only see 2 outlet plugs in the entire room!

Solution: 
Hotels should invest on ‘octopus’ multi outlet plugs!  It’s inexpensive and does not require re-wiring the rooms.  

Pet peeve is outlets.  Can’t ever find enough outlets anywheere.  What’s up with that?

“free” wifi that doesn’t work… even when subjecting yourself to using the network cable.

I hate the ridiculously high counters at many front desks.  I’m tall so it’s not an issue, but my best friend is 4’11″ and I know how frustrating it is for her to not be able to see the receptionists!

Biggest pet peeve is definitely low-flow/bad showerheads. Especially first thing in the morning where all you’re trying to do is get ready for a good day – but you get to the shower and either it’s literally dripping, has no pressure or is ice-cold (what, did all the hot water disappear overnight?).

My guess would be proper maintenance, even for newer/renovated hotels would fix this problem if the owners werent willing to sweep ‘minor’ problems under the rug.

Also speaking of water, what is up with hotels charging for water bottles? I mean seriously you’re gonna nickel and dime extended stay guests, and try to squeeze a couple bucks out every time? Minibar: snacks, alcohol etc I can understand, but water? Especially when what’s coming out of the taps isnt necessarily reliable drinking water.

TV’s that automatically come on to hotel advertising partners.  Sometimes it takes too much work to get regular channels.  Solution: start at the first regular viewing channel!

Going to a hotel room and it’s 110 degrees outside and nobody bothered to put the A/C on or it’s 25 degrees outside and your room feels more like the world’s biggest ice box.

My pet peeve is when a room has one (or several) maintenance issues that should have been reported by housekeeping. For example, burned out light bulbs, broken drapery or shower curtain hangers, outlets that don’t work, TV remote controls that don’t work, sinks that back up, etc.

I’m disappointed by hotels that have an ecofriendly linen policy that isn’t followed.    I hang my towels up so they don’t need to be changed but when I return voila new towels.  I realize  housekeeping staff probably does this so that their hours won’t be cut back.  I understand this. 
In order to maintain their hours management should add to their duties a checklist where they check the outlets, lamps, iPod docks, remotes, phones etc. on an every other day basis.  This list could be turned in to maintenance.  This will increase the effectiveness of the eco-policy and solve our problems with non-working electronics, etc.

My biggest pet peeve is non-functioning A/C. Can be really annoying to be in a hot or stuffy room, and sometimes as we know, the hotel can’t fix it quickly (or at all:)).

Solution: well, I would be happy with a policy that states that if a hotel can’t get your A/C working within an hour from check-in, you should get 50% refund on that room. Would give them an incentive to keep it nice and functional.

Filth.  Nothing is more bothersome than to be checking in and discover that the room was not really clean including some trash that was somehow missed with the partial cleaning team.

My biggest pet peeve is definitely the fact that some hotels show all these beautiful pictures of their rooms and when you get there is definitely nothing like it :/. I think they should update the pictures from time to time, I wish there was a policy for misleading pictures/images …

My biggest pet peeve is staying in a hotel room where the curtains don’t shut all the way
To block out the sunlight. This happened in a hotel in Anchorage in June.
The sun didn’t set until 11:00pm and came up at 4:00 am.

My biggest peeve: Telephones and remote controls that have fingerprints and smudges and worse…. I view them as a petri dish for bacteria. If hotels could have a decontamination process or perhaps leave an antibacterial wipe next to them, I’d be more assured. In the meantime, I’ll bring my own.

Resort fees are a joke.  Hotels list all extra services to justify the charge but the list are basic services.  I stayed at a Ritz Carlton in Grand Cayman.  On top of over 20% taxes/service they added almost 20% for resort fees.
Hotels should end this charge.  They should include in room rate. Or increase soda by .10 cents if they really need the extra funds.   I rather pay $2.50 for morning coffee than pay $45 resort fee nightly. Keep the services but charge for each service for those that want to use them.

In the future, carry with you an old fashioned cloths pin used to hang clothes on a line, or break off the pinchers of a pant / skirt hanger, given at department stores.
Light weight, small to carry, to solve the problem, as not all lodging has that style coat hanger. Sleep s important.

Jen, shall be your hotel neighbor, as this is a major peeve of mine. Also misbehaved children, adults fighting, loud sex….. And the list goes on……

Judi…..then the hotel ” suggested” they were mine. Not remotely possibly possible, as my hair was different color and length. Sad….. This from a top end hotel. Yes the manager did look at my photos the next morning…… For I did sleep on clean sheets. This after a major frusting situation that included…..cleaning the bathing area. Still the topper was the hair on the toilet. Happy travels.

Phil, comply agree!!!

My biggest pet peeve at hotels are restrictive pool hours, or when a pool is shut down for maintenance after I arrive. I love getting an early morning swim before the days adventures, and it’s challenging getting staff to unlock the pool. This probably doesn’t bother other travelers much.

Pet Peeve for me is Wi-FI that doesn’t work or is ultra slow, especially when I’m paying additional for it. Most hotels outsource this to another company and the front desk’s only reaction to a complaint on this is to have the guest call their third party provider for help. If your going to offer wi-fi (or worse charge for it) make sure it’s in good working condition and offers suitable speed as well has have training for the customer facing teams on basic trouble shooting. 

Wi-Fi fees at expensive hotels! If I’m spending over $200/night, why gauge $15/night more? 

Non-friendly front desk agents. Lighting that makes me look like death. Although I figure if I can look presentable with that lighting I probably look darn ok.  Housekeeping knocking on your door at 8am when checkout is not until noon. Or housekeeping vaccuming at 8am waking me up – that should be an afternoon duty. No outlets near bed. Man I’m picky!

My worst hotel pet peeve is not being granted a late checkout upon request, especially during off-peak periods when the hotel is obviously not near capacity.  Hotels can solve this problem by extending the courtesy when demand/capacity permits.

The absolute worst is paying a wi-fi fee for each device you bring. Paying 20+ bucks for wi-fi each day isn’t okay. Average person has two and more than one person per room!

*Has two devices and more than one person per room!

My biggest pet peeve…lack of customer service and not understanding the customer and the experience it leaves behind starting with the front line personnel. I know what my experience will be the moment I arrive and it sets the tone for the entire stay. Start off bad, then all things snowball. 

Not enough plug points! And certainly never any by the bed! Add more damn plug points!

My Biggest pet peeve… The artwork on the walls is extremely tacky at 90% of the hotels I’ve stayed in. Is there a special warehouse stocked with generic landscapes and early 90′s ‘abstract’ pastel paintings set in gilded frames that hotel interior decorators pilfer? Try some regional art. I trust that Courtyard by Marriott will make this right as they renovate and lead the way in the long-overlooked field of tasteful hotel art!

My biggest hotel pet peeve. From one star to five, it’s still not home.

 The carpeting is designed that way on purpose.  It is to confuse you.  All areas then look alike and it makes it difficult to find your way out and the result, you gamble more.

We like having a refrigerator in room. I never liked taking a basket to fill up with ice. A refrig is great or putting leftovers in,pop,milk and water. We always use our frig on cruises to keep food and drinks in. For me having a refrigerator is important!

BIGGEST PET PEEVE is the gross misrepresentation of so many hotel rooms in a photograph, particularly when you end up looking at the wall of another tower of the hotel.

Cleaniness is my biggest prt peeve. The thought of staying in a place that is not clean makes my skin crawl. The obvious answer is to not cut corners and to have more diligent upper management review of hotel cleanliness. A tidy, clean, good smelling room is a must!

Parking fees! If you’re staying at a hotel it should not cost $28 a day for your car. The Courtyard I use for my train.ing does not charge for parking, one of the reasons I use them.

Lax hotel security. Thieves are getting smarter & becoming more technologically advanced. A lot of hotels these days use RFID key cards. Alas, a lot of thieves have started using RFID readers to steal info and then using the info the run up room charges. Hotels should either start checking ID for all room charges or start using RFID blockers.

My biggest peeve and health issue is when bath tubs do not drain properly and the water backs up to your ankles. It drives me crazy!!!

I hate it when there’s not an easy-to-access plug-in near the bed. I always charge my cell phone at night and I also use it for my alarm clock. It’s a pain in the butt when I can’t plug it in near the bed and in the morning when my alarm rings I have to go stumbling across the room to find it.
I think hotels should install a plug-in strip on the top-rear area of the nightstand!

My pet peeve is definitely the lack of outlets on a bedside nightstand. This is critical for travelers using a smart phone as an alarm, a night light, a flashlight, etc. A smartphone can serve as an important security tool—who wants it across the room in an emergency!

A big pet peeve for me, is thin hotel walls, even in new hotels.  I can understand in the older ones, but if a hotel has been recently constructed, why don’t they just add insulation in the walls between the guest rooms.  No one wants to hear the next person’s conversation, snoring, coughing, etc..

My worse has to be elevators not functioning to their full ability. I once was in a hotel where the elevator stopped below where you were suppose to get out. You actually had to step up above your waist to exit the elevator. 

Seman on the mattress and not enough trash cans.

hotel employees, especially bell boys that lurk around until you give them a tip and give a dirty look or make a snide remark if they don’t think it is enough.   Better yet, listen to them whine about having to help in the first place.

My biggest peeve?  Tiny bottles of shampoo and conditioner with labels that look the same and print so small you can’t tell the shampoo from the conditioner!  What are they thinking??

As someone who likes to sleep in, my biggest pet peeve is having the maid disturb my sleep in the morning.  This is either because I forgot to hang the do not disturb sign on the door and/or the walls are too thin and/or they ignore the sign.  Some ways to counteract this is to:

1. Optional for guests to fill out if they have this problem but have guests fill in their times that maid can come into their room in the morning – maybe at check-in or when reserving the room.  Planning in advance would make this hotel stays so much better!  Plus, it’s easier on the maid too because it can help track their way through the rooms making cleaning more efficient especially if it’s computerized!  It might even help to have guests who want their rooms cleaned at the same time placed near each other so the cleaning noise in the morning doesn’t disturb people who are sleeping in and help the maid remember which sections want to sleep in late, check out early, etc. 

2. Use quieter vacuums. Most of the noise problem from cleaning in adjacent rooms is the vacuuming noise.  It would be great to have vacuum silencers – is there such a thing? 

The thing that I dislike the most is the hotel comforters that are on most hotel beds. It’s the first thing that I take off. The acrylic feel to them is very tactile offensive. The other thing  I make sure that I don’t do is have my room next to an adjoining room. The doors are usually hollow and you can hear everything. It’s just like having a room next to the elevator or ice machine. Things you should never  do if you want a peaceful nights rest. But the main thing that turns me off is finding a strand of hair in the bathroom that the maid missed.

My biggest pet peeves are- when your room is next to the elevator, when you arrive you learn the pool is closed and having to pay for overnight parking (Chicago). 

My biggest pet peeve is when my room is not ready.  I often travel with my 2 year old twins and always request 2 travel cribs (or pack n plays) and a fridge in the room.  I make this request well in advance and call one day prior to make sure they have noted the add-ons.  However, I have yet to find a hotel that has my cribs ready to go.  Waiting around for staff to arrive and set up with 2 tired kids is a nightmare.  Please look at the reservation closely and have the room ready with everything when the guest/s arrive.  It will make a big difference and everyone will be happier.

Sticky carpets….they obviously are not cleaned often. 

Paper thin towels.  How can a person get dry with one of those?

My hotel pet peeve are the extra fees. Whether it’s a resort fee or a wi-fi access fee, it’s rediculous.  Way too often, there are fees for safes in the room that are never opened or the old buck-a-towel fee if you request another towel at the pool.  Don’t even get me started on the mini-bar.  I’m afraid to even open it for fear of the dreaded “restocking fee” which happens if you even dare move anything in the mini-bar to make room for your own bottle of 50-cent water (vs. their $5 water!).  At one Arizona resort, I was whacked with a $29 per day fee for the water park there.  I never set foot in the park, but was charged that fee just for the opportunity to perhaps go in and visit in my free time.  Gimme a break. 

Worst of all, the third party booking sites like Hotwire and Priceline, which don’t reveal where you’re staying until you’ve been booked and charged sneak by by saying “some resort fees may apply” but never reveal how much.  Sure, you might get a $59 room, but by the time all is said and done and the extra fees are added, your total has almost doubled.  I know there is a better way to stay! I just know it.

My biggest pet peeve? Early morning housekeeping calls. I like to sleep in once in awhile on vacation!

My biggest pet peeve is that by staying in a hotel, you’ll only get to experience the place you’re visiting as a tourist. Hotels often offer guides, maps and tours of the surrounding area that will lead you to the most bland touristy places. When I visit a certain city or country I want to experience the truly excellent local restaurants, cafes and hotspots. With the keyword here being local.
The hotel staff is often very knowledgeable about the surrounding area, so why not use this knowledge and provide unique tips that actually have an added value? Don’t provide flyers with tips guests already read about in their Lonely Planet. Instead, organize a brainstorm session and let the hotel staff compile an informal guide to the best local spots around. To find such a creative guide in your room will really give the hotel a little something extra!

Pet peeve: bright clocks, flashing lights on smoke alarms and anything that prevents the room from being completely dark.

One of my major pet peeves is bugs(dead and alive)in the room. My family and I stayed in the San Jose area at a major hotel chain. We found dead bugs that had been killed on the bathroom wall. Them we found live bugs wandering by the sofa. We moved to another room and checked into another hotel the next day.

Pet peeves? Let me count the ways….

Biggest one: ridiculously slow and expensive internet access. This is a necessary service not just for business — leisure travelers use it to plan their activities during their stay, check maps, look up restaurants, confirm operating hours at attractions, etc. etc.

All of the Courtyards at which I’ve stayed have free in-room internet access with decent speed. I wish other hotels would follow suit.

my biggest pet peeve is being put into a room next to a group of partying loud people that stay up way past the time most go to bed.  My solution would be to have designated rooms for groups of people that are in the area for a function.  put them together and let them stay up as long as they want partying.  As long as the rest of us are in the quiet section.

When you call the front desk and they promise to bring you the item you requested, but then they never come…

Old, semi-functional air conditioning units. First-world problems, granted, but a hotel stay really sucks when you can’t get rid of stale room smell with some cold air!

Rarely am I in a hotel room that I do not close the curtains. Whether it’s being doomed to the bottom floor of a hotel with headlights kissing the window or moteling it with passerbys peeking in while using the comming ouside walkway. Let’s face it most hotels are in popular locations, which usually means a busy area. This usually means the outdoor lighting is significant prompting one to  close the curtains. Even normal security lighting in the parking lot is more than most folks are used to outside their bedroom at night. While I appreciate the room darkening curtains it makes those impromtu trips to the bathroom a hazardous venture at night. I usually bring a nightlight or if I forget, leave the bathroom light on and crack the door a bit. This is pretty wasteful energywise and when the door is fully opened it can rouse other sleepers by letting too much lighting into the room. Simple and cheap solution…a night light…saves energy, sleep and bruised shins .

Slow and overpriced internet is the worst for me. Why can they just get a broadband connection that is for free ? Nowadays this shouldnt be too expensive !