Giving Feedback When Checking Out Of Hotels: When Is It Worth Doing?

If it's a 5 star hotel like St Regis or Hotel Nikko then I would give feedback because usually there is a manger who has some leeway to make amends and take time to listen. Otherwise not. In a Holiday Inn Express or similar they don't really care or have any empowerment to do anything about an issue, so in those cases my silent feedback is just to not stay there again.

Always send the feedback in an email before check out to flag it and say you expect it to be dealt with at checkout. Almost always is. Turning up at checkout and surprising them rarely gets anything in my experience

I am super laidback and almost never give feedback and probably should more often. When I do it’s in extreme cases with gross negligence of room maintenance or condition. I typically take pics and show it at checkout of all the issues with the room. About 75 percent of the time they offer me some points, or they just randomly show up in my account later and they don’t tell me they will. I am only Platinum Bonvoy, but mention to them “As a longtime Platinum Bonvoy member I’ve stayed in a lot of hotels and your maintenance really could use some work on room xxx. I’m just bringing this up cuz if you don’t know about it you can’t fix it and often people just don’t say anything, so thought you should be aware so you can fix it.”

Normally I’ve gotten between 5k-10k points. I don’t demand it but they either offer or they just randomly appear in my account later.

I always mention anything not working properly in the room that wasn't important enough for me to raise it earlier (E.g. basin draining somewhat slowly, or something I don't use myself but other future guests will)
To me this is being helpful to management and to future guests.

I also give feedback on what I see as errors in the design specification E.g. no desk, no hooks for towels.
And compliment on the rare occassions they get lighting on the bathroom mirror right.
One comment won't make a difference, but if enough of us say them often enough, the messages may get through.

Depends on the issue. If it is an employee issue, I might respond to the question at the check out if it is a big deal but often I ignore small things because I don't like complaining. One time, one of the bar staff at kimpton Barcelona was just super rude for no reason and her colleague seem to feel bad and helped me order (simply because their digital menu didn't work on my phone and she kept saying it works and there is no physical menu). Then her colleague showed the menu on his phone so I can order. The. She didn't bring one of my orders and when I asked her she just said I didn't order it in a very hostile attitude so I just let it go and left. While leaving a couple sitting next to me headed down on an elevator and the wife said she heard everything and felt bad for me. So I wasn't out of the place. At the checkout I didn't respond but when I was leaving the manager at the duty who approached me at the check in and told me she was ready to help improve anything, I just very briefly told her that it is not nice to be hostile and it is better for them to take my order and earn money instead of keep insisting that the customer didn't order. She said she would look into and I already checked out so I wasn't expecting anything but she kindly followed up and sent an apology via email and give me some points. I felt she really appreciated my feedback and very happy to come back, otherwise I would have left with a sad note with the hotel

Does anyone honestly believe the hotel cares what you have to say? Lol! The only thing that matters it their occupancy rate. An average occupancy rate above 85% is considered excellent. In the industry. Meaning that if there occupancy rate is above 85% nobody cares about whiny little prisses.

If there's a maintenance or repair issue, I just tell the front desk. If surveyed, I will offer feedback naming individual staff members who do something exceptionally well. But, I will not offer feedback when service goes wrong -- because you'll find it not just with one staff member but several -- and, if it's happening with several, it's an organizational issue -- and, if it's an organizational issue, management won't care. I just don't return.

Prominent five-star hotel fails. Lost laundry and didn't want to compensate for the loss. Indifferent to the fact its kitchen included an allergen in food that was expressly ordered with a dietary restriction. Concierge failed to confirm a transportation request. Concierge failed to confirm a restaurant reservation. Ultimately, you get a vibe and sense that any feedback would come to nothing. So, save your time and energy. Just don't return.

The results of feedback about what is occurring on this website clearly demonstrates that, in the famous words which Rhett, famously said to Scarlett:

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn"!

Quite honestly one has to laugh at the cheek of publishing this article.

Rod's comment might seem jaded but it rings true. Properties that do care will likely have systems in place to correct issues that come up. You can offer feedback but it's likely to be resolved without feedback. Properties that don't care will maintain their practices irrespective of feedback. Guests who faithfully stick with a brand name enable these poor-service properties. Without a revenue consequence, we all suffer.

I'll guess that your actual name is Richard. Or, do people just call you Dick?

Thanks Frederick, agreed and very well said.

And I'm sure the hotel cares.........

Goofy cockney bugger. Piss off.

One has to wonder which one of the Marx brothers/Bad Sisters is; Fredrick or Frederica and which one is Darryl or Darla?

Either way they both post like little girl’s blouses, yes? …. Thanks for the grin girls.

I once reported a burned out bedside light in a NYC hotel of a major chain that has lots of business customers. One month later, I happened to stay in the same room, which was almost as likely as winning a jackpot. Still burned out.

If it is something that really impact the stay, I will mention right away. Other issues, usually expressed through post stay survey or leave a hand written note addressed to the gm.

Most of the time it works. Some examples:

Doubletree - room was dirty. Got booked to a suite at a nearby Hilton, complimentary plus 30k Hhonors pts.

Hyatt - post stay survey, bfast took too long one day, hotel offered and sent 10k Hyatt pts, with personal email from their director of rooms.

Kempinski - letter to the gm, got a personal letter back with a note of apology.

Park Hyatt - post stay survey, got a letter from dir of rooms to come back w guaranteed suite upgrade.

HR - laundry mishap addressed directly. Dir of rooms offer Uniqlo clothes reimbursement and comp laundry for the stay.

I refrain from most feedback; like, it needs to be really necessary and to someone who actually cares. Otherwise, please, let’s not waste time or energy bothering a front-line house-keeper earning below minimum wage (somehow).

are you paying for this site? could you simply stop reading/participating if you wanted?

Answers: No, Yes.

Feel free to move on if it is not meeting your needs.