In this post, I thought it would be interesting to share some tips for how to file a complaint with a hotel. Separately, I’ve written about how to complain to an airline, though the reality is that airlines and hotels are very different businesses.
While airlines are in the transportation business, hotels are in the hospitality business, and that’s supposed to include providing good service.
Tips for effectively filing a complaint with a hotel
Most of us probably do quite a bit of research before booking hotels, by reading reviews, studying the location, amenities, and room categories, and more. However, what happens if you show up at the hotel and your experience isn’t what you were expecting?
Well, in some ways, complaining about a bad hotel stay is almost the opposite of complaining about a bad flight. So let me share some general tips for how to complain to hotels in a friendly yet effective way…
Address problems as soon as they arise
If there’s an aspect of your hotel stay that you’re not happy with and it’s actionable, you should make your concerns known immediately, and give the hotel a chance to make things right. I think just about any hotelier would tell you that they’d rather have a chance to right any wrongs, rather than only hearing about issues when you check-out.
This is also why I have certain hotel habits once I check-in. For example, as soon as I get to the room, I like to make sure that the air conditioning, water, and Wi-Fi work to my satisfaction, so that I can immediately address that, if not.
While hotels often send out post-stay surveys soliciting feedback, if you had serious issues with your stay, hopefully you addressed them before you left the property.
Know who to escalate your complaint to
It’s also important to know who to escalate your complaint to. If you’re simply sharing some basic feedback for an action item (like a safe being broken), you can just let a front desk agent know, and they can pass it on to the right person, so that it can be fixed.
For something more serious, my first course of action is generally to ask for the front office manager, and give them the chance to make things right, since they’re basically the first “layer” of management. If they can’t resolve concerns in a satisfactory way, I’d request to speak to the general manager, who should be most empowered to help.
Let me of course acknowledge that the type of hotel you’re staying at also impacts the “chain of command” for complaints. For example, at a small, limited service hotel, it’s possible that the only front desk agent is also the front office manager.
Be direct about what you’re looking for
First and foremost, when you provide feedback, make sure you’re being polite. We should always share feedback in a polite way, without being aggressive or accusatory, as the golden rule never goes out of style.
That being said, when sharing feedback, I think it’s totally fair to share with the manager what you’re looking for as a resolution to an issue, and what would make you happy. Hotel managers aren’t mind readers, so if there’s something in particular that you’re hoping to get, just let them know.
Of course they won’t always be able to accommodate your request, and there may be an element of negotiation to this. But still, I think most managers prefer when guests are direct, since it makes it easier to find a resolution, and make everyone happy.
This could be an upgraded room, some bonus points, a reduction in your room rate, a property credit of some sort, etc.
Be realistic with your expectations
If there are things that you’re unhappy about with a hotel stay, I also think it’s important to have realistic expectations. The reality is that pricing at many high-end luxury resorts has gone through the roof in recent years, and is higher than ever before.
All the while — at least in the United States — hotel owners are largely doing everything they can to cut costs and maximize profits. Pricing no longer represents value, but for many hotels, it just reflects what they can get away with.
My point is simply to say that many people may find themselves at a hotel charging $800 per night now, while the same property would have cost $300 before the pandemic. Just in terms of managing your expectations and having a nice time, don’t expect that a hotel will have amazing service or amenities just because it’s expensive, as sadly that’s just not the case anymore.
I also think it’s possible to decide that you don’t want to return to a hotel without actually having anything to complain about. Sometimes we just don’t like the design or vibe of a property, and that’s fine. We’re always free to vote with our wallets. Along similar lines, we’ve probably all gone to restaurants that we wouldn’t return to, but they weren’t necessarily meals we’d complain to the manager about either.
What to do when you reach a dead-end
The single person most empowered to assist with any issues at a hotel is the general manager. However, what happens in situations where the general manager is unhelpful, combative, dishonest, or unwilling to engage? It’s extremely rare, but it does happen (for example, some may remember my four-hour stay at Aegon Mykonos).
If you get to the point where you feel like your issue can’t be resolved on property, you have a few best courses of action:
- If you’re staying at a hotel belonging to a hotel group, you can reach out to corporate affairs, in hopes of them liaising in finding a solution
- You can of course use social media and review sites to share your negative experience, which may often get hotels to take note
- If it’s a very serious issue and no other avenue gets a satisfactory solution, there’s always approaching someone in the media, in hopes of negative attention making a difference
Bottom line
I don’t want to suggest that there’s a single right approach to take when complaining to hotels. However, I think two things are key — make your issues known as quickly as possible, and always be polite. Personally, I typically start with the front office manager, and if the issue isn’t resolved there, I’ll escalate it to the general manager.
Though truth be told, only very rarely do I find anything at hotels worth complaining about. There are of course plenty of hotels I have no interest in returning to, but that’s not due to one actionable thing being wrong.
What’s your approach with complaining to hotels when things don’t go as planned?
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