The Biggest Hotel Frustrations: Experiences from Different Parts of the World

Travelling can be an enriching experience, but it is not without its challenges. I'll share a few of the biggest hotel frustrations from my own experiences, highlighting the key lessons for both travelers and hotel management.

Overcharged Stay in Miami

Just before joining a Christmas cruise, we spent the night in a hotel in Miami. Our stay was initially billed only for food and drink we had ordered, as it was covered by the cruise company. However, after closer inspection, I noticed an unexpected addition: a charge for the room, for two nights instead of one. A call to the cruise line resolved the issue, but no apology was given. This experience was particularly jarring as it felt like an attempt to overcharge a non-US resident who may be unfamiliar with higher price points.

Strange Hotel in Florida

While searching for a place to stay after a long flight, I ended up in a hotel in Florida that looked like a British-style semi-detached home. The receptionist initially asked how many hours I needed to stay, which caught me off guard. Upon realizing my misunderstanding, he showed me the room. Surprised to see multiple tripods and cameras, I quickly realized what the hotel was primarily used for and decided to look elsewhere.

Strange Billing Practices

After graduating college, I started my first real job and my first international business trip. In late 2004, my colleague stayed in a specific brand-name hotel in Philadelphia for a few days. When she returned, she complained that the hotel had charged her card for three extra days for an obscure reason. A similar issue occurred to me a month later. Despite having too many bags to clear out the mini-fridge, the hotel charged me for an additional four days’ stay after my checkout date.

The hotel manager explained that the charge was due to the presence of food in the room, implying that housekeeping thought she was still there. This reply raised a red flag for me, as housekeeping has no authority over check-in or check-out times. Given the coincidence of this issue happening with two coworkers shortly after one another, it seemed like the hotel might be attempting to generate extra income from business travelers who assume their expense reports won't be closely scrutinized. To this day, I choose to avoid that hotel chain.

For travelers and hotel management, the lessons are clear: always review your bills for unexpected charges, check the room's cleanliness if you have any suspicion, and be wary of unusual billing practices. Hotel management should ensure their billing practices are transparent and fair, and perhaps even offer clearer check-in and check-out procedures to prevent such misunderstandings.