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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think expensive hotels are always a disappointment

83 replies

Arabidopsis · 27/08/2015 21:23

My work includes fairly frequent hotel stays and I'm always a tiny bit excited when I end up being booked in nicer hotels than the nearest travelodge. That's until I get there, they always end up being a massive disappointment.

Business orientated hotels with crappy wifi and gyms/pools that are only open during the hours people are most likely to be in work. Can't get Film4 on the TV or a whole number of freeview channels. One tiny milk container in a room for 2

I'm sure these places only survive on the back of businesses picking up the bill, surely nobody would spend £130 on a room where the only extra over a travelodge is a few toiletries?

OP posts:

JeanSeberg · 27/08/2015 21:28

To be fair, £130 isn't expensive for a hotel. I thought you were going to say £500 a night. You'd pay £130 with breakfast for some Premier Inns.

Agreed though, the higher the price, the more picky I get and, like you, it's not so much of a treat as I'm away most weeks with work anyway.

Boardingblues · 27/08/2015 21:33

The sad fact is that £130 a night is a quite cheap hotel these days! I was recently in Germany in a £300/night room that offered a panoramic view of the air-conditioning outlets! Oh the glamour of business travel!

JustOneMinuteAtATime · 27/08/2015 21:37

I've stayed in lovely hotels. I think your work are just picking rubbish ones.

monkeyfacegrace · 27/08/2015 21:38

Yep I'm with pp. That's a cheap hotel, for £130 I'd expect a bed, a window and a few crossiants in the morning.

laffymeal · 27/08/2015 21:39

That's hardly an expensive hotel, just a bog standard one.

spreektengels · 27/08/2015 21:40

I'm staying in a premier inn right now we have 8 milk containers

Original poster

Arabidopsis · 27/08/2015 21:43

Probably should have worded it, disappointed with 4 star hotels. The premier inn next door that I usually get put in is only £39 so I was expecting a step up. I know that elsewhere hotels can be really silly money.

OP posts:

JeanSeberg · 27/08/2015 21:43

Living the dream spreek.

SaucyJack · 27/08/2015 21:47

I'd want a bloody Freesian stabled down the side of the bed to provide fresh milk on tap for £500 a night.

annandale · 27/08/2015 21:47

You'd do better in a B&B for that money, I love a B&B.

Hobbes8 · 27/08/2015 21:48

I stayed in one of those secret hotel deals recently for £130. It turned out to be to be the Hilton on park lane and it was amazing!

BetaTest · 27/08/2015 21:48

To be honest I am disappointed on some level by nearly every hotel I have ever stayed in. The people that run them seem to have never used decent WiFi, watched satellite TV or made themselves a really good coffee. Food is notoriously rubbish and expensive in hotels as well.

I am talking about budget hotels right up to world class hotels. Far too often, they just don't get the basics right.

The budget hotel I stayed at yesterday had run out of coffee at breakfast! I mean they admitted they actually had no coffee in the building!

honeyroar · 27/08/2015 21:49

I disagree that £130 gets you a bog standard hotel. Unless it last minute in a city where something is going on. I've stayed in some lovely hotels for that, individual hotels with charm and character. For bog standard I'd expect to pay under £60.

I stay in Marriots, Hiltons and similar chains for work, and they generally are overpriced and characterless. I wouldn't pay for one.

Original poster

Arabidopsis · 27/08/2015 21:51

I don't get to choose unfortunately, luck of the draw. But I always think it'll be nicer being away from home when I get booked into a 4 star place and always end up being disappointed! Should have learned by now

OP posts:

Original poster

Arabidopsis · 27/08/2015 21:53

And despite not actually paying for it, I always feel ripped off - lol!

OP posts:

Lucyccfc · 27/08/2015 21:57

I stay in lots of hotels with work and some are lovely and some are just crap, regardless of what my company pays.

I refuse to stay in Travel Lodges/Inns, Great Western are hit and miss, but I have stayed in some lovely Boutique type hotels and Country type homes for less than the price of a Premier Inn.

£130 isn't expensive though.

Expensive is the £500 a night hotel in Abu Dhabi that I had the pleasure of staying at, where our Butler unpacked for us, ironed our clothes and ran my DS a bath for 8.30pm every evening. It didn't disappoint!

EagleRay · 27/08/2015 21:59

Hobbes8 we did a secret hotel deal too last year and got a lovely central London hotel for a great price and it had a spa and incredible views from our room.

But normally we tend to holiday in very cheap countries and often pay no more than £20 a night for accommodation. The nice thing about paying low prices is we are rarely disappointed!

I started doing Airbnb in my home earlier this year and have tried to offer guests an experience they wouldn't get from a hotel. Unfortunately that includes toddler debris in the house, but in the rooms they get complimentary wine, hot chocolate, dressing gowns, biscuits, local maps and tourist info. I do a discount for single occupancy and solo travellers are always delighted not to have been shunted into a cupboard sized room. It's not for everyone, but it's very good value

spreektengels · 27/08/2015 21:59

Living the absolute dream! Tbh for £45 for a family room I cannot complain although everyone is snoring loudly . DH used to stay away with work and had the same feelings as regards to business hotels arabidopsis they totally rinse companies who have accounts with them!

Mintyy · 27/08/2015 22:03

I'm not sure I've ever stayed in an expensive hotel .

We had a few nights in a Holiday Inn in a big European city at the end of our holiday this year. It was something like £130.00 per room per night and breakfast was approx £10 on top of that (converting roughly from euros here). Was very happy with what we got for that: a clean room, comfortable bed, choice of pillows, tv, kettle & tea/coffee, bath & good shower, toiletries, room service, mini bar (if wanted), excellent buffet breakfast, indoor swimming pool, aircon, bar, restaurant.

What else do you want from a hotel really? Aren't they just a base?

goblinhat · 27/08/2015 22:19

Gleneagles Hotel was amazing (£350) a night. Raffles in Singapore was £650 a night and was superb.

hifi · 27/08/2015 22:40

Any Four seasons or Banyan tree hotels are fabulous. I have stayed in a £1000 a night suite. In the same resort we were up graded to a £5000 a night villa, out of this world.
You pay for privacy and not having to be near larger louts.

ginmakesitallok · 27/08/2015 22:46

We stayed in the melia Milan a couple of years ago. It was pretty fab.

goblinhat · 27/08/2015 22:48

larger louts only smaller ones.

queenofthepirates · 27/08/2015 22:51

I stayed here once salviatino.com and it was amazing. I think it's about 800 euros a night (I might add I didn't pay for it, I used to be a hotel inspector) but it's probably the best hotel I have ever had the pleasure of. The staff quizzed my toddler about what she would like for breakfast and then brought her everything she asked for. Everything. Nothing was too much trouble.

OTheHugeManatee · 27/08/2015 22:53

£130 a night is not an expensive hotel

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