To think my request at hotel wasn’t unreasonable?

[Chocowoka]

In a nutshell a friend and I wanted to have a spa day. We found what looked like a beautiful hotel with great facilities and decided we’d like to try there.

The offer included and cost £95 each

Spa treatment 25 mins (either a foot scrub, facial or body scrub)
Full use of spa facilities for 4 hours
2 course lunch or afternoon tea

I asked if I could just have a massage as I have bad flare ups with my skin with many products so a scrub wouldn’t be ideal. I was told no... ok fair enough so I chose the foot scrub.

My friend wanted the lunch and I wanted the afternoon tea. When I told the girl what we wanted she said oh I’m afraid we can’t do that as they’re served in different restaurants so you’d have to eat in separate restaurants (in the same hotel) 🙄 I said, “Well I’m not expecting silver service. I’ll happily go the restaurant that mine would be served in and take the plate with my food on, to the restaurant that my friends in, so we can eat together?” 🙄

She went to ask someone and came back and said “We can’t do that I’m sorry”

I said, “Ok, we’ll just leave it then” and we going somewhere else and booked it.

Now I could have had the lunch and my friend could have had the afternoon tea. I felt on principle however that we were spending a lot of money there for a treat so why should we not get what we really want!?

The hotel offers room service and is a 5* hotel so I’m quite sure they could carry some from one restaurant to the next or allowed me to, because if day a hotel guest fancied afternoon tea does that mean they can’t have it in their room?

If a group of 6 friends went chances are they aren’t all going to want the same. So the hotel would still say no and lose custom potentially.

I just think for such an expensive few hours they could have been more accommodating.

Sorry, I also think you are being unreasonable.

You bought a particular offer. Perhaps a different offer or package would have been better for you.

Afternoon tea and lunch are two different meal services and in this particular hotel they are served in different restaurants, presumably for precisely that reason. Imagine the chaos if random guests were allowed to wander from restaurant to restaurant with their full plates of food!

If you buy the offer you abide by it. If different meals are served in different restaurants then you accept that too.

I can tell you don't want to hear that though, and aren't going to reconsider.

@1forsorrow the kitchen staff will either be preparing lunch or tea. It's not about carrying food around the building, it's about how staff are deployed at certain times of the day.

I used to work in a hotel and it was strict about the different restaurants and keeping them separate, same for the bars too. Usually it's different cutlery, plates and glassware so if they get moved from the area they never get put back. If every group does what you did then they'd have a jumble of cutlery to sort at the end of every service and as the staff can't normally be arsed they'd just get lost. Staff were familiar with the dishes in the restaurant they work in only so if you'd had any complaints they'd of been less able to help you, it would mean walking through to the other restaurant whilst leaving other guests unattended who also require their service. There's also the fact that they might not offer the afternoon tea at the same time as lunch?

It's not ideal and if you'd come to where I worked I'd sort it to keep you happy but as you asked in advance the receptionist will just be going by the book and can't really guarantee anything as she isn't the one who'd have to deal with the requests on the day. We were always told to take initiative and be flexible if any guests approached us with a complaint or problem.

when the offer was for 4 hours, that is either a morning or an afternoon session It isn't always like that, DD and I had a spa package, booking the package you could choose anytime, you could eat when you wanted, you couldn't have the evening menu. We went fairly early, relaxed by loungers by the pool, had a swim, had our treatments and had lunch, we could have had afternoon tea but I didn't ask if we'd have to have it in another room so I can't comment on that.

Not read all the replies.
As someone who suffers from severe eczema and can't use any products myself, you weren't unreasonable to ask about just a massage, that's fair enough.
The restaurant thing is ridiculous though, I'm with them on you don't just buy your lunch in one place and then carry it on over to another restaurant to eat with your friend even if it is in the same spa place!

With afternoon, it wouldn't just be a matter of taking a plate with your food on, would it? There would be the cup and saucer, teapot, milk, possibly another pot with hot water, possible a tea strainer and holder, and separate plates for sandwiches/crumpets and cakes.

the kitchen staff will either be preparing lunch or tea. It's not about carrying food around the building, it's about how staff are deployed at certain times of the day. If the OP could have her afternoon tea in another room while her friend had lunch then that doesn't apply unless they were saying they had to eat in separate rooms at different times but that isn't what she says.

Also I do have severe dyslexia

You so don't.

Very, very unreasonable. You booked a package then thought you could change the package to suit yourself. Agree with a previous poster who said that regarding the food, either you or your friend should have compromised. You sound like a bit of a nightmare customer, to be honest 😕

On Mumsnet, the customer is always wrong! And then the usual comments of “you sound like hard work OP” start.

Thankfully real life is nothing like MN.

I think YAVB.

That's true, now got a mental image of the OP trying to balance a cake stand, teapot and jug without dropping any
Think Crackerjack and cabbages just with mini sponges and finger sandwiches

Carrying food from one room to another? What do you think it is? McDonald’s? YABU. Yes, a true 5-star hotel would offer better service, but a true 5-star hotel doesn’t sell £95 spa packages to the public online. And a true 5-star client doesn’t walk around the place carrying plates of food in full Karen mode.

Cross posted, that was to @Oulu lol

That is a bargain basement price. You can’t expect deluxe service for that.

Also a foot scrub, facial or body scrub are treatments given by trained beauticians. A massage requires someone trained in massage. Perhaps the staff on duty that day were qualified beauticians and do not have additional massage qualifications?

As someone who suffers from severe eczema and can't use any products myself, you weren't unreasonable to ask about just a massage, that's fair enough.

I react badly to products. I can't even use cleanser on my face, just water. Hence, I wouldn't book a package like this or just go for the foot scrub, not expect other people to conform to my problems when their terms don't suit it.

As for 'I had severe dyslexia', you're being very insulting, OP. My daughter has it and you can tell it even in her typing. It's bad.

A true 5 hotel wouldn’t bat an eyelid at a guest asking for something unusual and would go out of their way to fulfil the request as discreetly as possible*

A true 5* hotel wouldn't offer a spa day for less than a oner.

YABU. If you want a tailored experience then pay the money.

Anything sold on a deal is just that - the deal and you're expected to abide on the terms of it. If you want luxury where you can change this then you can get it, but it's costs a lot more than £95. Sorry I think YABU.

I react badly to products. I can't even use cleanser on my face, just water. Hence, I wouldn't book a package like this or just go for the foot scrub, not expect other people to conform to my problems when their terms don't suit it

Same, that's why I never go to spas as I can never do half the treatments - just meant that I suppose it didn't hurt to ask if could say do a massage without the oil, for example - I certainly wouldn't kick up a fuss if not though, I'd be like "fair enough, was worth an ask"

A massage can't be as short or long as you want. Usually it's an hourly schedule, with something like a 50 min massage allowing 10 mins clear up/changeover between clients

I know more than one place that offer 30, 45, 60 and 90 min appointments. Client's choice.

In reality, wouldnt it have been better for one of you to have compromised so you got to eat together? Surely the food wasnt the main draw here, spending time with your friend was?

You can't buy a cheap special offer and then expect to be able to change it. I'm not surprised they said no to your request. And to expect lunch and afternoon tea at the same time is weird.

Also I do have severe dyslexia

Did someone else write your op for you then?

Also I do have severe dyslexia so are you taking the piss out of my disability now???

Well since you havent mentioned you have dyslexia how can anyone be taking the piss out of your disability? No-one is psychic. I'm pretty sure the comment about not reading was referring to you wanting the terms and conditions of this special offer changed....