Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think this is ridiculous?

42 replies

Toddlerteaplease · 24/07/2021 13:07

Booked into a premier inn tonight, on the first night of my holiday. Booked months ago at the cheap rates. Got a phone call while driving to the destination this morning. Cancelling my booking as the entire housekeeping team are self isolating. All other local hotels booked. And the ones that aren't are 3 x the price I paid. Surely they have contingency plans for this! Arghh!

OP posts:
Freddiefox · 24/07/2021 13:10

I wouldn’t be happy about it, but I’m not really sure what they can do. They can’t have a second team standing by I case the whole team are sick? It’s rubbish but I’m not sure what else they can do.

FamishedAtAnAirport · 24/07/2021 13:10

That is really crap for you and everyone else booked to stay - but I'm not sure what you think the hotel should do.

MrsPatrickDempsey · 24/07/2021 13:12

Are there any premier inns available? They should let you book for the price you paid.

gardeninggirl68 · 24/07/2021 13:13

what kind of contingency plan?

theres no money to fund, and its unfortunate but cannot be helped

AlexaShutUp · 24/07/2021 13:14

Crap for you, but what else could they do? I think we need to be prepared for this kind of thing happening a lot over the summer. It's the inevitable consequence of letting cases skyrocket!

Hankunamatata · 24/07/2021 13:14

Nope. Its happened everywhere. Local cafes here are all going takeaway only as so many staff self isolating

Orf1abc · 24/07/2021 13:14

That's frustrating. Is there another PI with availability in the area? If not, I'm not sure what you expect them to do.

MotionActivatedDog · 24/07/2021 13:15

Disappointing, sure. But ridiculous? What else can they do? They don’t keep reserve housekeeping teams.

Pingued · 24/07/2021 13:15

Like what? A seperate hotel on standby?

BluebellsGreenbells · 24/07/2021 13:16

Same happening here - shops pubs restaurants even the bank closed two premises.

It’s lockdown without the government funding it.

gardeninggirl68 · 24/07/2021 13:16

why are you thinking its 'ridiculous' op....what would you suggest they do then?

i am deliberately not booking holidays or outings at all this year, same as last......its a chance you take but all businesses are on shaky ground right now. they are doing the right thing

Orf1abc · 24/07/2021 13:17

It’s lockdown without the government funding it.

This is actually a really good point.

BarbaraofSeville · 24/07/2021 13:18

Doesn't seem like a reason to close a hotel.

You could make your own bed and reuse your towels for a few days and they could move available staff around a few hotels to provide a skeleton changeover day cleaning only.

Shelovesamystery · 24/07/2021 13:18

It's unfortunate but its just the way it is atm. My workplace is riddled with covid, there is just enough staff left to keep it open, but it's literally hanging on by a shoestring. One more positive case and we'll have to close for 10 days.

Pingued · 24/07/2021 13:19

@BarbaraofSeville

Doesn't seem like a reason to close a hotel.

You could make your own bed and reuse your towels for a few days and they could move available staff around a few hotels to provide a skeleton changeover day cleaning only.

The staff have been in the hotel. The whole place will need a clean. There are no staff to clean it.
GalacticDragonfly · 24/07/2021 13:24

@BarbaraofSeville

Doesn't seem like a reason to close a hotel.

You could make your own bed and reuse your towels for a few days and they could move available staff around a few hotels to provide a skeleton changeover day cleaning only.

This is what Premier Inn we’re doing anyway when we stayed last month. And they had nowhere near enough housekeeping staff to cover the changeovers so lots of people trying to check in at 4 or 5pm we’re sent away for another couple of hours because rooms weren’t ready. They’re cheap because they’re designed to operate with fewer staff than other hotel operating models. If significant numbers of staff are isolating, there’s no way they could still stay open.
Orf1abc · 24/07/2021 13:24

You could make your own bed and reuse your towels for a few days and they could move available staff around a few hotels to provide a skeleton changeover day cleaning only.

PI are already restricting room servicing, so they only have enough staff for when people leave/ arrive. Many PIs are individually owned, so swapping staff is not an option (and a very bad idea in terms of virus spread).

gardeninggirl68 · 24/07/2021 13:46

they could do this, they could do that

don't you think they are already stretched between all local hotels.....dont you think that this has already been thought of, actioned,now they are stretched further and further....insurance wouldn't cover if staff reduce too much

and you know the public.....they will complain if standards dip.

MotionActivatedDog · 24/07/2021 13:47

I’m sure the hotel don’t actually want to lose money. If there was a way for them to honour your booking they’d have done it.

BiBabbles · 24/07/2021 14:19

Sounds awful OP, hopefully if you ask they can find you another site though it may be a bit of a trek depending on where you are and availability - this weekend has been really busy for many hotels (as my spouse said, it's like everyone is trying to squeeze in their holidays before they're canceled).

The 'contingency plan' works when a couple are out, not the whole team, and is often reception staff and if the site has one around a manager picking up the pieces and many places don't have spares of those going around either. The other contingency plans involves having other sites nearby that might be able to pick up some of the slack.

they could move available staff around a few hotels to provide a skeleton changeover day cleaning only.

Knowing several people who work for PI and similar - they're pretty much already still working at skeleton crew levels.

Even now where my spouse works, reception staff still are doing some housekeeping duties to try to keep housekeeping hours down. It's not uncommon for afternoon and night reception staff to have to make up rooms housekeeping didn't (which leaves the desk empty which has repeatedly caused issues).

People are leaving hospitality work in droves, hours have been cut, and many places are running the bare minimum required to function to keep costs down which mean every bump pushes hotels to the edge. There have also been hotels which have either been on the edge or had to close purely because the outsourced laundry wasn't being delivered properly for weeks.

I agree it's a ridiculous business model and its going to crash much wider sooner rather than later and there should be more consumers can do to push businesses to change, but the idea that they can just shift the non-existent extra staff around who are already burning out to fix this is even more ridiculous.

TheGumption · 24/07/2021 14:22

What could the contingency plan be?? Frustrating but can't be helped.

Washimal · 24/07/2021 14:28

What kind of contingency could they possibly have for a whole team being absent at the same time? The reality is things are far from back to normal and people who have chosen to travel for holidays/events need to accept that they've taken a risk by doing so.

debwong · 24/07/2021 14:57

@MotionActivatedDog

Disappointing, sure. But ridiculous? What else can they do? They don’t keep reserve housekeeping teams.
Grin

Can't more housekeeping staff run on from the subs' bench?

MotionActivatedDog · 24/07/2021 14:58
Grin
MotionActivatedDog · 24/07/2021 14:59

They need to warm up first.