To ask for the room to be turned down?

[holibobs3]

Currently on a uk holiday with DH and young DC. Staying in a 4* well known chain hotel. We are here for 5 nights total. Obviously it's common now to be told that your room will not be made up daily as it used to be in the past and I completely understand that is to do with environmental issues re towels, they did say that if we would like the rooms to be done then we just need to ask. However I do like the beds to be made etc when staying away from home. We are currently on day 4, so far I've asked twice if the room can be done. I said that I don't actually want the towels changed as we hadn't used them all anyway but I would like the beds to be done, we've run out of toilet roll, run out of clean mugs and would it be possible to have a couple more sachets of coffee.
The first time I asked it just wasn't don't at all. The second time I asked I came back to the room and new towels had been put in the room (which I specifically had said we didn't need) but none of the other stuff had been done.

We've saved really hard for this little holiday as we can't afford to go abroad at the moment, not that it's relevant but we are paying over £100 a night and that's just for accommodation not including parking or breakfast, so are we really being that unreasonable to request new toilet rolls, mugs etc?

I'd say that's poor. I get the towels not being replaced but anywhere I've stayed makes up the bed, empties the bin & replaces mugs tea/coffee etc. & change the towels if you leave them on the floor or in the bath. That's pretty basic for a good standard hotel

It will come down really to what they promote as their service. £100 per night isn't particularly expensive and I wouldn't expect rooms to be done in the way you've said

Perfectly reasonable request! I would speak to reception again and ask for housekeeping to come every day. I didn’t realise it was a thing for them to not do the room every day? I know it’s now commonplace for hotels to only change the towels if you leave them in the bath (sensible) but I’ve never stayed at a hotel where housekeeping weren’t in the room every day.

Yanbu. I'd be miffed if I went to a hotel and they didn't clean the rooms. We stayed at a Hilton last summer and they did our room every day, so would expect even inexpensive chain hotels to do it. Maybe not Travelodge but that's Travelodge for you

I wouldn’t expect the beds to be made, not sure why you can’t do that yourself as it takes minutes. But would expect things like toilet roll etc to be topped up.

I guess it depends where you are but I think £100 per night is cheap for a 4 star hotel, is that really what it is?

Either way, I'd expect the rooms serviced daily, towels only replaced if you indicate they're needed.

Thanks for the replies, good to know I'm not being unreasonable. It's a Radisson we are staying in, I know it's not top of the range hotels but for us it is something we saved for so I just expected to at least have the basics done in the room. When I went to speak to them about it they acted like I was the most annoying customer which made me doubt whether my expectations were too much.

We are in a north west town where general prices for anywhere else would be approx £50 per night. It's £100 for the night where we are but also an extra £100 for breakfasts for all of us and £50 for parking for the duration so very expensive holiday for the area but not for anywhere else if that makes sense.

@PricklyFoot I know most people will probably think I'm unread but when I'm paying to stay away from home I just think it's nice to have the beds made as you're paying for a bit of luxury on holiday so you don't have to do everything you do at home. In my eyes it's the same as not expecting to do the washing up when you pay to go out for a meal.

*unreasonable

Are you asking them to turn the bed down? Because your title says that and your op describes something else.

im just wondering because a turn down service wouldn’t usually be available in a 4* so they may think you’re being a bit odd.

@Mangogogogo sorry I probably used the wrong term in my OP. When I asked at reception I asked for the beds to be made up, toilet rolls and mugs to be replaced and for some top up coffee. I didn't ask for a turn down. Sorry for the confusion

I’m perfectly fine with the change to not cleaning room daily, but getting replacement toilet toll and coffee sachets has definitely become an annoyance. The front desk doesn’t always have easy access even.

I agree with you completely, it's extravagant but that's what makes it nice being on holiday, that's kind of the point! Plus things like rubbish being cleared and mugs replaced should be done, sounds like just a other example of increasingly crappy 'service'

Yes I would expect beds to be made ,tea and coffees replaced, clean mugs and bin emptied .

@holibobs3 no problem! I just thought it you’d said that to them they may have been confused!

in which case yea I would expect what you were expecting too! The beds I could make peace with but I’d want extra coffee and shit!

It’s not unreasonable at all. I don’t mind reusing towels, but it’s nice to have the bed made and everything refreshed so you have fresh tea and coffee and everything.

You are paying for a hotel. It’s not just about having a bed for the night it’s also about the little luxuries of having someone else look after you!

@Nicecow @Wetnwindy glad to know I'm not the only one. Probably TMI but I'm also on my period and have filled the bin with sanitary towels (obviously in sanitary bags provided) but the bin has not been emptied. It's not something I can empty myself as o don't know where their main bins are kept! It's just little things like that that I would expect to be done.

That should be a given in a decent hotel.. I work in a large B&B type hotel, every bed is made, en suites cleaned and everything topped up on a daily basis.

What is a turn down service?

I’ve stayed in a few places recently and many had this new policy - seemed to come in during COVID and now been embraced as a cost saving measure maybe. Or many places here (not uk) seem to be struggling for staff.

I like rooms made up too OP - it’s one of the little luxuries of a hotel stay, and I dislike having to ask. It’s very annoying that you have actually asked and it hasn’t been done. I think you will just have to keep asking - have you tried phoning housekeeping and asking rather than just mentioning it to reception (although that should be enough).

I would expect beds made, bins emptied, coffee and loo rolls replenished.
Hospitality is short staffed since Brexit and covid though so that could be a problem.
£100 a night room only is sadly not that expensive now.

In a Radisson i would expect as a minimum beds made, Bins emptied, bathroom wiped down (not towels) and in room refreshments replenished. I'd definitely speak to the front desk again and ask for a response from the duty manager or head of housekeeping. I'd possibly consider contact with HQ if nothing changes before the end of your stay.

Definitely ask - you're not being at all unreasonable and the receptionist was rude to make you feel as if you were. I'd ask to speak to the manager if its not sorted after you ask again.

I would expect a lot better of a Radisson hotel.

YANBU at all.
What you are asking for should be standard in a hotel, not something you have to ask for.
Part of paying to be in a hotel is paying to be pampered a bit.

I would expect room service each day in a hotel - with them topping up the teabags / milk / coffee sachets and the toilet rolls and making the bed as standard.
I would be contacting the management afterwards and saying how disappointed I was, and would write up a poor review too.