I think it depends on your reasons as to why you haven’t been able to return?
Was it distance? Do you live in another country? Do you own your own business and struggle to get time off? Have 15 kids and no child care?
If you have a valid reason then it’s not as cheeky to ask.
I wouldn’t want to miss out on a complimentary stay if I’d had a bad experience. I stayed in a hotel for two nights that I had scrimped and saved for with DP for a spa break.
We had had a really shitty few months and used club card points, saved every penny and travelled a long distance to get there.
Our treatments had been booked in wrong and they almost refused to give us them The spa receptionist was downright nasty and called me a liar till I showed it in writing. We had booked 55 minute massages that ended up being less then 20 minutes and DP said the masseuse giving his treatment spent the whole time crying that her mother was ill with Alzheimer’s and saying she shouldn’t be at work, he walked out of the treatment room looking stunned and uncomfortable instead of relaxed.
My massage was ok but I was quizzed about why I wasn’t working then the masseuse tried to sell me some essential oils and wouldn’t take no for an answer. I didn’t have the money and kept explaining that but she was so pushy and when I said I didn’t have my card to pay she was going to put them on our room bill!
We booked a twilight pool experience but they closed the pool early, we heard the staff discussing they were doing it because it was bank holiday and the hotel was quiet, we’d paid extra but were told we didn’t and the manager wasn’t available to speak to. The staff came into the outdoor pool area at 5.30 when we had just got drinks and were sat in the jacuzzi and told us we had to get out (despite it showing that the pool closed at 6 even without the twilight package) we said we wanted to finish the glasses of wine we’d just spent £20 on and were told we had to down them and get out of the pool area, they stood over us whilst we necked our drinks.
We were supposed to have the whole evening with access to the pool, jacuzzi, saunas and stream rooms and ended up only being able to use the facilities for 40 minutes!
The food was absolutely horrendous and they had run out of most things on the menu, instead of spicy chilli prawns in a creamy sauce and garlic bruschetta as a starter I was offered small semi frozen prawns on a bed of brown lettuce and DP ordered rare steak as a main course that was a piece of shoe leather that would have bounced and supermarket oven chips and tinned peas.
Instead of creme brûlée and key lime pie we were told as they had run out we would get a “special dessert” made just for us. This was some vanilla flavoured ice cream with ice crystals in, synthetic strawberry sauce and crushed up cooking chocolate over the top.
We went to have some drinks in the bar after our meal… no staff to be seen. We waited for thirty minutes but no one ever came so we spoke to reception who gave us a bottle of wine to take to our room.
Our room was absolutely filthy and I asked for it to be cleaned properly, the toilet hadn’t even been flushed! I was given some cleaning supplies had had to clean it myself.
The room was over the bin shed and the staff were outside till late talking and smoking and the room was stifling in the heat of summer but the windows would only open a tiny amount and that just let the noise and smoke drift in.
The bins were emptied loudly in the morning at 7am when we were desperate for some sleep.
I’m not convinced the bedding had been changed from previous guests so I was really queasy sleeping in it. The bins weren’t emptied, toilet not flushed and there were stains on the walls so it’s not unlikely that the beds weren’t changed!
At 8.30 both me and DP were being violently sick and fighting over the filthy toilet, I had enough and just wanted to go home. It was a four hour drive but I didn’t want to be there a minute longer.
We tried to express our concerns at check out and explain why we were leaving early but there was a queue so staff said to put it in writing.
It took us 6 hours to get home with DP having to stop on the motorway to be sick and I was being sick into a carrier bag, I have never ever been so relieved to get home.
I put reviews on trip advisor and contacted the hotel and spa breaks who we booked through. I was basically told it was my own fault for not making more of a fuss and they couldn’t do anything because I didn’t speak to the manager when we left. I didn’t even know who the manager was!
This was about 4/5 years ago and it still upsets me when I think about it. We were just so desperate for a break and I’d put a lot of research into finding somewhere lovely to go and we were struggling badly for money so it was a rare treat.
If I’d been offered a complimentary stay after such a bad experience then I’d have accepted it but I wouldn’t be rushing to go back. And I was so upset about losing such a large amount of money so I would also accept just so I didn’t feel like I’d just thrown the money away.
If 10 years had passed when I wanted to redeem it then I would focus on the distance and say it had made it difficult to find time to return and I was reluctant to go back in case the same thing happened. In all honesty if I was in the OP’s shoes I probably would still contact the manager and at least ask.
I might be a CF as well but if it’s a choice between just writing off all the money we spent or a few amused glances and whispering about me then I’d go for it and enjoy the stay!
OP can you tell them you are aware that there will be a big price discrepancy after so much time has passed and offer to pay some towards it?
If it was me then I’d maybe email and say someone in the family or friends were considering visiting/using the hotel as a function in the future, you realised you had never used your complimentary visit and would it be possible to book it so you can visit it to see it’s suitable before you book as there were previous problems?
The other option is to just send an email like hardly any time has passed and ask when you can book your stay please? Most people who are true CF’s get away with it from sheer brazenness.
If you do stay then be as polite and charming as possible to everyone and hold your head up high. I think a lot of people would want to use that hotel voucher but embarrassment would hold them back.
People recognise a true CF against someone who has just taken the piss and bent society rules a bit. They can get over it pretty quickly if it’s a one off and if you are a decent person the rest of the time. Some people might admire your nerve!
If you do go ahead then please keep us updated, what will you do if it’s a shit stay again though? You could just get a short break every 10 years if you hold your nerve 😂.
I like the cut of your jib.