To request my complimentary stay after all these years

[ElsieandMavis]

I had a really disappointing stay at a hotel about 10 years ago. When I complained to the manager, she was really apologetic and offered me a complimentary 3 night stay as a gesture of goodwill and to give them the opportunity to show me the usual quality of their product.

For various reasons, I never went back to her to arrange the complimentary stay.

AIBU to contact her now after 10 years to redeem my freebie? If so, how should I word the email request? I’ve checked that the same manager is still in charge at the hotel.

What were the issues?

They can't have been that bad if you want to claim a freebie 10 years later?

If she'd put it in the stationary cupboard instead it wouldn't have gone anywhere.

Come work in retail (or hospitality in this case) and you will see these type of people every day 🤣

I had a woman today ring my store... she wanted to bring a toilet seat back coz it was faulty but she had been using it on her toilet and was too embarrassed to bring it into store so could we go collect it from her house 🤣🤣 she had rang our customer services who had told her it was upto the discretion of our store. And no we couldn't go collect it coz she had bought it instore .

Actually we have so so many stories 😱

This has really made me laugh. It's something I would do and my husband would be mortified. I asked chat GPT to write an email-

[Your Name]

[Your Address]

[City, State, ZIP Code]

[Email Address]

[Phone Number]

[Date]

[Hotel Manager's Name]

[Hotel Name]

[Hotel Address]

[City, State, ZIP Code]

Dear [Manager's Name],

I hope this letter finds you well. My name is [Your Name], and I am writing to you in reference to a generous offer you extended to me approximately ten years ago. During my previous stay at [Hotel Name], you kindly offered me a complimentary stay in the future due to [specific reason if applicable, e.g., exceptional service received, an inconvenience experienced].

Unfortunately, due to various personal and professional commitments, I have not had the opportunity to take you up on this offer until now. I am planning a trip to [City] and would very much like to utilize the complimentary stay you so graciously offered.

I understand that a significant amount of time has passed, and policies may have changed since then. However, I hope that my request can still be accommodated. I am looking at potential dates for my stay around [proposed dates or time frame], but I am flexible and willing to adjust to the hotel's availability.

Please let me know if it would be possible to redeem the complimentary stay during this period. I would be extremely grateful and would look forward to experiencing the hospitality of [Hotel Name] once again.

Thank you very much for considering my request. I look forward to your positive response and am happy to provide any further details or documentation you may require.

Warm regards,

[Your Name]

[Your Signature if sending a hard copy]

Well...

I just LOVE your response. If only all the other posters would be so honest.

”I don’t like this advice” made me laugh out loud.

OP I say go fro it. Why on earth not? The worst that can happen is they said no.

Thanks everyone. Some of these responses have really made me laugh. I’ll draft the email tomorrow and let you know when I get a reply.

I'd leave out the bit about no use by date in case it gives her an out.

Dude.... It's been 10 years! 😆

Yeah, you do!

I desperately want you to be a CF. Please do it. To be fair, you are entitled. It's just that few of us would call it in.

Please do. Please. Big respect if you do. 😃

Hahaha I'd do this. But I have no shame when it comes to freebies.

Go for it OP - what's the worst that can happen?

Folk are egging me on for their own entertainment now 🤔

Agree with this; go for it OP.

These are the questions we need answering, along with, why it’s taken 10 years to be able to return? and of course what OP plans to use as her reason for leaving it so long to respond?

Honestly, I worked on hotel management for years, and a budget for comps is built in every year. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by emailing and saying that it has long been on your list to take up the kind offer, and are now in a position to do so. You are more likely to be met with a yes if you propose a couple of dates and if you avoid peak times. Not that I would personally play this up, but hotels are risk-avoidant when it comes to negative reviews, eg TripAdvisor, and for that reason they do have latitude especially in the off season to accommodate. So if you say Sunday to Tuesday you are more likely to get a yes than if you ask for a bank holiday festival weekend.

So what you need to do is pretend you were in a coma / prison for ten years, and therefore unable to use the free stay. Now you are back to full health / liberty you want to be able stay there, and pleasantly surpise yourself with how much it's improved, particularly when compared to your recent domicile, and advertise such fact on trip advisor using multiple accounts.

@ElsieandMavis i wonder if your belated request will end up on the What is the cheekiest thing someone has asked of you? thread. 😁

@ElsieandMavis

Are you willing to pay the difference in cost - from what that offer was worth 10 years ago to what the offer would be worth today ?

That wasn't a Chocolate Log.

It was Stollen.

Well done for your excellent wit!

FWIW I'd likely add a little fib... I lost the voucher and was too embarrassed to contact you for a replacement. Have found it and would love to use it if you'd still be willing to honour it.
If honoured, I'd send a gracious thank you card and flowers to the manager and def post favourably on sm.

Alternatively, just book it without enquiring and be all doe-eyed if challenged. "Why on earth would I even consider it would have an expiration?"

@ElsieandMavis You really should try it, I don't get why people are making such a fuss over it. Think about it, what is the absolute worst thing that could happen, what is there to lose?

You send the email, and she doesn't reply. You won't get a "sorry but no" response, because think how difficult and awkward it'd be for her to write that (remember, none of us are robots!) vs just not replying. It'd open the door for an argument/conflict, and she'll be acutely aware of the potential backlash if you put it on TokFace or SnapGram and it went viral, so you'd just get radio silence.

And then what? You don't know her, she doesn't know you, so no love lost, no embarrassment, move on, happy days - and even then you'll be in a tangibly better position than you are now. Instead of being stuck with that little "I wonder if" in the back of your mind, at least you won't have to think about it again.

That's the worst outcome, and anything above that is a gain. Even if she turns round and says "Dear CF, we can't do that because the economy is a little different, but we can give you 10% off your next stay and I'll throw in a couple of free weetabix for breakfast (not the branded ones though, CF's get the cheapo ones)" that's a big win - you're getting the same room as everyone else for less money by sending an email that took less than one tenth of the time to write than this comment did!🤣😂🤣

Shy bairn's get nowt, feint heart never.. did what it hoped to I guess? The only version of that phrase I know involves four letter words and farm animals, but you get the general idea..

Go for it!

Why not ask? The worst she can do is say no.

This reminds me of the part in Alan Partridge’s autobiography where he stays with a family when he is a child while his parents are away and they say he’s welcome back there any time - and he returns unannounced when he is temporarily homeless 30+ years later and stays there for several months…!

Good luck OP!