Disappointed with hotel TUI

[DisappointedSoloTraveller]

I arrived at a hotel today - stayed here years ago and had a great time, came last year and had a great time. This year I’ve been given a room in a corner of the grounds with a cracked glass door, the door curtain won’t close and is broken on the runner so I couldn’t get an afternoon sleep after flying in the middle of the night. One of the plugs has bare wires showing and doesn’t work - it’s hanging off the wall. There is a rusty pull-out metal drier in a shady corner with four pegs. I kdon’t think anything is going to dry there.

The booking is with TUI and I will speak to the rep tomorrow morning. I’m so disappointed as I saved up for this holiday, paid almost £1000 as a solo woman traveller in my 50s and this room feels grotty. There are very few poor reviews on TripAdvisor but management have been rude and unapologetic in their responses to unhappy travellers.

I’d speak to reception right now!

I agree with this. Speak to reception immediately, don’t wait until the morning

Go down to reception and make a fuss and demand a different room. They’re fobbing you off because you are a single female traveller. Do NOT let them do this. My god I wish I was there, I’d go and have the row for you! Be firm and polite and do not unpack! Do not leave reception unless it is with someone who is going to show you a different room. Stand your ground girl.

This. We would have you in the penthouse within the hour.

I’m so cross for you! I am very loud, confident and well spoken and I can tell you, 9 times out of 10 I get what I want. Stick your chest out, go down there and channel your inner HaveCreditWillShop!

I am going solo in 4 weeks. I booked a flight and hotel separately, I usually go with tui but as a single traveller far too expensive, just think about the £1000 and go rip into them, your worked hard for that money and saved hard and you deserve a nice room not to be treated like a second class citizen, awful start to your holiday, hope you get it sorted 💙

I agree with everyone else - go and give them hell!

What they all said! It sounds awful and you’ve paid a lot to be there. Go make a fuss! With you in spirit. Tell them it’s not safe.

Go to reception now. Stick to your guns about moving room, don’t be fobbed off and let them know you are a repeat customer who has on many occasions recommended the hotel to friends and on social media.
I can promise you there is a better room for you.

I’m going to repack (only half unpacked because I was so tired) - the reception staff don’t speak much English so I’m going to wait for the rep, who will be at reception anyway. I think it’s a room in staff quarters because when I came back from the evening meal there were about 20 Italians sitting outside instead of being in the restaurant and they didn’t look like holidaymakers.

Thanks for your support - I appreciate it.

It’s actually not safe when I can see bare wires and the plug is hanging off the wall!

Good Luck OP, let’s see how TUI treats their customers.

I have recommended this hotel many times over the years on social media and I’ve been looking forward to it so much.

Thank you, I don’t want to give a bad review on TripAdvisor or TrustPilot without giving them a chance to put things right. I’ve taken photos as well.

Go to reception, explain the issues with the room and ask to move. It doesn't sound like the room is going to be safe overnight if you couldn't have an afternoon sleep because the door was broken? I wouldn't be happy with that, nor the plug socket.

Be assertive and clear on what's wrong and how it can be resolved, but if someone comes to me on the reception desk and starts 'giving me hell' on that first initial conversation before I even know something is wrong or I've had chance to do anything then I won't be dealing with them at all because I'm not being treated badly either, and that goes for a team of 6ft male rugby players or a solo woman in her 50's. You don't have to go in all guns blazing to get what you want, just be civil and direct.

Rooms are normally allocated at random and I doubt the system is biased against a solo female traveller, it's not a personal slight towards you from the person on the reception desk, so don't go with the attitude it is.

People seem to think that being aggressive is the way you need to complain when something is wrong and it's so unnecessary.

I hope they have a room for you to move to and you enjoy the rest of your holiday!

Complain but there’s legally nothing you can do if they refuse to move you. Rooms are allocated well before they know the sex of the customer.

Just two weeks ago I booked a room at a Heathrow airport hotel for one night. I opened the door and it stank of sewage and the aircon wasn’t working.

I just went back to reception and said what the problems were and just calmly said I needed another room. There was no fuss and they gave me another room.

You don’t need to go in kicking off. Just say you need another room and look like you mean it.

I don’t intend to be aggressive and I don’t think it’s because I’m a woman. The clothes I travelled in were washed in the early afternoon and hung out to dry - I’ve just brought them in still damp. I am happy to move to a different hotel. I understand they have no obligation to move me out of the room but I really hope they do. Or at least fix the curtains.

I won’t kick off - I just hope they have another room.

That Heathrow room sounds awful 😞
I’ve stayed in some basic places in the Greek islands and AirBnBs but had such a good experience here last year, I was hoping for the same again.

When you go for breakfast speak to reception then the rep if they do not respond positively. TUI will have a specific allocation of rooms but others may leave and vacate a room you can swap to.

I hope so! I’m really not fussy or aggressive, I just want to be able to sleep 😴

This is different, a chain hotel at Heathrow will have loads of spare rooms. Hotels abroad are usually full.

We always use Tui because as a disabled person I find they treat me very well, especially on the flight.

3 years ago we went to Lanzarote. It was a big hotel, it used to be 2 hotels but they’d joined them together. I’d emailed ahead requesting a quiet room near to the restaurants and facilities, and Tui had done the same. When we arrived we were allocated a room at the farthest side of the hotel which i physically couldn’t walk to. We found the rep, who fortunately was there, because the receptionist said the hotel was full and we couldn’t be moved. Within 10 minutes he’d spoken to the manager and we were given the keys to an upgraded room.

I hope it goes smoothly for you tomorrow when you speak to the rep. They shouldn’t have put you in there. It doesn’t sound safe at all.

Speak to reception. Speak to TUI. Say it's not fit for purpose.