to want a kettle, tea and coffee in a hotel room that costs £280-400/night?

[aloevera]

So, after a particularly difficult time dh & I decided to blow a chunk of our savings on 2 nights away. We went for a luxury hotel - Ickworth House - and it was lovely, but just felt like at every corner you had to pay for extras - no drinks in room, children's meal at breakfast not included (£3), cycle hire £6.50 for 4hrs (which used to be free), etc.

Am I missing something here? Is it assumed you are loaded and therefore don't mind paying £3.10 for a cup of tea in your room? Or have I stayed in too many holiday inn's where they throw it in for free???

'Why?
It makes no sense to me, why spend if you don't have to. '

Because they're suckers.

Suckers pay £400 a night for a hotel room. I work in the industry and have never paid that much for a room - perk of the job!

MmeLindt name this place! I have been known to take my Nespresso machine with me to self catering places.

The real trick expat is in getting someone else to pay. Other people's money is much easier to spend.

I once met someone who programmed phone software for hotels. It was a revelation to me, that you could pay 2 pounds for dialling an 0800 number from a hotel room!
And that was years ago, its probably much more now. I have never even breathed near a hotel phone since hearing that.
(The hotels just enter what they want to charge you into the system)

YANBU to want to have a kettle.

YABU to expect it as most of the luxury hotels don't provide that (well, at least on the Continent and US).

But they don't drink tea in the same tradition and quantity that we do.

"at least on the Continent and US"

I think any hotel with its eye on the British customer has to place importance on the 'hospitality tray' and build its cost into the basic room charge.

Anything else just feels a bit cheap and ungracious, a bit like having to pay separately for your drinks on Easyjet et al instead of getting the free ones like you do on 'proper' airlines.

I've stayed in quite a lot of good hotels, having travelled a lot with work BC, and have had bath robes, slippers, etc provided at the top end of the scale. I always, ALWAYS, got a hospitality tray. So I think perhaps a fair proportion of posh hotels provide tea and don't see it as 'downmarket' or chavtastic.

I've also been to a couple of boutique type hotels in London(City Inn at Westminster for eg) and they have lovely facilities, imo. I know it's only a 4 star, but it's ranked 7th out of 1058 hotels in London on Trip Advisor. And you can get deals on staying that are unflippingbelievable.

And they are sooooo cute with the kids, all these ridiculously good looking, young staff they have! And the breakfasts are to die for! Ah....must go to London again soon

Forgot to say YASNBU. And the Ritz probably doesn't offer a tea tray because (a) it offers arfternoon tea and (b) it's a rip off place. I know it's lovely and grand, having been there for a couple of functions, but personally I find it a bit 'meh'.

So what hotels are nicer than the Ritz squilly?

YANBU

I'd expect a foot, neck and shoulder massage thrown in for free as well as a fridge full of milk for those prices!