Hotels

[Flute56]

I am staying in a hotel in Eastern Europe and it's quite a nice hotel it's a Radisson Bots usually I found in other countries the gym is free for people who stay the gym in this hotel you have to pay €60 and you only get 30 minutes and there's no swimming pool it's a jacuzzi and it's the same price for only 30 minutes I have never been to a hotel like this before at a hotels you can just walk in use the pool walking use the gym anytime you like and you don't have to pay extra and I'm really surprised there's no proper swimming pool here

Was that information not available on their website when you booked?

I'm guessing they didn't say there's a swimming pool, so you can't really complain about there not being one.

How did you book it? What information was provided about the gym?

Umm loads of hotels don't have swimming pools, especially ones in towns and cities.

Did you check if there was one before you booked?

Just returned from holiday and we found it quite stressful because the weather was too hot it was about 34 degrees and there was a language barrier so it was hard to communicate in English and we were in Slovakia and don't get me wrong Slovakia is a nice city but when it's so hot you can hardly walk around in the suffering from heat exhaust and it's not nice so it wasn't enjoyable

I think we should have gone in September when it's cooler but even then there would have been the language barrier because in that country hardly anybody speaks English

Holidays are supposed to make you feel relaxed but just speaking for myself I feel that it hasn't been a relaxing trip away and maybe I'm getting too old to be humping suitcases around airports waiting for flights that are delayed I'm trying to work out the currency and trying to make yourself understood in a foreign speaking country and when I came back into my own home I just thought to myself I'm so glad to be back home amongst my own things where I can speak to people without having to try and explain over and over again what I mean and then find it they don't understand the word of what you're trying to say and last year I had a fantastic holiday in Australia and again that was hampering a suitcase round and airports but the difference is that Australia is an English-speaking country and you can understand them and they can understand you so that's different so maybe I should stick with UK holidays or holidays to English speaking countries which is a shame because you miss out on some lovely countries but I just find it so stressful

I'm not sure exactly where you were staying (Slovakia is a country, not a city), but the Radisson in the capital city, Bratislava, advertises that its fitness centre (gym) is free for all guests, while its wellness centre (spa) is billed at €19 for three hours for guests in regular rooms https://www.radissonhotels.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-blu-bratislava-carlton/fitness-wellness

If this was indeed your hotel and you were charged €60 for half an hour, you should write to them and ask for a refund or adjustment of the price. Charging for the spa is not uncommon, with €19 for 3 hours being a typical price. €60 for half an hour is crazy and suggests either a communication problem, or an employee being a bit weird (and it's not clear how they would even bill that if it's not the official rate).

Do you think I am that stupid to pay €60 for 30 minutes come on give me some credit

I have also updated this thread to mention the language and the heat not the hotel

What a weird post.
I went away in summer and was upset it was hot.
I went to a foreign country where I don't speak the language and was upset no-one understand me.
I booked a hotel without a swimming pool and was upset there wasn't one.
You might be packing too much stuff if you are having to hump your suitcase everywhere you go.

You need to use punctuation.

Not a weird post at all. We in the uk are not used to such heat. Therefoŕe we cant cope. I guess it was a mistake to go abroad in july and we should have gone in september but u live and learn

Umm did you not check the weather before you left? Central Europe can get pretty hot in July and August.

I am happy doing a city break in the low thirties, if you aren't many places in Southern and central Europe in July are not for you.

Complaining about having to take bags with you on holiday is a bit of an odd one- you will always have to do this unless you are rich enough to have a flunkey on hand to carry your bags for you.

We do a lot of rail journeys across Europe that involves changing trains with bags. We use backpacks and soft duffle bags that can take a surprisingly large amount of stuff for their size. Hard shelled wheeled suitcases are not great for city holidays.

Sounds like you're not suited to holidays.

Well, apparently if that's the price that they're charging, some people are paying it.

Can you mention the exact name of the hotel and the city so we can check with their website? 🙏

I’m not really sure I understand what the issue is here because everything you mention as problematic should not have come as a surprise!

You book a holiday to the country of Slovakia - and you’re irritated because they speak Slovak rather than English?

You book a holiday in July to a country where the average July temperatures are the high twenties and you’re irritated because it’s hot?

You go to a place where the currency is the Euro and are cross because you have to use a currency which isn’t pound sterling?

And that’s before we even get into the complaints about the hotel and its gym charges and lack of swimming pool which is information presumably not available ontheir website given it surprised you 🤷🏻‍♀️

Do you have access to Google?

A very polite version of what I was thinking.😀😀

Im not complaining about the currency

You complained about having to work out the currency. Slovakia uses the euro - it's easy, just mentally discount by about 15 - 20%

Or if you use a Monzo card they do the conversion for you.

Yes, heard it was very hot in Eastern Europe

Double check on your booking perhaps and show them what it says

In answer to your question whether it's normal to be charged for facilities in hotels, the answer is that it wasn't the case years ago but is increasingly common. Often it's a nominal charge eg £5 per room to use the gym and pool but I've seen worse. Multiple chains now charge and I've noticed that you can book with and without access too

Some posts just baffle me.....

OP, next time, do your homework. You could have discovered all of this before you booked.
And don't go to another country expecting everyone to speak English!

I am going to australia in october and they speak english and in ocotober it will be spring over there