Hotels are meant to sleep in, not much else. Especially when you are traveling for business, you don’t have much time to enjoy your hotel room.
However, that doesn’t mean that you should settle for an unsatisfactory room. Unfortunately, without having a walkthrough of the hotel before booking your room, you do risk reserving one that you aren’t happy with.
At times, it may not even be the hotel room that’s the problem, but the guests near you causing you troubles.
How do you handle such a situation? Here’s how:
1. Call the Front Desk
Your first step should be to make a quick and courteous call to the frontdesk. Explain your concerns and ask the clerk if they can rectify it.
Be specific about why your room is unsatisfactory so that they know how to make it better
If the room needs a little sprucing up, housekeeping may be able to make the room more comfortable for you.
If it’s more serious, hopefully all that is needed is to change rooms and all your problems are fixed.
But what if the hotel has no vacancies, or the other room has the same problem? Read on.
2. Ask to Speak to a Manager
Managers tend to have more power when it comes to providing a better hotel experience for their guests. If the front desk clerk couldn’t help you, perhaps it’s time to speak to someone higher up the ladder.
While clerks are trained to help customers with their every need, they usually can’t provide a refund and at times may feel like their hands are tied, even if they want to help you out.
Reaching out to the manager almost always provides more options.
3. Remember to Be Courteous
As a traveling business person, remember that you are a representative for your company. The last thing you want to do is leave a bad taste in the mouths of a hotel chain.
When dealing with the issue, stay calm, be respectful and resist the urge to talk is a cutting way. Even if the hotel staff acts rude to you, don’t return the attitude.
Instead, be polite and explain the problem in a nice way. Those working in the service industry are trained to give the customer what they want. Usually, all it takes is a simple request.
4. Document the Event
It may be wise to document your problem with dates, times, names, and even a photo if necessary.
This will not only help you to provide the manager or corporate with proof of the problem, but can also protect you when it comes to the bill.
It may be that you were promised a refund to your card (which may be the company card) in 5-7 business days. If you never see that refund, you’ve documented the amount, the name of the staff member, and the date.
You can now call the manager to ask why the promised refund has not been issued. The Elliot Hotel outlines the steps to requesting a refund very well in this article.
5. Enlist the Help of a Lodging Manager
More than likely, you could have averted this situation altogether if you used a lodging management service like Hotel Engine.
When traveling is a big part of your business, enlisting this service can save you a lot of time, headache, and money.
You will often get a discounted rate at some of the best hotel lines in the country by using this service. These booking experts will negotiate exclusive rates and the best rooms.
They also regularly check the service and quality of the hotels in which they work with to ensure that it meets the highest standards.
And in the rare event that you do end up with an unsatisfactory room, you don’t need to deal with the front desk. You leave that up to them.
Conclusion
Although it may be a hassle to request a change to your hotel room, you deserve to have a restful and pleasant night’s sleep. Without that, you may not be on top of your game.
Take the steps above when you encounter an unsatisfactory hotel room during your business travels and you’re sure to be satisfied in the end.
