Q – We recently checked in to a Hilton at the airport in Rome. I was really disappointed with my room and I went to the front desk and reminded them that I had made my reservation with one of the largest online agencies and that I personally post frequently on Facebook, Instagram, and TripAdvisor about my travel experiences. This did not seem to do a lot of good. Finally, I asked for the manager-on-duty, who explained that they were sold out that night and she could not make a change. I’m not sure if I believed her. It was only for one night so I didn’t pursue it further. How should I deal with this in the future to obtain an upgrade? I certainly feel that with my postings, I am influencing lots of their potential customers but they do not seem to want to hear about it.
A – When you are shown to a disappointing room you should politely walk back down to the front desk and ask to speak to the Rooms Manager or the Manager-on-duty. Explain why this trip is important to you and keep your tine low and polite so other guests do not hear your conversation. We would suggest you keep your TripAdvisor connection to yourself as hotels are quite tired of hearing about those who expect to get something for free because they have enough time on their hands to type amateur reviews as self-anointed “critics”. Most of the better travel critics we know have years of hard-earned credentials.
If you belong to Hilton’s Honors Club, your room preferences should be a part of your stored profile. You should not be assigned an inferior room. But you booked on one of the online sites and you were, we would guess, assigned one of the remaining rooms in your category. Hotel chains want bookings to be made via their own sites so they do not have to be paying out commission to third-party web sites. When it is noted that you have been brought to the property by a discount online agency, you should expect less than VIP treatment. If you care about your accommodations, have your travel consultant VIP you or write a short note tot he Hotel Manager in advance explaining why you worthy of upgrade consideration. Never mention that your blog or have online “followers” or billions of “likes”. Travel industry staff are so tired of hearing this from consumers headed their way that it has become an industry joke. The fact that you are celebrating an important anniversary or taking a “second honeymoon” will get you much further than referencing the junk you share online. Most hotel staff have a healthy disdain for opinions posted about their properties online. They realize that the internet has proven itself to be the most perfect vehicle for the dissemination of misinformation ever devised.
