06-24-2009, 02:36 AM
After this trip and our shitty experiences, I want to create the perfect hotel experience. I want to send this information to La Quinta and Americinn, who I believe are the closest to this ideal already. I'll also send it to hotels.com and anyone else you want to suggest. I'll write up my ideas, then you comment and add stuff, okay? I will give credit to anyone who wants it.
Arrival
Desk/Check-in
Personnel should know who you are if you have reservations. In any event, they should not interrupt their work with you to answer the phone. Another person should answer the phone, or the voicemail can pick it up, because whoever is present there is first. Also, they should take guests in the order of arrival, and not interrupt registration with personal calls or irrelevant chats with staff or friends. Needless to say, there should be two people either at the desk or available nearby to staff the desk at all times except maybe the graveyard shift.
The lobby should be clean and free of insects, either flying or crawling.
The doors should be automatic so people can get in and out with their luggage and carts.
All hotels should have one luggage cart per floor, and if the facility is large, their should be one per wing for each floor..
All hotels over one story should have an elevator or a luggage dumbwaiter. In the latter case, a luggage cart needs to be permanently kept on each upper floor.
Building
The entire facility should be smoke-free.
Outdoor smoking should not be permitted in or near any doorway. No ashtray should be near any door. Smoke detectors should be used to prevent this. An outdoor, covered pavilion at least 50 feet from any door should be available to smoking guests. The ashtrays in it should be cleaned or emptied regularly, as in several times a day.
The first floor should have outdoor entry for the convenience of those who drive and must carry their luggage in and out. The upper floors can be corridor entry for safety and security. All exterior doors except for the lobby should require keyed entry.
People with pets should be given the ground floor rooms (along with the disabled) for ease of entrance and departure, and for safety in emergencies. Offer pet families the ground floor if they do not request it. Do the same for the disabled.
All walls should be soundproofed as Americinn does, with foam in the cinder blocks. Other effective deadening material can be substituted.
Rules about noise and good manners should be posted conspicuously.
Ideally, there should be either a "family wing" for people with children, or a "quiet wing" for childfree guests, or both. Adult travelers with pets should NOT be placed in the "family" area, as children sometimes upset pets, and vice versa.
Pool and spa/hot tub
Should be available year-round (that means an indoor heated pool in many cases). Since pools can be maintained year-round and never really need to be drained, this is not an issue. Outdoor pools should provide ample shade, with misting in desert locations. In cold climates, only the indoor pool need be available all the time. All hotels really should have both indoor and outdoor facilities, or a single large one, half in and half out. At the very least, all should have an indoor pool that can always be used.
Spas should be available year-round as well. Maintenance on spas should be done overnight to limit downtime.
Special hours should be made available for adults AND children. For example, 6-8 PM, children may use the pool and be as noisy as they like, without interference from adults. 9 PM until closing should be reserved for adults. All other hours are shared.
No horseplay should be allowed in the pool at anytime, No running, diving or jumping should be allowed.
The pool area should be clean and free of vermin.
The pool and spa should be clean enough to see to the bottom of the tank when the water is still.
Towels should be available in the pool/spa area, and they should be abundant, large and absorbent. To keep people from stealing them, make them ugly and imprint the hotel name on them. Baby-shit yellow, puke green and so on would work fine.
Floors should be non-skid.
Steps into pools and spas should be marked clearly and railings should be secure.
Guest rooms
Should be sparkling clean. This means cleaning the corners and vacuuming under the beds.
Provide enough towels, pillows and blankets for the number of travelers the rooms holds.
Provide enough storage space for all the travelers the room holds. This includes adequate bedside table space.
Provide enough accessible electrical outlets for guests' electronic gear.
Water pressure should be adequate for an adult shower. Install pressure pumps if need be.
There should be a complete and current listing of all local food delivery services in each room.
There should be a similar list for other local services, such as spa treatments and kennels.
If there are smoking rooms (but there shouldn't be) they should be on the top floor of the facility, because smoke rises. In a one floor facility, there should still be no mixing of smoking and non-smoking rooms. Smoking rooms should be in a wing with negative pressure airlocks (this is not that hard) to confine the smoke to one area. Smoke can't read. It requires intervention by people and equipment. No smoking at all solves all these problems, and many others as well.
Corridors
All doors in the building should be on slow-closing hinges. Soundproofing is useless if the doors are loose enough to slam unless they are controlled by hand.
Every door in the building should have plaques at eye level, on both sides, reading "Please close doors gently." Ideally, the plaque should be in English, Spanish, and another language appropriate to the region, such as French in Canada and New England, and Japanese on the West Coast.
Floors should be flat, skid-free and unobstructed.
Ideally, cameras should be placed in corridors for security, and to corroborate complaints about unruly guests.
Parking lots
Must be well-lit and free of debris and garbage. Pet-walking areas on adequate grass should be available
Ideally, pet waste facilities should be provided.
Ideally, for safety and security, there should be security camera coverage of the exterior grounds.
Internet services
Wifi should work in every room, and should not require the user to jump through electronic hoops for access. It should be instantly, always on. Since this does happen in some hotels, it can happen in every hotel.
A computer station should be available in a public area for those who need access. Black and white printing should be free and easy.
Breakfast area, equipment and food
The breakfast areas must be scrupulously clean. There should be a good variety of foods, including fruits, meats, dairy and starches, and they should be plentiful. Leftovers can be taken home by hotel staff, or donated to Second Harvest.
All equipment should work all the time.
Food should be fresh, not spoiled or old. Coffee and tea should be hot, milk and juice should be cold.
Procedures for guests with pets
Travelers with pets should be given a list of policies, procedures and privileges, as some La Quinta hotels have already developed. Travelers with pets should sign a copy of the policies, which should include that they must clean up after their pets, that is, collect and discard their solid waste. Scattered feces may lead to pet health problems such as canine parvovirus. Responsible pet families always pick up, no matter what.
Pets must be kept quiet.
Guests must clean up after their pets' accidents. If they can't, they must notify housekeeping and pay a cleaning fee. This is not a form of bad behavior and should not be penalized in any other way.
Pets should be allowed to stay in the room while their families are out, if certain requirements are met:
1. Pets are kept crated in their families' absence.
2. Pets are so well-behaved that they can be left loose. Restitution must be made in the event of damage.
3. A sign must be placed on the door to keep staff out, when animals are alone in the room. In emergencies, everyone will do their best to keep pets safe.
Pets are auxilliary members of society. They should give way to humans in public areas, especially the disabled or encumbered, as with luggage. Senior members of society are responsible for training, educating and controlling their pets in public places. Uncontrollable pets and their families should be removed from the premises and charged for damage. If there is no damage, they may receive a complete or partial refund.
People with pets should all be on one ground floor wing, as Baymont and La Quinta already do.
Procedures for guests with children
Travelers with children should be given a list of policies, procedures and privileges, as some La Quinta hotels have already developed for pets. Travelers with children should sign a copy of the policies, which should include that they must clean up after them, that is, collect and discard whatever messes they make with foods, chemicals, dirt or bodily fluids. Scattered waste from children may lead to pet health problems such as canine parvovirus, and human health problems such as the flu, and accidents caused by slippery substances or obstacles like toys. Responsible families always clean up after their children, no matter what.
Children should be given a coloring book or some other kind of workbook or game about hotel rules at registration. If they complete the book, they get some kind of little prize. If no complaints are lodged against them, they can get another prize on departure.
Children are junior members of society. They should give way to adults in public areas, especially the disabled or encumbered, as with luggage. Senior members of society are responsible for training, educating and controlling their children in public places. Standards of etiquette and politeness are strongly encouraged. Uncontrollable children and their parents should be removed from the premises and charged for damage. If there is no damage, they may receive a complete or partial refund.
Procedures for all guests
Guests should be given a list of the house rules at check-in. Their registration constitutes understanding and compliance. Each rule is initialed separately. Failure to comply is met with removal from the property.
In part, the rules are;
1. No running anywhere on the property, unless there is a playground, or in case of emergency.
2. There is no shouting, yelling, screaming, public drunkenness, or fighting. Voices are raised only to prevent accidents, and in emergencies.
3. There is no door slamming anywhere. There is no drawer slamming in the rooms.
4. There is no stomping on the floor in the rooms.
5. There is no jumping on and/or off the bed or on the floor in the rooms.
6. TVs and other electronic entertainment devices are kept at a volume that does not disturb other guests. Headphones are available at the desk for a small cleaning fee.
7. If one guest is disturbed by another, or by a pet or a child, the complainant should notify management, not get into an argument with the other guest. The complaining guest will be given the benefit of the doubt, because confrontation is so stressful that most people will not do it unless the situaion is serious. Security cameras can be used to corroborate complaints of noise or safety violations. The offending guest should be stopped, charged a fee, or removed from the property as appropriate. Repeat offenses will result in immediate eviction.
8. Staff will always enforce all the rules. They will not be allowed to turn a blind eye or show favoritism toward guests due to age, or youth, or attractiveness, or bullying, or gender or perceived wealth. Staff should be trained to politely enforce the house rules. Staff should be prepared to call their supervisor for backup, or the police if necessary.
9. When called by a guest to solve a problem, staff members should investigate immediately without approaching the alleged offenders first. Mediation begins after facts are gathered. A cooling down period is encouraged.
Miscellaneous
A well-equipped work-out facility is a nice plus.
A trade-or-pay paperback library is a nice touch.
Video games are a big hit with a lot of us, or they can be incorporated into the hotels in-room video systems.
Some hotels provide cookies at varying times. These are always welcome. Coffee and juice, too!
Arrival
Desk/Check-in
Personnel should know who you are if you have reservations. In any event, they should not interrupt their work with you to answer the phone. Another person should answer the phone, or the voicemail can pick it up, because whoever is present there is first. Also, they should take guests in the order of arrival, and not interrupt registration with personal calls or irrelevant chats with staff or friends. Needless to say, there should be two people either at the desk or available nearby to staff the desk at all times except maybe the graveyard shift.
The lobby should be clean and free of insects, either flying or crawling.
The doors should be automatic so people can get in and out with their luggage and carts.
All hotels should have one luggage cart per floor, and if the facility is large, their should be one per wing for each floor..
All hotels over one story should have an elevator or a luggage dumbwaiter. In the latter case, a luggage cart needs to be permanently kept on each upper floor.
Building
The entire facility should be smoke-free.
Outdoor smoking should not be permitted in or near any doorway. No ashtray should be near any door. Smoke detectors should be used to prevent this. An outdoor, covered pavilion at least 50 feet from any door should be available to smoking guests. The ashtrays in it should be cleaned or emptied regularly, as in several times a day.
The first floor should have outdoor entry for the convenience of those who drive and must carry their luggage in and out. The upper floors can be corridor entry for safety and security. All exterior doors except for the lobby should require keyed entry.
People with pets should be given the ground floor rooms (along with the disabled) for ease of entrance and departure, and for safety in emergencies. Offer pet families the ground floor if they do not request it. Do the same for the disabled.
All walls should be soundproofed as Americinn does, with foam in the cinder blocks. Other effective deadening material can be substituted.
Rules about noise and good manners should be posted conspicuously.
Ideally, there should be either a "family wing" for people with children, or a "quiet wing" for childfree guests, or both. Adult travelers with pets should NOT be placed in the "family" area, as children sometimes upset pets, and vice versa.
Pool and spa/hot tub
Should be available year-round (that means an indoor heated pool in many cases). Since pools can be maintained year-round and never really need to be drained, this is not an issue. Outdoor pools should provide ample shade, with misting in desert locations. In cold climates, only the indoor pool need be available all the time. All hotels really should have both indoor and outdoor facilities, or a single large one, half in and half out. At the very least, all should have an indoor pool that can always be used.
Spas should be available year-round as well. Maintenance on spas should be done overnight to limit downtime.
Special hours should be made available for adults AND children. For example, 6-8 PM, children may use the pool and be as noisy as they like, without interference from adults. 9 PM until closing should be reserved for adults. All other hours are shared.
No horseplay should be allowed in the pool at anytime, No running, diving or jumping should be allowed.
The pool area should be clean and free of vermin.
The pool and spa should be clean enough to see to the bottom of the tank when the water is still.
Towels should be available in the pool/spa area, and they should be abundant, large and absorbent. To keep people from stealing them, make them ugly and imprint the hotel name on them. Baby-shit yellow, puke green and so on would work fine.
Floors should be non-skid.
Steps into pools and spas should be marked clearly and railings should be secure.
Guest rooms
Should be sparkling clean. This means cleaning the corners and vacuuming under the beds.
Provide enough towels, pillows and blankets for the number of travelers the rooms holds.
Provide enough storage space for all the travelers the room holds. This includes adequate bedside table space.
Provide enough accessible electrical outlets for guests' electronic gear.
Water pressure should be adequate for an adult shower. Install pressure pumps if need be.
There should be a complete and current listing of all local food delivery services in each room.
There should be a similar list for other local services, such as spa treatments and kennels.
If there are smoking rooms (but there shouldn't be) they should be on the top floor of the facility, because smoke rises. In a one floor facility, there should still be no mixing of smoking and non-smoking rooms. Smoking rooms should be in a wing with negative pressure airlocks (this is not that hard) to confine the smoke to one area. Smoke can't read. It requires intervention by people and equipment. No smoking at all solves all these problems, and many others as well.
Corridors
All doors in the building should be on slow-closing hinges. Soundproofing is useless if the doors are loose enough to slam unless they are controlled by hand.
Every door in the building should have plaques at eye level, on both sides, reading "Please close doors gently." Ideally, the plaque should be in English, Spanish, and another language appropriate to the region, such as French in Canada and New England, and Japanese on the West Coast.
Floors should be flat, skid-free and unobstructed.
Ideally, cameras should be placed in corridors for security, and to corroborate complaints about unruly guests.
Parking lots
Must be well-lit and free of debris and garbage. Pet-walking areas on adequate grass should be available
Ideally, pet waste facilities should be provided.
Ideally, for safety and security, there should be security camera coverage of the exterior grounds.
Internet services
Wifi should work in every room, and should not require the user to jump through electronic hoops for access. It should be instantly, always on. Since this does happen in some hotels, it can happen in every hotel.
A computer station should be available in a public area for those who need access. Black and white printing should be free and easy.
Breakfast area, equipment and food
The breakfast areas must be scrupulously clean. There should be a good variety of foods, including fruits, meats, dairy and starches, and they should be plentiful. Leftovers can be taken home by hotel staff, or donated to Second Harvest.
All equipment should work all the time.
Food should be fresh, not spoiled or old. Coffee and tea should be hot, milk and juice should be cold.
Procedures for guests with pets
Travelers with pets should be given a list of policies, procedures and privileges, as some La Quinta hotels have already developed. Travelers with pets should sign a copy of the policies, which should include that they must clean up after their pets, that is, collect and discard their solid waste. Scattered feces may lead to pet health problems such as canine parvovirus. Responsible pet families always pick up, no matter what.
Pets must be kept quiet.
Guests must clean up after their pets' accidents. If they can't, they must notify housekeeping and pay a cleaning fee. This is not a form of bad behavior and should not be penalized in any other way.
Pets should be allowed to stay in the room while their families are out, if certain requirements are met:
1. Pets are kept crated in their families' absence.
2. Pets are so well-behaved that they can be left loose. Restitution must be made in the event of damage.
3. A sign must be placed on the door to keep staff out, when animals are alone in the room. In emergencies, everyone will do their best to keep pets safe.
Pets are auxilliary members of society. They should give way to humans in public areas, especially the disabled or encumbered, as with luggage. Senior members of society are responsible for training, educating and controlling their pets in public places. Uncontrollable pets and their families should be removed from the premises and charged for damage. If there is no damage, they may receive a complete or partial refund.
People with pets should all be on one ground floor wing, as Baymont and La Quinta already do.
Procedures for guests with children
Travelers with children should be given a list of policies, procedures and privileges, as some La Quinta hotels have already developed for pets. Travelers with children should sign a copy of the policies, which should include that they must clean up after them, that is, collect and discard whatever messes they make with foods, chemicals, dirt or bodily fluids. Scattered waste from children may lead to pet health problems such as canine parvovirus, and human health problems such as the flu, and accidents caused by slippery substances or obstacles like toys. Responsible families always clean up after their children, no matter what.
Children should be given a coloring book or some other kind of workbook or game about hotel rules at registration. If they complete the book, they get some kind of little prize. If no complaints are lodged against them, they can get another prize on departure.
Children are junior members of society. They should give way to adults in public areas, especially the disabled or encumbered, as with luggage. Senior members of society are responsible for training, educating and controlling their children in public places. Standards of etiquette and politeness are strongly encouraged. Uncontrollable children and their parents should be removed from the premises and charged for damage. If there is no damage, they may receive a complete or partial refund.
Procedures for all guests
Guests should be given a list of the house rules at check-in. Their registration constitutes understanding and compliance. Each rule is initialed separately. Failure to comply is met with removal from the property.
In part, the rules are;
1. No running anywhere on the property, unless there is a playground, or in case of emergency.
2. There is no shouting, yelling, screaming, public drunkenness, or fighting. Voices are raised only to prevent accidents, and in emergencies.
3. There is no door slamming anywhere. There is no drawer slamming in the rooms.
4. There is no stomping on the floor in the rooms.
5. There is no jumping on and/or off the bed or on the floor in the rooms.
6. TVs and other electronic entertainment devices are kept at a volume that does not disturb other guests. Headphones are available at the desk for a small cleaning fee.
7. If one guest is disturbed by another, or by a pet or a child, the complainant should notify management, not get into an argument with the other guest. The complaining guest will be given the benefit of the doubt, because confrontation is so stressful that most people will not do it unless the situaion is serious. Security cameras can be used to corroborate complaints of noise or safety violations. The offending guest should be stopped, charged a fee, or removed from the property as appropriate. Repeat offenses will result in immediate eviction.
8. Staff will always enforce all the rules. They will not be allowed to turn a blind eye or show favoritism toward guests due to age, or youth, or attractiveness, or bullying, or gender or perceived wealth. Staff should be trained to politely enforce the house rules. Staff should be prepared to call their supervisor for backup, or the police if necessary.
9. When called by a guest to solve a problem, staff members should investigate immediately without approaching the alleged offenders first. Mediation begins after facts are gathered. A cooling down period is encouraged.
Miscellaneous
A well-equipped work-out facility is a nice plus.
A trade-or-pay paperback library is a nice touch.
Video games are a big hit with a lot of us, or they can be incorporated into the hotels in-room video systems.
Some hotels provide cookies at varying times. These are always welcome. Coffee and juice, too!