UPDATE: After hundreds of outraged posts on social media sites, the hotel addressed its Facebook audience early Monday afternoon to say the negative review policy was all just a big misunderstanding. [More]
hotels
NY Hotel Fines Brides And Grooms $500 For Each Negative Review Posted By Their Wedding Guests
By 8.4.14
The End Is Nigh For Room Keys At Hilton-Operated Hotels
By 7.28.14
Arriving at the door of your hotel room after a long day of traveling only to find that the key doesn’t work can be a frustrating experience. But that could be a situation of the past for guests at Hilton Hotels now that the company plans to rollout an initiative that would do away with flimsy, magnetic strip keys. [More]
Secret Service Warns Against Keylogging Malware At Hotel Business Centers
By 7.14.14
Here’s one that should be added to the earlier list of possible hotel scams. The U.S. Secret Service has sent out a warning to hotel operators, asking them to check shared computers in their business centers for malware that can log keystrokes and steal sensitive information from users. [More]
3 Scams Targeted At Hotel Guests
By 7.14.14
Between all the fees and add-on charges that can come with a hotel reservation, just booking a room for the night can make you feel like you’ve been taken for a ride. But even when the hotel isn’t trying to nickel-and-dime you, there are scammers out there ready to steal your money by preying on common assumptions made by hotel guests. [More]
Best Western Turns Away Family With Service Dog, Waits A Week To Fix Problem
By 6.19.14
We’re guessing that no one at Best Western is checking the hotel chain’s Facebook page today, as it’s full up with people angry that the company not only denied a room to a family with a service animal, but then waited a week to try to make good on its mistake. [More]
Adorable Baby Moose Wanders Into Colorado Hotel Lobby, Is Adorable
By 6.12.14
Sometimes you won’t even know that you need to see an adorable baby moose chilling in a hotel lobby, and then you see one and it’s just such an adorable relief. Don’t know what I mean? You are clearly in need of a baby moose. [More]
Marriott Makes Big Push To Get LGBT Business
By 6.2.14
With the Supreme Court and a growing number of states giving the OK to same-sex marriages, the hospitality industry is quickly realizing there is money to be made from a segment of the population that had long been underserved. Not to be outdone by smaller hotel chains that openly welcome business from the LGBT community, the folks at Marriott are spending a lot of money to try to win over these consumers. [More]
Airbnb Agrees To Hand Over Some User Info To NY Attorney General
By 5.21.14
There’s been yet another development in the ongoing battle between Airbnb and the state of New York, with the online home rental service agreeing to turn over some data about its customers to the state’s Attorney General, but not to the extent that a subpoena from the AG’s office had originally sought. [More]
“The Sea Is Too Blue” And 9 Other Wackadoodle Things Hotel Staff Have Heard From Guests
By 5.13.14
Staying the night in new surroundings can be a stressful experience, so it’s totally understandable that some hotel guests might have a few requests to make temporary lodgings feel a bit homier, or a couple complaints if something just isn’t right. But when you’re complaining that the “sea is too blue,” you’ve got other problems. [More]
San Francisco May Consider Paying Residents To Rat Out Neighbors With Illegal Airbnb Rentals
By 4.29.14
Most of the headlines about local governments fighting over the legality of short-term apartment rental services like Airbnb and VRBO have focused on New York City, where many of the rentals listed arguably violate subletting regulations. But there are folks in San Francisco who have a problem with these services and are pushing the city to rein them in. [More]
Stories You Might Have Missed Because You Were Too Busy Being Awesome
April 5, 2014
We post a lot of stories during the week, and we know that most of you have jobs, families, lives, hobbies, nagging itches and other more important things to do than read every single thing we write. So for those who might be playing catch-up on the weekend, here are some of the things you might have missed… [More]
Why Is A Hotel Minibar’s Vodka Often Cheaper Than The Peanuts?
By 4.3.14
It’s getting late. You’ve had a rough day, what with that sprint to catch your connecting flight through Atlanta and then that thing with the cab and the monkey, ugh — time to kick back and relax in your hotel room. So what do you reach for first, the almost $20 can of peanuts or the more reasonably priced, albeit tiny bottle of vodka? [More]
FCC: Thousands Of Hotels Don’t Have Phones With Direct Access To 9-1-1
By 3.25.14
A few weeks ago, Federal Communications Commission member Ajit Pai decided to start asking hotels if their phones offered direct access to 9-1-1, or if guests would have to dial “9” first to get an outgoing line or are routed through the front desk first. The results are in, and Pai is not pleased.
What Would You Do If You Found The Hotel Concierge Rolling Around In Your Sheets?
By 2.24.14
There’s a reason I always leave the Do Not Disturb up from the moment I check in until the day I check out — I just don’t like anyone touching my stuff and I’m perfectly fine with making my own bed. But while I’ve worried about thieves, vandals, and snoops, I’ve never thought about coming back to my room to find the concierge wrapped up in my linens. [More]
Court Throws Out Online Price-Fixing Lawsuit Against Major Hotel Chains, Booking Sites
By 2.19.14
For years, some have accused America’s largest hotel chains of colluding with travel booking sites like Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, and Priceline to make sure that the room rates offered to consumers on these sites are the same. This practice, claimed plaintiffs in various lawsuits, effectively allowed the hotel chains to determine their own prices and kept the booking sites from competing against each other; meaning consumers could be paying more than they should. But a U.S. District Court judge feels differently. [More]
Olympics Reporter Uses Clothesline & Tape To Deal With Lack Of Shower Curtain
By 2.7.14
Rather than gripe about the lack of amenities at his Sochi hotel room, one sportswriter from New Jersey made sure to carry-on some DIY spirit for his trek to cover the Winter Olympics. [More]
Russian Official To Hotel Critics: We Have Surveillance Videos Of You In The Bathroom
By 2.6.14
What’s that, Olympic Games attendee? You’ve got a dirty hotel room with beers under the bed in Sochi? Your room has no hot water, or no water at all? Well, your complaints are aimed at trying to sabotage Sochi’s shining moment, said one official in response to Western critics. [More]
Reporters Arriving For Sochi Olympics Are Less Than Pleased With Nonexistent Hotel Rooms
By 2.5.14
The Winter Olympics start this week in Sochi, Russia, and you might be jealous of all the reporters getting paid to attend the games watch these events live. One thing you shouldn’t be envious of are the conditions of the hotel rooms these reporters are arriving to find. [More]
