Which parts of travel are fun?

[indigo_rose99]

My flights were fine.  As much as attempting to sleep while sitting in a tiny chair crammed against strangers for 8 hours can be described as "fine." 

I got on the correct train for downtown, and even found another train soon after going in the correct direction of my new hotel.  Although it is supposed to be about 72F here, the bright sun and high humidity makes me feel... Ok, sweaty.  But I was still in a pretty good mood when I found this new hotel (a good mood for coming in from an international overnight flight, which is not to say "good" relative to other, more pleasant, surrounding events). 

Evidently my invisibility extends to Denmark.  Or perhaps only this hotel.  The guy behind me at the front desk stepped around me and got checked in before I did.  And it wasn't like there weren't hotel people available!  They just studiously ignored me.  I imagine my glare was reaching noticeable-for-non-American status when the woman helping the guy-from-behind-me said, "You can step over there."  And gestured in front of two hotel people chatting and futzing around on the computer.  I took the two steps to them... and they looked at me as if I had suddenly appeared from out of the mist.  *sigh*  Yes, the mysterious depths of 3 feet away, in the middle of the otherwise empty hotel lobby.

So, checking in I asked about gym (opens as I should be dressing after my shower), breakfast (no, I do not get it with my room rate, and it opens just in time for me to have 25 minutes to cram food before running for my lift anyway), internet and a fan.  I asked about the breakfast 3 times, because I was sure my guys had prearranged it. Really, really sure.  But no.  The fan was really the only 'win' in that conversation, as they delivered it to the room a few minutes after I discovered that, yes, the AC is COMPLETELY inadequate.  12C != 78F (!!!)

I showered most of the sweat off and washed my utterly soaked plane clothes in the sink.  Dressing in my currently-clean workout clothes, I went in search of food for breakfast.  Evidently on this side of town, ALL of the shops are closed.  An entire closed mall at 4pm on a Sunday.  *sigh*  Ok, there was a 7-11-like store.  I bought 5 bananas and an apple.  It was the healthiest thing in the store. 

Back in the hotel, I went on the dubious internet and translated my emailed hotel reservation from several weeks ago.  Again.  And again, it said that breakfast was included.  In English from my guy, and in Danish from the hotel.  I walked my laptop back to the front desk and this time walked up to the hotel guy who was not doing anything... And he said he could not help me.  He went back to staring into space.  Yes, seriously.  What do they pay these people for?

I managed not to ask, but it was hard.

When another hotel person finally finished her conversation and helped me, she never glanced at my computer screen. "Yes, breakfast is included. I'm sorry you were misinformed."  If she were in America, I would have called her tone "snippy."  Of course, my attitude is less than completely diplomatic.  *sigh*

I feel like I'm the would-be victim of a scam.  They took my employer's money, then don't serve me the food unless I push it.

I'm going to go to sleep now.  Perhaps tomorrow it will rain.

Comments

[ovrclokd.livejournal.com]

that's really inexcusable! if i were in your shoes, i'd email the main customer-service for the chain or parent group. send them this description of your experience there so far (minus the invisibility comment and the paragraphs about food shopping and the possible scam, but adding dates/times and descriptions of the employees so they can identify who was involved), and take one of two approaches:

if it's a major chain or hotel group, and if you've stayed at other instances, then i'd let them know that you've stayed with other properties under their management and had much better service, and that you're surprised and disappointed that the employees at this hotel don't measure up to the excellent service you've had from them in the past.

if you haven't stayed with them before, or it's not a chain, i'dspin it as "this is my first encounter with your establishment; as a business traveler, i'm accustomed to a better level of service. is this considered acceptable treatment by your standards? if so, i'll be regretfully finding other venues for my future travel."

hopefully that'll do two things: a) bring to the attention of the management the craptastic behavior of their employees, and b) get them to offer you some form of compensation (points, free night, whatever). i've found that most large chains really do want feedback on how they're doing, especially from a potentially-high-revenue business travel, and are willing to make things right if you have a bad experience with them...

[indigo-rose99.livejournal.com]

Good point. I'm going to see if I can find their customer service contact info.

Not cheap, but evidently I can be bought

[indigo-rose99.livejournal.com]

I just arrived back at my hotel from knocking myself out for my customer. On at least one occasion today I pulled a last second rabbit-out-of-hat miraculous save. This translates to personal exhaustion for me.

And I know a long email analysis for another customer awaits me as I walked toward my hotel room. I was thinking vaguely of ordering room service instead of my until-now evening plan of a banana and two pieces of dried mango. I walked in and.... On the desk was an ENORMOUS bowl of fresh fruit, chocolate, bottle of chilled champagne in ice with glasses, and a nice apology note.

Thank you for your suggestion. This makes a much lovelier dinner than either of my previous plans.

Re: Not cheap, but evidently I can be bought

[ovrclokd.livejournal.com]

excellent. i'm glad they did the right thing for you, and especially that the timing was so good! the squeaky wheel does, indeed, get the worm. :)

[cat-napp.livejournal.com]

Hang in there, D--and just keep telling yourself that you could still be here in Texas with this lovely 105-degree weather. Yeah, it's not much of a silver lining, but still...

Also, to add to ovrclokd's advice, let your employers who paid for the hotel know the problems that you had--they might want to know about it for future bookings they arrange for other employees.