Tip for staying in a Hotel with a difficult child

[Andrea Danielle]

OK, I just discovered a great solution, if I do say so myself :smile:

We are staying here in Niagara Falls at the Tourette Conference, having a great time with difficult child but one thing that has caused explosions is that darn basket full of expensive chips, chocolate and candy that they put in the room. From first thing each morning, difficult child has been begging for something sweet from the basket, then it turns to rage when he can't have it. After 3 days of this, I finally clued in that I could do something about it. I went to the front desk and asked for it to be removed, they insisted that it would cost me $25.00 to take it out! I asked for the Manager, pleaded with him and explained his disorders and of course they waived the charge and removed the basket right away.
Now I know, in future, when booking a hotel room to tell them from the start that we cannot have a basket of goodies in the room and the reason for it. That would have been about 4 explosions we could have saved if I had thought of it earlier. But our last day of this trip should be easier! Now I am drinking my wine thinking how clever I am.

:smile:

Andrea

 

[Big Bad Kitty]

$25.00 to have it REMOVED?? Good for you for pleading your case, warrior mom!


I'd have had that thing hidden in the closet on day one...

 

[Sara PA]

I would have carried it down to the desk and handed it to them. I wouldn't have charged them a thing.

 

[Sharon1974]

Maybe you should charge them for your services if you remove it for them.

 

[susiestar]

This is a huge profit generator for hotels. The charge for removal is a way to try to get people to buy more over priced stuff from it.

In almost every case, asking a manager to take care of something like this works. IF for some reason it did not work, contact the Hotel Chain management.

We stayed in a hotel one Christmas, near my inlaws. They are only an hour away, but thought it would be fun to go swimming with the kids. There was GUM on the floor in that little space under the bed between the bed support. Pre-chewed and sticky, of course.

They tried to charge us over $75 for the gum, saying we put it there. I found it with my shoe when we had been there less than an hour. The manager insisted that they could test it chemically to see how long it had been there. RIIIGHT.

The owner (franchise of large chain) finally agreed to take the $75 charge off when I mentioned that it is really fun to talk about strange customer service when I subbed for my professor mom's college marketing classes. Or at parties with her colleagues. Sometimes it used to become a "who has had teh strangest, best, worst customer service contest" among her colleagues. And the stories get passed on by the other profs too.

I know Dang well that it was NOT one of my kids, because we didn't buy gum. The smell of it sent difficult child into a total meltdown. He just couldn't handle it, so we NEVER had it.

Hotels can usually be talked out of stupid (in my humble opinion) charges like this. You just have to keep insisting, making sure that you act like you are sure the hotel wants to comply.

Good tip!

Susie

 

[Big Bad Kitty]

I would have carried it down to the desk and handed it to them. I wouldn't have charged them a thing

.

 

[jannie]

How is the conference? I was just reading a newletter from the Tourette's Syndrome association. So glad you solved the problem of the sweets.

 

[Marguerite]

We do the same thing with our kids. We've never been asked to pay for it to be removed though. I'd like to see them try - husband would have them on toast. But then again, it WAS husband who asked in the first place, each time.

We're in Canberra at the moment, although staying with easy child this time. When we were last here just over a year ago, we were staying in a motel room right in the centre of the city - a studio apartment with tiny kitchen and bar fridge to supply all our needs for the week. When we looked in the bar fridge, there was no room for any of our supplies, with all their stuff. Immediately on check-in, we asked for it to be emptied. We did have to watch, though - on check-out they tried to charge us for the entire contents, saying we had eaten/drunk it all, until we explained the situation. So it helps to get the record of your room endorses with something to indicate you did NOT consume the contents.

And then, of course, we go out and buy our own goodies from a nearby supermarket, at a fraction of the price! We buy the stuff WE want and will permit. Fresh fruit (especially special treat fruit such as strawberries, mango, watermelon) and salad vegetables, so we can make our own sandwiches, toast and light meals instead of paying a fortune for maybe not-so-fresh ingredients.

And $75 to remove gum - that's ridiculous! They have ice cubes in that bar fridge don't they? The cleaning staff just have to put ice on the gum until it chills it and the gum will crack off the carpet. Ice does not cost $75!

Marg