Introducing The Editors

Welcome to the editors blog. Who are we? HOTELS’ Associate Editor Adam Kirby, 26, brings a fresh set of eyes to the business and a youthful point of view; Senior Editor Derek Gale, 28, brings you the perspective of a seasoned reporter and former hotel employee; and I turn 50 in the fall and bring you 20-plus years of experience covering the hotel and restaurant industries. Take us for what we are worth: Outsiders looking in to the hotel industry as reporters with global perspectives, and as seasoned travelers with keen eyes for what is right and wrong with the hotel business.

We are immersed in this industry every day and can identify the noteworthy stories for you. We will use this space to inform you about hospitality trends, fads, hot news and research. We will offer opinion, perhaps chide you a bit and pay compliments when and where deserved—probably a lot more of the former than the latter as we have to remain as objective as possible. But here in the blogosphere, I guess we have a bit more leeway to speak our minds, and we hope you respond to our posts with your own ideas, opinions and thoughtful commentary. Don’t be shy. Please tell us what is on your mind and what you think about our posts here.

I will get the ball rolling with two topics: hotel fees and mini-bars.

In late May, apparently an Oregon man was suing Starwood Hotels & Resorts over a US$28 “bellman gratuity” and a US$4 per night housekeeping fee placed on his folio at the The Phoenician in Scottsdale, Arizona. He claimed he was never told about these fees in advance (the hotel claims all fees are clearly stated by check-in time) and that his advance reservation document only highlighted his nightly room rate and taxes. Now he has a lawyer trying to create a class-action suit against Starwood.

This is not a brand new topic but one that seems to be getting more attention lately. The print and online media is covering it more lately, as are the television networks.

I know of at least one other resort in the Phoenix area that does the same thing and also charges a “resort fee,” whether you use the resort facilities or not. I have stayed at one of these hotels with other industry contemporaries and we sat together and similarly groused about the charges. We were all there on business and had no time to use the spa, pool, etc.

Successful or not, I don’t understand why hotels don’t fold these fees into the room rate because they irritate consumers and business travelers who have a hard time explaining the fees to the accountant who cuts reimbursement checks. No one likes to get “nickled and dimed” and the practice does absolutely nothing to build loyalty. I will be curious to see how or if this suit proceeds, how much attention the media gives it and how Starwood (they are far from the only hotel company employing this practice) and other hotel companies react in kind. I would love to get hoteliers feedback on this topic.

Now I want to rant on mini-bars. A May 17 TripAdvisor report said price, not selection, is the most important factor when it comes to using the mini-bar as 94% of travelers surveyed said they would use the mini-bar more often if the prices were reasonable.

I know there are high labor costs associated with maintaining these mini-refrigerators and apparently little profit margin as they are currently operated. So why bother if, according to the survey results, 33% never even use the mini-bar—probably because like me they stop at the mini-mart on the street corner to get a bottle of water and a snack at less than half the price before retiring at the hotel for the evening? What I do like are the hotels that are putting in a “pantry” or Grab-and-Go markets in the lobby with reasonably priced sundries and snacks. Other hotels are swapping out their mini-bars for empty mini-refrigerators to satisfy the likes of me.

And forget the cute and/or kinky approach with “intimacy kits.” Save the condoms, tickle feathers and lubricants (I rarely get to travel with my wife, and even if I did…) and give me a reasonably priced bottle of water and box of Oreos.

I think the mini-bar is a great service and price is not a turn-off to everyone, but there has to be a better way to make this work for the hotel and the guest. What are your ideas?