Episode 220 - What Is Going On With Hotels?

Hello and welcome to episode 220 of Travel Stories from the Back Again and Gone. Being recorded in the beautiful home office of Chateau’ Relaxo, FL. If you’re a new listener, welcome; and if you’re a returning listener, welcome back.In this episode, I ask a very simple question, “What’s going on with hotels?” Thanks for listening.Over the past 26 years, I have probably spent, conservatively, 2000 nights in hotels, that’s a humble brag. I know for a fact that with Hilton, it’s over 1000, which is one of their requirements for lifetime diamond status, and I hit that probably seven or eight years ago. I am a lifetime Titanium with Marriott, and last time I looked, I had over 700 nights with them. Then, throw in the first four or five years when I stayed at Holiday Inn Express properties, mixed with countless conventions and company kickoffs, I would say it is well over 2000 nights.And maybe it’s me, maybe I have just hit a bad string of hotels as I am traveling in a new territory and trying to get the lay of the land, thank you Progressive Insurance’s Dr. Rick, as to where the best hotels are.Back in the good old days, I sound like my father now. I had some elite status with Holiday Inn, and I could remember every time I stayed at the Crown Plaza in Greenville, South Carolina. There would be a knock on the door, and somebody from the kitchen would be there with a plate of cheese and fruit, and a small bottle of wine. Thanking me for my status. Now you receive an automated text five minutes after you walk into your room, asking if everything is to your liking. I have no idea. I just walked into the room. Give me a few minutes to unpack.If you’ve never stayed at a DoubleTree property, one of their claims to fame is that you receive a nice warm chocolate chip cookie upon check-in. It used to be that if you had Hilton Diamond status, they presented you with a nice tin that held half a dozen chocolate chip cookies, and after almost every trip, the tin made it home with one or two cookies missing. I recently stayed at the DoubleTree by the Cincinnati airport. I was not offered a cookie and did not even see the heated cookie drawer, which is typically located behind the counter.I completely understand that we are all having to do more with less, and I’m sure you could partially blame it on COVID, as nobody traveled consistently for probably six or seven months. However, I believe some of the decline began before COVID. It used to be that most hotels had some manager’s reception, typically on Monday or Tuesday nights, since that was when most road warriors started their travel week, but those are few and far between now.One of the next changes I noticed was the shift from individual disposable toiletries to large wall-mounted dispenser bottles. My environmentalist side completely understands and agrees with not filling up the landfills; however, the hygiene side of me would prefer to be clean. On my last trip, the shampoo bottle in the shower was actually torn out of the wall and sitting on the soap tray. And the shampoo gel bottle, the most important bottle, was empty. The other thing that I miss about the individual toiletry bottles is that I would routinely bring them home, and we would donate them to the local homeless or women’s shelter. Think of it as Hilton and Marriott paying it forward.Another thing I have noticed over the last year or so of traveling is that most Hilton hotel rooms no longer have a bedside clock. Not a huge deal for most of us since we use our smartphones, or at least I do, as my alarm clock. I have no idea how many rooms there are in the Hilton hotel chain worldwide. I’m guessing over 1 million, and they’re probably paying between $10 and $15 for that bedside alarm clock. If that’s the direction they are heading, that’s easily a $10-$15 million savings by not having to replace them. Where are those savings going?Another bone of contention for many travelers is that you no longer automatically have daily room service as you did in the past. Typically, I see it is offered every other day unless you request it daily. I, for one, never have room service come into my room during my stay. If I need more towels, I can always go downstairs, but I’m not everyone, and I’m sure that there are people who want or need daily housekeeping. This has to be a direct response to COVID, as most hotel chains either furloughed or let people go during that time, and then found this to be a suitable workaround now that people are back to traveling.Now, I must hand it to Marriott and the fact that the full-service Marriott or the Renaissance Marriott locations still offer the concierge lounge, which doesn’t seem like much, but it’s a great way to start the day with a nice breakfast or wind down the day with an adult beverage and some snacks.Let’s talk about the conditions of hotels. So I’ve spent the last year traveling almost like it was 2019, and during that time, I have yet to see one hotel that was doing any remodeling or renovations, and that used to be a very common sight. There would be a few of those large shipping containers in the parking lot and a couple of hallways taped off with a drop cloth, but that seems to have gone by the wayside.On a recent trip, I went downstairs for my morning workout, and the dumbbell rack held a pair of 15-pound dumbbells and a single 5-pound dumbbell. Somehow, I don’t think somebody stole the other pairs of dumbbells, but you never know. That same fitness center also had a cable tower where you could do a variety of exercises, but it had only one handle, the other being torn off. And if you wanted to watch TV while you were working out, good luck, as the cables were just wound up in a ball hanging down from the TV set. I certainly don’t expect a Retro or a Planet Fitness, but I would expect whatever is in there to be functioning.On the same trip, but in a different hotel, still a Hilton property, there was a giant chip missing from the bathtub, and the iron in the room did not work. I went down to the front desk to get another iron, and one of the plastic plates was missing, exposing the iron’s wires. Being smart, I made sure to touch the wires to verify the iron was in working order.Same trip, third hotel, and this one was a Home 2 Suites, which typically has a small kitchen, real plates and glasses, and a mid-size refrigerator. One of the glasses still had lipstick from a previous guest. This is one of the reasons that you never use glasses that aren’t wrapped in plastic when you stay in a hotel room. I replied to the automated “Welcome” text with a picture of the glass and the comment, “It looks like someone forgot to clean this glass.” No response, no acknowledgment. I guess management didn’t have anything in the playbook for a lipstick-stained glass.Another thing I have noticed is that almost every hotel room has a QR code you can scan with your phone to tip the housekeeping staff. The first time I saw this, I was not a fan because I feel that whoever is cleaning the room should get the tip, and tips should not be pooled so that everybody gets an equal share of the tips, even if they didn’t do an equal share of the work. At the same Home 2 Suites with the lipstick glass, I actually scanned the QR code instead of leaving some cash on the counter, and on the landing page, it asks if I want to cover the $0.59 service fee so the full tip goes to the housekeeping team. I am willing to bet that part of that $.59 goes to the hotel chain, and the remainder goes to the company processing the tip. Again, it is easier to leave some cash on the countertop when I leave.What is really perplexing is that hotels are more expensive than before. We use a third-party booking site, and there is a $ 135-per-night threshold, before taxes and fees, that, if we exceed, will not notify our manager. Every single hotel room I have booked in the last 12 months has been over $135, so if we are paying more for a hotel room, why are we receiving fewer services rather than more?Some of the hotel drama is caused by the patrons. Again, it might be that grumpiness is setting in, but I have noticed more kids running up and down the hallways and slamming doors, and summer break has just started. Over the years, I’ve seen countless hotel guests leave their room service trays and Uber delivery bags outside their door. But recently, I have seen used food containers placed on the floor directly across from the elevators.I must add that the hotel staff is as friendly and helpful as ever. Reminding me of daily food and beverage credits, accommodating my late checkout requests, and still offering up local eateries to dine at.How about a few travel stories from around the blogosphere?I found this on Padlle Your Own Kanoe, and remember that’s Canoe with a “K”.So Atlanta—yes, Atlanta, the airport that already feels like a Costco on Black Friday crossed with a Delta boarding group is considering replacing the TSA with a private security company.And honestly… I don’t know whether to be excited or terrified.Because on one hand, TSA is… TSA. You show up, take off your shoes, your belt, your dignity. A guy named Todd stares at your laptop like it personally offended him. And somehow your bag gets flagged because you packed a granola bar like it’s a weapon of mass destruction.But now we’re like, “You know what would make this better? Let’s privatize it.” Because nothing says “relaxing travel experience” like turning airport security into… Comcast.“Your security screening is important to us. You are currently number 47 in line. For faster service, please upgrade to TSA Plus Premium Max.” You know they’re gonna tier it.Basic screening: You wait 2 hours, they lose your bin, and someone yells at you for having a water bottle.Premium screening: They let you keep your shoes on, but they still judge your packing choices.And then there’s the VIP tier, where a guy named Chad waves you through while saying, “You look like you’ve been through enough.”Also, can we talk about how Atlanta is the world’s busiest airport? That’s not the place you experiment.That’s like McDonald’s saying, “Hey, during the lunch rush, let’s test a new burger that takes 45 minutes.” No. That’s when you stick to the system—even if the system is yelling “LAPTOPS OUT” like it’s a CrossFit class.And I imagine the private company trying to make it… fun. “Welcome to security! Today’s theme is tropical! Please remove your shoes while Jimmy Buffett plays in the background.” No. I don’t want vibes. I want consistency. I want to know that, no matter which airport I’m in, someone will aggressively point at a bin and say, “Everything goes in here,” as I’ve never seen a container before.Also, what happens to TSA PreCheck? Are we gonna have like… “PreCheck Plus”? “Congratulations, you’ve been randomly selected for an even MORE exclusive random screening.”At the end of the day, I don’t care who runs security. Government, private company, a group of retired mall cops—I want one thing: stop making me feel like I packed wrong.I followed the rules. I Googled the rules. I watched a YouTube video from a guy named “Travel Dad 84.” And yet somehow, every time… I’m the problem.We often talk about the “Island of Me,” and what I found at View From The Wing is a perfect example of that.So this woman shows up for her flight seven minutes after it’s scheduled to depart and is shocked to find the plane gone.Not while boarding, not at “final call.” Think wheels up and gone. Passengers were already getting their ginger ale.And she’s like, “I need to get on that plane.” The appropriate response to that statement is, “Ma’am… unless you brought a jetpack and a dream, that flight is now a different podcast episode.”So what does “Tardy to the party” do? She starts shoving airline staff. Which is wild, because airline staff are the last people you want to fight. They control everything. Your seat, your rebooking, your emotional stability for the next 12 hours. That’s like yelling at your Uber driver while you’re still in their car.You have to love the logic here. You’re late… so your solution is… aggression?Like, the gate agent is gonna be like, “Oh wow, you shoved me? Totally my fault. Let me call the pilot and tell him to whip a U-turn over Cincinnati.” “Folks, we’re gonna head back to the gate—Debra has arrived.”And let’s be honest—we’ve all cut it close at the airport. But there’s a difference between “I’m sprinting through Terminal B like it’s the Olympics” and “I casually roll up after takeoff like it’s a dinner reservation.”Seven minutes after departure is not late; that’s a plan for another flight. Also, airlines don’t even play around with on-time departures anymore; they will close that door early and push away from the gate like it’s a heist movie.And I guarantee this woman was the type who skipped all the warnings, too, boarding group called, final call, gate closings, while he’s in Hudson News, like, “Do I need this neck pillow? Yeah, I deserve this.”At some point, you have to accept it; you missed your flight, it happens. You take the L, you rebook, and you quietly become the kind of person who shows up two hours early forever.We have to mention Spirit Airlines, as it was the source of so many Fight Club and Thank You, Florida segments.In case you’ve been living under a rock, Spirit Airlines is officially dead, done, kaput. The ultra‑low‑cost carrier that built its whole brand on “Bare Fare” and charging you for your own breathing rights has finally run out of runway. And honestly, the funeral should include complimentary snacks that are not $17.Spirit spent years telling us, “If you want cheap, you gotta pay for everything else.” Boarding passes were free, but your carry‑on was a separate business transaction. You could bring your own lunch, but if you forgot your Lil’ Debbies, and you needed Spirit had to sell you a mildly stale bag of pretzels for.Now that Spirit is gone, I’m just waiting for the patented “I told you so” moment from other airlines. Kind of like the way a gym bro nods at the guy who signed up for the “$10‑a‑month” plan and then never shows up.But the story of Spirit’s downfall is basically a three‑act drama: Act One, the pandemic makes everyone poor and airlines stupid. Act two, Spirit doubles down on ultra‑cheap fares to fill planes, but then competition shows up—legacy carriers figured out how to copy Spirit’s “basic economy” model and started undercutting them on Spirit’s own turf.Spirit was like, “We’re the budget kings!” and the big airlines were like, “Cool, we’ll just add ‘Pay‑Per‑Everything’ and call it Tuesday.”Then act three: high fuel prices, a failed merger with JetBlue that the government blocked because it was “too much power for budget carriers,” and finally, two bankruptcies that didn’t fix the business model, and only added legal fees.Spirit basically tried to survive on razor‑thin margins so thin they were transparent. And once fuel prices spiked after tensions with Iran, those margins turned negative.There was also talk of a government bailout, like, hey, maybe we throw $500 million at the airline that made you pay for legroom, but then the bondholders said, “Eh, we’d rather let it die than get bumped in line.”So on a random Saturday morning, Spirit taps the mic and says, “Thanks for flying Spirit, because we’re closing for good.”Flights canceled, customer service links turned into “404: Not Spirit,” and 17,000 employees suddenly realized their last job was charging people for seat selection but not for emotional support.The real kicker? Spirit was the first U.S. airline to shut down in 25 years, and it went out the same way it lived: loudly, cheaply, and slightly confusing for everyone involved.So rest in peace, Spirit. The skies are quieter, your fees are gone, and somehow, your brand lives on in the memories of every passenger who paid $40 extra to exist in the same cabin as everyone else.It’s vacation time, in case anyone has the extra cash for a vacation. It’s also time to ask the question once again, “Is it cheaper to fly or drive?”The annoying answer is, it depends. If you only look at the headline price, flying can look like the winner, especially when you see one of those weird low fares that makes you think, “Wow, I’m basically getting there for the price of lunch.” But then the airport starts collecting its fees like it’s running a toll booth on common sense.Because the real cost of flying is never just the ticket, it’s baggage fees, airport parking, rideshares, food at the terminal, and the time spent getting there two hours early because everyone now treats the airport like a hostage negotiation. That cheap flight can quickly turn into an expensive day once you add all the extras.Driving has its own hidden costs, too. There’s gas, tolls, wear and tear, maybe an overnight hotel if the trip is long enough, and the fact that your car becomes a rolling math problem. But for shorter trips, driving usually wins because you’re not paying all those airport-related add-ons. You also get more control, which is worth a lot when travel goes sideways. If your flight gets delayed, canceled, or “rescheduled” into another dimension, suddenly that nice, cheap airfare doesn’t feel so cheap.For families or groups, driving often makes even more sense because the cost gets shared. A plane ticket is a plane ticket for every person, but a car full of people can split gas and tolls. That’s why family road trips still exist, even though everybody in the back seat is one snack away from a court case.For solo travelers traveling long distances, flying can start to look better. If the drive is so long that you need a hotel, two days off work, and a playlist strong enough to keep you conscious, flying may be worth the money. The key is to compare the full trip, not just the ticket or the gas tank. If you’re only looking at one number, you’re probably missing the part where travel companies quietly reach into your wallet.So the real answer is: drive when the trip is short, the group is bigger, or you want control. Fly when the distance is long enough that your time matters more than the extra expenses. And no matter which one you choose, always assume the trip will cost a little more than you planned, because travel always finds a way to add a surprise charge.When it comes to business travel, one of my deciding factors is whether my flight has a connection. For example, if I need to go to Mobile, AL, it’s a 7-hour drive. If I fly, I get to connect in Atlanta. By the time you factor in getting to the airport early, a layover, and then picking up a rental car, it’s close to the same 7 hours, but with the added expense of a rental car and the difference between mileage reimbursement and the cost of the plane ticket. I’m certainly not making any money with mileage reimbursement, especially with the high cost of fuel.This may be one of those episodes where I look back, reflect, and chalk it all up to being older and grumpier.Well, there you have it, Episode 220, where I ask the questions. “What’s going on with hotels?”For long-time listeners, thank you for your comments and emails. For new listeners, I hope you return.If you want detailed show notes, links, and pictures, head over to Substack at travelstories.substack.com/You can also leave me a message on Anchor or email me at [email protected] for reading The Travel Stories Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.As I always say, travel safe, stay safe, and thanks for listening. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit travelstories.substack.com