A disturbing new trend? UK hotels adding a service charge to your room rate

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• James Harper says:

  13 Sep13 September 16:27

  I take the view that optional service charges are exactly that and I always insist they are removed from a bill wherever I am. It’s the hotel or restaurant’s job to pay their staff appropriately from the rates they charge. If I wish to reward service which is over and beyond, then I always carry some cash.

• PM says:

  13 Sep13 September 16:32

  A lot of hotels locked their doors for covid, put staff on furlough, used government loans and grants to do refurbishments, stopped paying suppliers or renegotiated deals. Business rates reductions and tax incentives were fully taken advantage of.

  While this was happening managers were contemplating how to reduce further their costs under the cover of usual environmental sustainability and now covid safety. No plastic, no toiletries, no towels changing, less water pressure, reduced heating for a shorter period, fewer amenities, closure of lounges, no buffets etc.

  While saving brigade was doing well, the revenue team did not waste their time either. Dining service charges, tray payments, water bottles in rooms you need to pay for, dynamic pricing in F&B outlets, forcing own currency exchange rates on terminals, premium rate phone numbers, upgrade gaming solutions etc.

  It is all to either “save the planet” or to “support the industry so affected by covid”.

  Since we are accepting this, shareholders are happy and corporate offices are incentivise these “hoteliers” to push further and this is where room service charges come from.

• Dubious says:

  13 Sep13 September 17:01

  but….what if putting up all these prices to cover the real costs leads to an increase in points cost for redemptions!

  (I jest).

  • Sam says:

    13 Sep13 September 18:48

    Remember this is not a government tariff nor a fee they must charge in the room rate. If they want more money from how much they charge they would do THIS and then increase the base rate which means that redemption rate would increase anyway.

• Lou says:

  13 Sep13 September 18:51

  What I don’t understand. You stay at a prem Inn, and they fall over backwards to make your stay as pleasant as possible. £50/night, no service charge. But as soon as you’re looking at £300/night, they can’t find enough money to pay the staff well and they’re looking to you to top up the pay packet?!

  • Memesweeper says:

    13 Sep13 September 19:36

    Precisely. It’s the higher end places that will try it on, because they can.

  • Sam says:

    13 Sep13 September 20:15

    This is why I have stopped paying for expansive hotels. Mid range hotels at around £80 per night at a Hilton or Doubletree is my go-to, if I need to spend a night elsewhere. Since covid has started I have realised how much I have spent in the past for a one-night life on luxury could have been well spent on my long-term home improvements.

  • PM says:

    13 Sep13 September 20:21

    Premier Inn is honestly priced and gives you a room to sleep. Five star hotels sell you an experience, of being well off, of being superior, not needing to see the little people.

    They know too well you won’t blink in front of a five quid mineral water, that you will enjoy tapping your platinum card for £25 a pizza, and that you won’t challenge a dishonest service charge added to the bill.

    The difference between premier inn and posh hotel room is only in ego of a guest.

    • Rob says:

      13 Sep13 September 21:03

      You have clearly never met a wealthy person in your life.

      • Lee says:

        14 Sep14 September 07:05

        agree – one didn’t become wealthy by wasting money on hotel pizzas!

  • Dansk says:

    14 Sep14 September 10:02

    100%! I had to stay in a Travelodge on Friday for work, markedly better service and equally clean/comfortable room compared to the usual £250/night place that was fully-booked my work usually puts us in. I agree the situation in the US is different, as it’s essentially a wage – in the UK it just feels like indiscreet price gouging

• Roostee123 says:

  13 Sep13 September 19:36

  I went to the Ivy in York last week & they had a 12.% service charge, I asked the waitress if she get’s this.
  She informed me that she got some of it but it gets filtered down through management and then to her. BUT if I tipped her direct she gets it!

  • Kipto says:

    13 Sep13 September 19:44

    Good to know when I use my Platinum Amex £200 credit at my local Ivy restaurant next month.

    • Roostee123 says:

      13 Sep13 September 21:05

      That is why I asked. She had no problem taking it of the bill and adding it to the card machine. She was very honest about it though

  • The Savage Squirrel says:

    13 Sep13 September 20:15

    A work colleague’s relative works at a locally well known restaurant. She showed me the split of the card tips used by management to apportion tips collected. Three (already well paid) managers not involved in service at all get 10% each. Then there was a split through various staff including kitchen staff (fair enough) and admin/maintenance (not fair enough) The relative was a “bottom rung” waitress and they got 0.9% of each tip given.

    Cash is still the way….

    • Lady London says:

      14 Sep14 September 00:00

      Yup that’s the old pretty much discredited tronc system. I remember for some reason, apart from managememt, the wine waiter hierarchy used to do astoundingly well out of it

  • James Harper says:

    14 Sep14 September 16:14

    Thanks, I’m there for lunch one day next week, I’ll have the service charge removed and hand over some cash.

• Sam says:

  13 Sep13 September 20:19

  It’s not that deep to be fair. At checkout just ask for the service to be taken off bill. I feel no shame about this, it’s not like I go a restaurant I need to confront with that nasty face of waiter. Instead it’s the front desk people who need to confront with me about something they should feel guilty of.

• MichaelH says:

  13 Sep13 September 23:52

  I’ve just booked to stay at The Stafford which also has the 5% service fee. I’d actually be happy to pay that if it was then understood and accepted that I wasn’t going to tip at any other stage – i.e. doormen, concierge, housekeeping etc. Perhaps I’m too British in that I just don’t enjoy tipping – the decisions, the handover, the awkward expectation (as per an earlier comment on this thread – this alone is a great reason to travel to Japan). A 5% service charge would be fine to avoid all that. But I’m never quite sure if that is what it implies…

  Would be interested in others’ views – if you know there’s a discretionary service charge would you still tip during a stay?

• Joe says:

  14 Sep14 September 09:39

  Service charges etc are just a blatant admission that you don’t pay your staff properly. I’m surprised any self respecting organisation doesn’t feel embarrassed asking for it. It’s the job of the employer to reward staff who provide their customers with top service.

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