Reply To: Hilton Birmingham Metropole charging for pool

[Richie]

jj wrote:

First, I can’t imagine staying in a place rated 3.5 on TripAdvisor and 4.0 on Google Maps. What did you expect? Online ratings are often manipulated, but a score that bad tells you that the hotel management really doesn’t care what guests think.

Second, I can’t find reference to the charge anywhere on the Hilton website. That’s deceitful, but, to be honest, is completely consistent with the low online ratings. Caveat emptor.

But, more widely, if I don’t intend to use a pool, I prefer hotels without one: I don’t like coss-subsidising other guests. For the same reason, I prefer hotels and airlines without loyalty schemes unless I have status in the scheme: I don’t want to cross-subsidise other guests or be treated like a second-class citizen while the red carpet is rolled out for others. And I never eat breakfast in a hotel unless it is included in the deal; it’s the old cross-subsidy thing again.

I’m a firm believer in the power of markets. This will sort itself out in the long run. Unless, of course, people choose to stay in any old dive because…points!

Yes, I don’t buy branded corn flakes in the supermarket, I’m definitely avoiding cross subsidying others.