Reply To: Melia cheeky downgrade

[JDB]

Aston100 wrote:

JDB wrote:

@astra19 – the response of the hotel and head office is appalling and should alert you that they have no concept of hospitality or customer service. They certainly need to offer you a full refund and it’s difficult to believe that even at very short notice you can’t find a hotel that will offer you a massively better experience. People seem to like Melia for the offers that come with status but it does seem like a very second rate operator.

Tell me Mr JDB, are there any hotels chains that meet your approval?

The issue the OP has experienced at the Melia Düsseldorf isn’t really about chains but rather crap hotel management. If you take a long ago booked room/suite out of service for maintenance you need to have a plan in place to re-accommodate guests. Unfortunately within a chain setting, bad owners couldn’t care less as demonstrated here.

Re chains, I think Hyatt is a cut above the rest, is far more consistent across its brands and works hard to enforce standards. Park Hyatt is run as a genuinely luxury brand unlike Ritz Carlton, Waldorf Astoria, St Regis etc that are just pigs with lipstick playing at luxury and not winning save on luxury pricing. It’s all just too haphazard. I think Premier Inn offers consistency and great value.

It’s complicated but essentially these chains are taking the micky – it’s currently all about adding new properties and stuff the quality of the existing estate. Many have commented post the BA TP bombshell that they put up with rubbish service, dirty planes, poor punctuality etc. and the only glue that attached them to BA was BAEC/status and these hotel schemes are remarkably similar. People are hooked into staying with particular chains for all the wrong reasons and overpaying with so called ‘member’ rates etc.

I’m afraid I like freedom of choice and generally prefer an independent hotel or Airbnb type property where the owner puts fresh flowers in my room rather than a Kit Kat or a bottle of tombola wine. I prefer hotels with character, design and ambiance rather than an ugly dark box with a window at one end.

I stay in big chain hotels from time to time and get treated at least as well if not better than the top tier status people and invariably pay less as I’m not on the treadmill. I particularly don’t like maybe upgrades; I want to know exactly where I will be staying unless I’m on my own when I don’t care much.

Re Melia, I think the discounts offered from Gold status and the app discount I have noticed you referring to previously are a clever ploy to distract you from the reality of their pricing structure and the feel good factor and hoped for benefits discourage you from looking at better alternatives.