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Article is behind a paywall if you don’t have a sub but The Sunday Times is reporting that the pool charges are now being dropped:
A Hilton spokeswoman said: “We conducted a small-scale trial in the UK, during which a select few hotels, which recently invested in enhancing their facilities, asked guests to book to use the pool, sauna and steam rooms to help improve guest experience. The charge administered was communicated to guests throughout the hotel booking process. The trial has now concluded, and we do not plan to permanently roll out these charges at these hotels.”
Full article here – https://www.thetimes.co.uk/travel/advice/i-want-my-hotel-pool-back-zxlk5xrgv
reputational damage is probably already done with those that used to book and have walked away a step way too far.
That’s a pleasant surprise, hotels (and airlines) usually just press on with these “enhancements” regardless of consumer feedback!
Yeah – I hate the way they try and put a bit of spin on it.
It would be better if they merely said, this was introduced at a number of properties without due consideration and we are sorry that we have let down our loyal customers on this occasion etc.
Corporates saying sorry is so powerful.
“The charge administered was communicated to guests throughout the hotel booking process”
When I first noticed pool charges at the Harrogate Doubletree a couple of years ago, to see any mention of the pool charge you had to click a small link for “hotel details”, then another link for “visit website”, then scroll down to “amenities” and click another link to expand the section.
It isn’t reasonable to call that communication “throughout the booking process”. It barely counts as communication.
This corporate lingo makes me sick.
Hahaha “We conducted a [small-scale 🙂 ] trial “A select few hotels” asked guests to “book” [not pay?] to use the pool, sauna and steam rooms “to help improve guest experience”
Oh well “It was just a trial”.
After customer backlash, they’d have kept customers’ respect by putting out an honest row-back message on their revision of policy, sooner than to have issued such a meticulously crafted lying message.
Please can all chains now do the same for “resort fees” “extra person charges” and “discretionary service charges”?!
Please can all chains now do the same for “resort fees” “extra person charges” and “discretionary service charges”?!
Never understood why it’s called “discretionary”.
Just call it a sneaky service charge, cos that’s what it is.Please can all chains now do the same for “resort fees” “extra person charges” and “discretionary service charges”?!
Never understood why it’s called “discretionary”.
Just call it a sneaky service charge, cos that’s what it is.Biden originally was assumed to be eradicating these resort fees – by forcing them into the nightly rate. However I expect they had issue finding a legislative vehicle for it so instead the package announced last week was done via the DOT for flights only.
If resort fees do get wrapped into nightly rates, it will be a huge boost to those of us who redeem points and free night vouchers in the US.
Ironically, this is where Hilton redemptions stand out as (for the moment, anyway), they don’t charge resort fees on points bookings. I’ve just booked 5 nights at Resorts World Bimini so as well as getting 0.9p per point for that stay, we’ll also save $45 per night.
‘Asked guests to book to use the pool’, piss off, theres a big difference between ‘asked to book’ and being forced to pay extra to use it.
Wasnt there also some eu hotels that were charging? Cannes maybe? Did anyone tell the south of france its in the uk now? 😀
To be far that’s probably a comment by the UK office not global … a single market representative doesn’t speak for the whole of the globe and even then it’s not every nuisance
Genuine spa hotels with health club extensions might charge for pools etc unless you book a spa treatment or package for example just needs to be clear.
I just had a look at Bristol North which I am sure when I booked didn’t have a fee for the pool. I cancelled it last week when it was showing a fee for the pool. The fee is not showing. I note Birmingham Metropole is still showing their fee.
Spent a night this weekend at Puckrup Hall – charge is noted on lots of documentation (website, order confirmation, pre-arrival email) but no mention of it at the hotel.
Syon Park is still showing the £25 charge on the booking page…
Stayed at Hilton Doubletree Sheffield and can confirm they STILL CHARGE for the pool..£5 per person..I said to them I thought Hilton said they dropped the charges and they said not yet
Reported on LL as “taking time to update” https://loyaltylobby.com/2024/07/20/hilton-uk-hotels-have-cancelled-in-door-pool-usage-fees/
@davefl – I’d read that as the app/web text would take time to update, rather than the charge itself. Seems a bit cheeky of the hotel if you ask me given the announcement was over 3 months ago
@Olly I agree, I think it was appalling to charge in the 1st place and if I were much of a swimmer I’d have been avoiding those properties anyway.
Sick of these brands nickel and diming. Just rethought a planned 8 nights at 7 Proteas when I discovered that Marriots’s 2 nights only count as 1 for status actually means that you have to stay 2 nights. You don’t get 0.5 stay credit for staying 1 night.
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