The joys of a provincial Marriott

[jj]

Although I’m thoroughly provincial, my UK hotel stays are mainly in London. And my heart sinks when the need to earn an honest crust for a day’s labour finds me in a provincial Marriott.

I won’t name today’s offender, but…housekeeping every third day; white plastic uPVC skirting boards; white plastic desktop fan instead of air conditioning; instant coffee; ceiling low enough to touch; plastic faux-granite sink; over-bath shower; faux-stone bathroom tiles; former mini-bar fridge unit screwed shut so lukewarm drinking water; cheap toiletries; uPVC bath panel; pokey window. Heaven help me if I eat here.

This hell-hole cost the company £125 per night without breakfast and scores 4.4 on Google Maps. Am I being a snob, or is this why UK tourism in Britain is struggling?

[YC]

Nothing new. Better off in a travelodge to be honest.

[davefl]

Dunno if anyone saw my post on Wed as it was in the spam filter but there’s a UK auction house selling off 60 very smart brand new bathroom mirrors which are ex-Marriott. Looks like someone either screwed up or a big planned refurb has been cancelled, so I wouldn’t expect any improvement in the near future.

Housekeeping on the 3rd day, try Holiday Inn GV in Las Vegas. No housekeeping at all irrespective of your length of stay unless you pay $50 extra for it.

Seems like only new properties/brands get the love these days.

[TGLoyalty]

@davefl suspect those mirrors were for the Sheffield courtyard, construction stopped last year.

@jj what really cheeses me off is when hotels refurb about 50% of the space and wonder why rates are still low. Hallways, stairways, gyms are all important to first impressions and we can’t tell when it’s been done on the cheap. Or give it the Thisle treatment ie fancy new public areas but the rooms just get a lick of paint and the worst of the furniture replaced.

[davefl]

@TGLoyalty Interesting and a shame, Sheff needs more hotels. I’d have gone for a couple but they’re just too large for the space I’ve got.

[JDB]

@TGLoyalty – the trouble is these are just low calibre, very short term owners, quite probably not very well financed, so they do the bare minimum to keep brand HQ at bay and rely on a captive audience of corporates and loyalty members who can’t or won’t look elsewhere. The situation worsens as rates drift down as the fabric of the place declines. Some brand managed hotels can be quite bad, so it’s not as if they set a good example. Standards of some brands do seem particularly low in the UK.

Airbnb, B&B or pubs/restaurants with rooms and other independents often offer a much better solution.

[TGLoyalty]

Tbf some brands like Indigo or perhaps castlebridge that own most of the good ones in the UK do seem to do a great job of keeping them in good condition or sometimes you get such a good rate you forgive the issues as you know you’ll always get one of the newly refurbed rooms. Though still feel for those that see the pretty pictures but get the old t*rds

[HampshireHog]

I stayed at their very average offering in Durham a while ago for work, one of the many brands, I forget which. Just so depressing.

Brand began with D I think? Possibly Dungeon. Oh and the breakfast was crap too. Wholeheartedly agree with @JDB for mid market personal stays in the UK by and large stay clear of chains with the exception of Premier inns and Indigos

[The Savage Squirrel]

HampshireHog wrote:

I stayed at their very average offering in Durham a while ago for work, one of the many brands, I forget which. Just so depressing.

Brand began with D I think? Possibly Dungeon. Oh and the breakfast was crap too. Wholeheartedly agree with @JDB for mid market personal stays in the UK by and large stay clear of chains with the exception of Premier inns and Indigos

Ahaha; I will think of Delta as Dungeon from now on 😀

Marketing tag line: “Delta – for when you’re too c**p to even be a Marriott.”

[Andrew.]

Most of the UK doesn’t need air conditioning if a room has opening windows. It’s the middle of August and it’s 12C as I stand in Waverley Station right now.

Someone is bound to be delighted that the room has a bath. As long as the skirting was clean and the bathroom was clean, does it really matter what the materials are in a £130 a night hotel. No fridge is disappointing, it would probably be better if the old kit was removed. I’m sure room service can bring you a pot of fresh coffee if that’s your preference.

Any time I’ve stayed in a Hilton, Marriott, or Holiday Inn I find myself disappointed and wished it was a Hampton, Spring Hill, or HiX.

[davefl]

Andrew. wrote:

Any time I’ve stayed in a Hilton, Marriott, or Holiday Inn I find myself disappointed and wished it was a Hampton, Spring Hill, or HiX.

No argument there. Far better experience in the budget brands than the mid tier.

My next stay is in a brand new Moxy over a very substandard Doubletree. Hampton,Sprinhgill and HIX+Suites every time in the USA.

[jj]

@Andrew., yes the materials matter to me. I place a high value on beauty and style, and this place is neither beautiful nor stylish. And the room is uncomfortably warm today despite the rain.

@JDB, if I were with my wife, I would be in an Airbnb, B&B or pub/restaurant with rooms or other independent. Sadly, my PA is still learning her trade.

At least I have some Marriott points that I can redeem in another hell-hole.