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Hotels cut back on fruit, everything else

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) on Jan 24th 2009 at 1:00PM

At the low end and high end, hotels are slicing away amenities. Some are the little things that you may not notice, but others will stand out. However you stack it up, you get less for your money. When you hit that discount rate, realize that you may be getting a discounted experience.

What's disappearing? Several Marriott properties have stopped leaving hand lotion in guestrooms, requiring guests to call the front desk and ask for it. You'll find fewer towels at Wyndham hotels, and those in the Ritz-Carlton family are shortening operating hours for restaurants, retail shops and spas.

Sometimes, the impact is noticeable, even if the cuts are not. Check-in lines are likely to get longer, and you'll be disappointed if you expect to enjoy a cup of coffee while you wait. Lobby food is disappearing across the country. This is what happens when hotels compete on price.

[Thanks, Bob Johansmeyer (yes, we're related), [Via the Wall Street Journal, photo of amenities at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples, FL]

Filed under: Business, North America, United States, Hotels and Accommodations, Budget Travel, News

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Bob Johansmeyer Jan 24th 2009 4:00PM

"Sometimes, the impact is noticeable, even if the cuts are not. Check-in lines are likely to get longer, and you'll be disappointed if you expect to enjoy a cup of coffee while you wait. Lobby food is disappearing across the country. This is what happens when hotels compete on price."

Change a few words and you're describing what happened a few decades ago at the end of airline regulation, when the airlines no longer competed on service but instead on price. All we need now to complete the experience is TSA security in the lobby.