You're cruising the travel-booking sites, giddy about booking your upcoming vacation. The photo of the waterfront room you just found looks so inviting: The balcony, the beach, the palm trees...and the price is as amazing. But too often, travelers arrive to find the room they booked is nothing like what was depicted in those alluring photos. Unfortunately for the hotel guest, however, the room is close enough to what was advertised to thwart any recourse.
The problem with outsized claims made by hotels and resorts is that we WANT to believe them. We love thinking that with our travel-booking savvy, we swooped in and nabbed a fantastic deal on a tropical vacation just seconds before some other would-be vacationer prized it out of our sun-starved hands. As a travel writer, I've had plenty of experiences with rosy depictions of shabby, inconvenient or downright dodgy lodgings and heard about many more from colleagues and friends.
Here are a few of the top claims that draw vacationers to a hotel, and how they may mislead you:
- "Waterfront" - Many travelers are willing to pay extra for an oceanfront room, and hotels know it. But unless your reservations explicitly states that your room will have a view of the EXACT body of water you're expecting to see, be aware that the "water" in question could be the retention pond next to the hotel's Dumpster. It's not always this egregious, but misunderstandings can still disappoint: Many a visitor to Cocoa Beach has booked a waterfront hotel expecting to wake up at the beach, only to find their hotel on the west side of the island overlooking the Banana River. (Lovely for boating and wildlife-watching, but swimming, not so much.)
Also keep in mind that while the pictures of waterfront rooms might feature balconies, your room isn't guaranteed to have one unless the reservation specifically says so. Otherwise, your waterfront view might only be visible by sticking your head out the bathroom window.
- "Free shuttle" - This one is especially relevant for theme park vacations, where parking at the attraction is both cumbersome and expensive and a free shuttle from your hotel can really make your trip more convenient. However, not all free shuttles are created equal. Take Orlando for example: Budget hotels abound, and a free shuttle to Disney, Universal or Sea World may be the deciding factor in which hotel you choose to book. When you arrive, however you discover that the shuttle departs for the park just once, at 8 o'clock in the morning, and returns only at 9 p.m. Your two year old twins will not be amused.
How to avoid this mess? Before you book, call the hotel directly (not the 800 number of the reservation line but the local number that rings at the hotel desk) and ask how often the shuttle runs, what is the shuttle's capacity/how many shuttles does the resort have, and when it begins and ends operation. You'll also want to know if guests can/need to reserve a spot on the shuttle in advance. DON'T rely on the hotel web site for accurate information. During slow times, schedules may change and the sites are often not up to date. Check recent TripAdvisor reviews for on-the-scene information.
For hotels offering airport shuttles, ask if the shuttle operates on a set schedule or on demand, and if your flight is particularly early or late, if they'll be able to accommodate you. A free shuttle loses its luster when it strands you at the airport for 3 hours, or worse, causes you to miss your flight.
"Walking distance to..." - As the great Steven Wright pointed out, anywhere is walking distance if you've got the time. There are no industry standards for how far a reasonable person will walk before determining that they've been had.
"Free Wi-Fi" - Yes, if they advertise it, the hotel will most likely have it, but what you don't know is WHERE they'll have it. The most ridiculous example I've experienced goes like this: I arrive at the very swanky hotel to discover that the "free" Wi-Fi requires a password and credit card. I ask at the desk why this is so. The clerk says that "free" Wi-Fi is only available in the lobby. I return to the lobby with my laptop and discover the same password/credit card scenario. Ask the clerk once again. Oh, she says--you have to pay for it, but then you come up to the desk and tell us that you were using it in the lobby, and we take it off your bill when you check out. Riiiiiight.
Other hotels only offer Wi-Fi in certain rooms. Ask before you book, or check TripAdvisor reviews, which can fill you in on the truth.
- "All-inclusive" - All-inclusive rarely means you won't have to open your wallet once you arrive. Vacationers lured by promises of an open bar often discover that the house-made hunch punch and one or two brands of beer are all that's included, and everything else from the bar costs extra. The same goes for restaurants--some may be included in the "all-inclusive" while others incur an extra charge. Do your homework on activities and equipment rentals as well, so you get what you expect for the price.
It's not that the hotel industry is deceptive, but it's their job to paint the most positive picture of what they have to offer. It's the skeptical traveler's job to scope out the real story to prevent a vacation disaster.
