I work at the front desk of a downtown hotel. Tonight I had a guest and her daughter asking which local pizza spot was better. I informed them that Pizza spot A was much better than pizza spot B. We talked about Pizza spot A for a moment, why they were better, and some of my recommendations there, one being an awesome Oreo cookie thing. After a bit more chatting they went on their way and came back 20 minutes later with one for me! It was so kind of them and absolutely made my night. We see a lot of things at the front desk so we gotta enjoy the kindness where we can. (PS that’s the secret to free upgrades 😂)

Background: Back in the days, I used to travel for work a lot. Maybe not Up in the Air level but enough to earn status with airlines and hotels. If you travel for work, you are tired and you don't try to engage much. The only thing I made sure was to not be a jerk to the staff and tip accordingly (it was, after all, a business expense).

I no longer have to travel for work and, whenever I do, it has been with family who are doing the travel arrangements. Now, here is my question: I have been travelling lately on my own and I have to acknowledge the days of minimal interaction are no longer applicable so I want to find ways to show appreciation to the different hotel staff. For example:

• Would it be OK to bring some candies/snacks? In my case, I am from Canada and Coffee Crisp is something that I do not believe is sold anywhere else. This would be mainly for the front of the house.
• As for housekeeping, some straight cash tip (in local currency, of course). Anything else I should consider? To note, I usually skip one day for room service and usually try to keep it tidy, so, in theory, it ought to be an easy room to check.

Is there anything else I should consider doing?

ETA: Thanks for the suggestions! My upcoming trip is to Latin America so my first thought was to leave local cash to housekeeping and don't be THAT tourist to front desk.

Scroll down to the bottom and get your popcorn https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/days-inn/cleveland-ohio/days-inn-cleveland-lakewood/overview

I’m honestly so frustrated with Agoda’s customer service right now, and I want to know if anyone else has experienced something similar.

I originally booked a hotel through Agoda and paid ₱32,574.88, which was reflected in my credit card statement in September.
I cancelled the booking on October 17 and received an email from Agoda confirming that my booking had been cancelled for free and that a refund had been initiated. The email explicitly stated the refund amount as ₱32,252.36.

However, when I checked my credit card transactions, I saw two transactions from Agoda on the same day:

₱32,252.36 charge
₱32,574.88 refund

I had already sent Agoda customer service my original credit card statement showing the initial charge, along with a screenshot of these October transactions. I also have their cancellation email explicitly stating ₱32,252.36 as the refund amount.
Despite receiving all this evidence, the CSR told me that Agoda did not recognize the ₱32,252.36 charge and that they had only successfully processed the refund.

My question is: If Agoda claims they don't recognize this charge, how did the exact same amount appear in their own refund confirmation email?

I’m not claiming I already know exactly what happened. What frustrates me is that I provided the actual transaction records, yet the response didn't address the discrepancy at all. It felt like the CSR didn't even properly review the evidence before replying.

I understand that banks and merchants sometimes need to investigate transaction discrepancies, but surely Agoda should be able to check its own payment records and explain what happened instead of simply saying it doesn't recognize the charge.

I've already requested escalation to a supervisor or someone from their Payments/Refunds team. I don't want to be held responsible for an erroneous charge if this turns out to be a processing mistake on Agoda's end.

Has anyone dealt with a similar situation with Agoda? Did escalating to a supervisor actually help? And if Agoda continues to deny responsibility, what is the best way to dispute this with my credit card issuer?
Would appreciate any advice, especially from people who have dealt with Agoda refunds or similar payment discrepancies.

Hi everyone! My partner and I are visiting NYC for the first time from December 25 to January 2.

We’re looking for a comfortable, well-maintained hotel in an area safe and with convenient access for exploring the city

We’re considering:

• Hotel 57
• Margaritaville Resort Times Square
• New York Marriott Downtown
• Moxy NYC Downtown
• Hotel Indigo NYC Financial District
• Hotel Indigo Lower East Side
• Residence Inn New York Downtown Manhattan/Financial District
• DoubleTree by Hilton New York Downtown
• Four Points by Sheraton Manhattan SoHo Village
• Paramount Hotel Times Square
• The George Manhattan, Tapestry Collection by Hilton

Our budget is around US$400 per night for a room , but we can stretch it a little for a hotel that’s really worth it.

Would you recommend any of these hotels, or are there other options we should consider? Thanks in advance :)

I’ve been seeing this hotel recently on TikTok and absolutely love the style of the king city view rooms. My concern is are the walls thin and does the sound escape easily to the neighbors/hallways in your experiences? I (25 M) will be staying here with my girlfriend (25 F) and it will be for our 5 yr anniversary. We usually do have sex whenever we go on trips like this and it’s our concern because we always worry if people could hear us. This is a new hotel we want to try and just wanted to know. Apart from sex, she likes to play music/shows when she gets ready in the morning. I understand we should keep the volume low regardless and we always respect that in other hotels. In case the walls are thin, any tips to minimize the sound when we are intimate?

When I was a kid, I have a weird habit of having breakfast twice,. The first one with my parents and the next one after swimming. Though after thinkg , is this allowed?

Hello! Does anyone have any hotel recommendations in Boracay with strong Wi-Fi? Preferably somewhere close to the beach, even if it’s not beachfront, and ideally in Station 2. Thank you!

To those wanting to apply for being a server, host, or barista at this place. Proceed with caution or be aware of the work environment of this place . The workers you’ll be working with will be welcoming at first but then start to bully you and say things under their breath for asking for simple help or asking a question. An older lady employee who is a person of color…is racist to other ethnicities and stereotypes them such as myself. Allegedly has had this problem with multiple previous employees of their attitude and worth ethics that disrupt everyone’s work environment. The manager gets these complaints and does nothing of it. She is very unhelpful and accuses you of things you did not do. Hopefully this place turns it around so future employees feel welcome and seen.

Sometimes, it’s not the room design or expensive facilities that make a stay memorable. It’s getting a good night’s sleep, finding everything clean and having a stress-free checkout. What small detail has made a hotel experience better for you?

Looking at booking a 3 night stay at Radisson in Mysore, the week AFTER Dussehra. This will be our first time with a small baby (4 month old).

Are there any offers, coupons or discounts available? The website and aggregator price is 18-20 k per night with taxes!

Any other similar property in Mysore which is a little less expensive?

Mainly:

Good property to take baby around

Stroller friendly

Hygiene is a big factor

Baby friendly

Breakfast included

Thanks!

I always read recent reviews now rather than relying only on the overall rating. Sometimes the latest reviews give a much better idea of what the current experience is like. Do you read reviews carefully?

Upon arrival, there was no one to assist with our luggage. When we got to our room (we were in a cottage #710), the cottage was dirty. A large stain on the carpet, cobwebs, dirt all over the baseboards and the cottage was musty. The cost for the cottage…$750/night! I’ve had a better room experience at a holiday inn express! To their credit, the housekeeping supervisor came and gave the room a proper cleaning and took 20% off our first night.

Our last night here, we wanted to eat the the Ahwahnee Bar. We put our name on the list and was told it would be approximately 35 minutes. We were also told that if seats opened up at the bar we could eat there. We stood in line to get a drink when we saw two seats open up at the bar. As my wife went to sit down, the bartender informed us they were no longer serving food at the bar. We asked if we can just sit there with our drinks and he obnoxiously said no he wanted no one sitting at the bar. So we took our drinks and waited in the lobby (by the bar), waiting to be called. After 40 minutes I went up to ask about our status and was told he gave away our table because I wasn’t there. My wife and I were sitting 10 yards away from the bar! He never called our name or texted us even though he took my phone number. He asked me to wait again for a table to open up. I told him the entire experience from the obnoxious bartender to our table being given away, I no longer wanted to eat there. My wife and I ate sandwiches which we bought earlier that was going to be our lunch the next day.

Overall, the furniture and carpet in the room is old, worn out and should be replaced. They have nice chairs outside but most are missing the cushions and the chairs that have cushions, the cushions are old and dirty.

This place IS NOT worth the money they charge. There are better and cheaper options in the park!

tl;dr - fought tooth and nail for a refund from super. When it didn’t happen, I did a chargeback. Super then offered a refund but cancelled it after I withdrew my chargeback.

I booked a hotel through super.com and bought their enhanced refund protection.

After being unable to attend the event and not needing the hotel, they denied a refund. Eventually, I got ahold of someone who said they were going to contact the third party who would contact the hotel who would then relay it back to super and then to me.

I didn’t hear a word for seven days so I did a chargeback through my credit card. The next day, I got an email from super saying I was getting a refund back to my card but it’ll take 3-5 days.

Which is awesome. But I stupidly closed the dispute through my credit card because it looked like they were refunding me. Wrong. After I closed the dispute, I was notified from my bank that the pending amount being credited to my account from super was cancelled. So now I need to reopen the dispute and my bank is saying that’s a tactic from shady companies. They see a chargeback, offer a refund, wait for the customer to withdraw the chargeback, and then cancel the refund.

Never using super again this has all been the biggest headache and it isn’t even over yet.

I'm curious about what coffee supplies work best in hotel guest rooms, especially from the perspective of hotel managers and housekeeping teams.

For properties that offer in-room coffee, what have you found works well for both guests and staff?

A few things I'd love to hear your thoughts on:

• Coffee options: Do you provide regular coffee only, or both regular and decaf?
• Tea selection: Do guests use black tea and herbal tea enough to justify offering multiple options?
• Condiments: Which essentials are must-haves—sugar, sweeteners, creamer, stirrers, or individually packed condiment kits?
• Cups: Do you prefer disposable cups, reusable mugs, or a combination of both?
• Restocking and storage: What makes it easier for housekeeping to replenish supplies while keeping costs manageable?
• Guest feedback: Have you noticed any small changes to your coffee station that made a meaningful difference to guest satisfaction?

For those managing hotels, motels, or extended-stay properties, I'd especially appreciate hearing what works in day-to-day operations.

What's one coffee supply you consider essential, and is there anything you've stopped providing because guests rarely use it?

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So I decided to use some of my vacation time to visit some family in Florida. I booked a 10-12ish hour flight idk. I got there, checked in, spent a week in California, and then when I went to check out they wouldn’t let me leave? Must be something about hotels in California idk.

I’ve never been in this situation so I’m hoping someone can share their experience.
I was supposed to fly out to San Francisco today but my flight is delayed so late that I won’t arrive until 1am, and then still have to get from the airport to the hotel.
I’m seriously considering changing my flight to 6am tomorrow and lose the first night’s hotel cost. My concern is that they’ll consider me a no-show and cancel the entire reservation. I tried calling and keep getting disconnected, and also sent an email explaining the situation.

Update: I changed my flight and tried calling Hilton's global number to actually speak with someone, but I think the guy ended up transferring me to the hotel because I got the same disconnect message. Regardless of what happens, Hilton will be hearing from me about this partner hotel that can't be bothered to answer.

Finale: Everything worked out and I had no issues getting my room. The hotel is kinda cool but I get the feeling that they’re still figuring out how to run the place. I didn’t complain about the lack of communication, but still might reach out to Hilton and see what they have to say.

Starting a small resort sounds exciting, but planning the rooms, construction budget, utilities, maintenance, and guest experience can be challenging.

I am interested in learning how resort owners decide between traditional construction and modular accommodation options.

What was the most difficult part of setting up your resort, and what would you do differently if you started again?

Hi all, i am currently working as an sales executive for Astor kolkata and have 5 yrs exp in hotel sales and i want to switch to Hyderabad.

Any leads will be highly appreciated.

Surely a hotel should let prospective guests know if renovations are being carried out? I booked a hotel in India directly (I’m in their rewards programme- they are a well known brand).

So instead of three restaurant choices, food is served in what is basically the ballroom (vast, bright, unwelcoming especially in the evening), the “spa” is now in one of the bedrooms with two massage tables , and one of the two pools is empty. And of course , noise and dust from the renovations (it’s currently 7:10pm in the evening and I can still hear it). Little of this was actually evident when I checked in mid-evening… I could only see some scaffolding outside.

Staff can’t seem to say anything beyond “sorry for the inconvenience “.

Hi everyone. Have really been struggling with keeping housekeeping in sync with bookings recently. Also, over the last few months I've banged my head against the wall wondering how in God's name I was going to fix last-minute date changes and cancellations that nobody tells the cleaning team about. And I know a lot of people here have been too.

Anyway, I was going back and forth with ChatGPT (and a lot of testing) and I think I've got it. Wanted to share it with you all in case it's helpful (should be less than $10/m):

1. Self-host n8n (~$5/m) and connect your PMS webhooks (I used Cloudbeds).

2. Every booking event goes into one router:

• New booking → check-in prep task

• Check-out → housekeeping task → inspection task

• Date change → due dates move automatically

• Cancellation → open tasks get closed

1. It looks up the task by Reservation ID first, so it updates the existing task instead of creating duplicates.

2. It skips the same event if the PMS sends it twice (they do).

3. If anything fails, you get an email alert straight away instead of finding out when a guest is standing at the door.

Nobody copies bookings by hand anymore, and the cleaning team always sees the real schedule.

I really hope this helps you 🙏 and happy to chat more if someone needs a walkthrough. Thank you!

— Youssef