avoiding stuffy and inflexible service at nice european resorts
 

stayed at many wonderful resorts in europe and were shocked by rude and defensive comments by staff members at hotel du lac in riva la garda. beautiful hotel, but guests do not deserve to ne treated as inhospitable as we did, particularly after spending a very hefty sum for a high end room. when politely requesting a simple coffee/tea unit, we were given such grief and made to feel that we were somehow being too demanding. Before being outright rude to us, they first claimed, very defensively and inhospitable, that, well no hotel in Italy does such a thing as coffee or tea in the room. I told them we just came from Hotel Accademia in Verona and they had it without even asking for it. They went on to say, rudely and defensively, well in Italy, no one drinks tea or coffee after ten, the time when their breakfast service ends. after pleading with them more and explaining that it is quite commonplace to have this in most good hotels, they exasperatedly responded, that well the could send up a water heater with personally delivered instructions (like we don't know how to properly operate one) and that as far as the tea bags or coffee - you're on your own - you can buy them in town. what a beautiful resort wasted on lame service !

Your expectations were simply out of line with their reality.

If a hotel does not do room service or provide in room coffee making facilities, then that is the way it is. It is YOUR responsibility to insure that the hotel you book offers the services you want.

Expecting them to change to suit just you and then calling them unreasonable, defensive or anything else, is ridiculous. It is YOU that was being unreasonable.

I recall once trying to get a waiter in France to bring me a sandwich after 2pm. The garden patio area was open for drinks but lunch service had ended. I tried saying, 'bring me anything to eat, it doesn't matter what, I've been bicycling all morning and am starving. Surely, a sandwich or something is possible?'

His reply to me was, 'Vous etes en France monsieur' and he walked away.

They make the rules, you make sure you know them.

Another poster who tags his complaining thread as a trip report.

Why couldn't you go to the restaurant or cafe rather than pleading for something the hotel was not going to supply. Next time, find out if the hotel can accommodate your expectations before booking.

I can speak of Greece where tea and coffee making facilities in the room are not offered, with very few exceptions.

I see it often mentioned in the evaluation of hotels in booking.com, and i a bit surprised since this is clearly not something you can find in the country. People are usually expecting it because they have it in their own country.

Since this is not common at all, asking the reception will result with a polite " sorry not possible" as an asnwer, and this should be accepted without any complaints.

Of course rude behaviour is unacceptable !

The only places I have seen tea making facilities in a room was in the UK and in Ireland.

<< The only places I have seen tea making facilities in a room was in the UK and in Ireland. >>

And Malta.

There was a Keurig machine in our hotel room in Prague. Total (but welcome) surprise.

Could you have ordered coffee or tea through room service?

In the US many chain hotels have coffee making facilities (but not tea unless you bring your own tea bags - and are willing to use that powder milk stuff) in the rooms. Many - but certainly not all. They also have ice machines and soda machines on most floors.

This is not the case in most of europe.

Just different habits and expectations.

I have been in coffee shops (not Starbucks but the lunch type) in NY where people have order pots of tea. They don't serve pots of tea. They serve a cup of hot water and a tea bag. The place does not have any tea pots - since drinking pots of tea at lunch is NOT an american habit. (There are specific places that feature tea as a meal of fou fou hotels that will give you a pot of hot water - but not the hundreds of average coffee shops.) Again - just different local habits. And no point in complaining or being difficult.

You registered just to post this? If you had joined before your trp maybe your expectations would have been more in line with reality. I grew up in England, and I live in the US, but I don't expect tea/coffee making facilities anywhere else, and not always in the US.

Any hotel like the Du Lac expects its guests to appear in the breakfast room for a full breakfast with good coffee or to order room service. A coffee-maker in the room would be a tacky admission that the hotel couldn't provide adequate services. An in-room coffee maker is the equivalent of a Motel-6-type device in Italy; of course they don't provide it. It's a classy place. If you're paying all that money to stay there, go to breakfast.

Are you going to finish your trip report? Or add anything about the trip?

You are lucky you can afford to travel and stay at upscale hotels. I guess all you came home with was a negative opinion about your vacation. It's too bad.

Perhaps next time you should stay home and donate the money you would have spent having a lousy time to charity. At least some people would have been happy. Have you ever thought about all those people who can't afford to feed their children...and here's you, whining about not having a coffee pot in your hotel room.

What a sad, sorry person you are.

I suspect a troll. I could be wrong.

I take a small travel kettle. Apart from anything else, it's the only way I could be sure of getting tea as I like it pretty well anywhere on the continent. But then, I don't stay in places expensive enough to be expected to be full-service hotels; and if they were, they would expect guests to be ordering drinks in the bar or from room service, not to be self-catering.

I've stayed at that hotel. I thought it was lovely and the staff were very helpful. (I don't drink tea or coffee so the lack didn't bother me; but I agree it's not common in Italy.)

Yes, cathies, you could be wrong in all your suspicions.

There are many hotels in Italy that have tea and coffee makers in their rooms. I agree one shouldn't expect it, but I encounter it all the time in nice hotels and b&bs. Likewise, on a recent trip to Munich there was a tea coffee maker in the room, and I usually find it in New York City hotels as well.

If you read Tripadvisor or Booking.com reviews, you will see many reviews that focus on whether or not it was possible to get a cup of tea. This is one of the very common ways travelers, in particular from the UK, rate a hotel positively or negatively when it comes to amenities.

And as already pointed out, they can expect bad reviews on the internet if they aren't courteous in explaining to their guests the impossibility of providing certain services in-room.

Since this is Fodor's I can't say I am surprised by untruthful comments like "A coffee-maker in the room would be a tacky admission that the hotel couldn't provide adequate services. An in-room coffee maker is the equivalent of a Motel-6-type device in Italy". (From a poster who hasn't been in Italy for years and very little of it anyway.) Or the truly inane: "Have you ever thought about all those people who can't afford to feed their children...and here's you, whining about not having a coffee pot in your hotel room. What a sad, sorry person you are." No, Adrienne, it is you who are the sad, sorry person having a meltdown every time some fails to post a rah-rah oooh-aaaah trip report for you to read. This person only got frustrated from one episode of bad service. Your whole life looks frustrated if you are hanging around the internet -- especially Fodor's! -- looking for sunshine and charity!

Here is a 2013 review of the Hotel Accademia in Verona where this poster also stayed:

"“Wonderful in every way!”
Reviewed 31 October 2013
We have just stayed for three nights in this wonderful hotel. We did not eat in the restaurant or arrive by car. The staff were always helpful and friendly in every area of the hotel.Breakfast was wonderful and our room was amazing.It was a joy to come 'home' to and put on our comfy slippers.The room and bathroom were spotless.It was great to come back from a days sightseeing and decide whether to have tea and cakes in the tea room or in our own room."

Or this from 2012 in the Hotel Berna in Milan:

"We have nothing but praise for the Hotel Berna. We stayed 3 nights while visiting Milan as part of a three week visit to Italy. Staff all speak English. Reception staff were exceptionally helpful presenting us with maps, tour options, and hotel information (something that is generally lacking in Italian hotels). The porter was also very helpful with information about the room. The room had tea and coffee making facilities and the non-alcoholic contents of the room minibar were free(juice, water, softdrink) and replenished daily."

or this in Rome

http://www.tripadvisor.com.ph/Locati...e_Roma_MGaller

So what is your point sandralist? yes there are hotels in Italy with in room coffee and tea facilities. But there are plenty without. And if they don't have them, they don't have them. What are they supposed to do? Rush out and buy a kettle for a guest who demands such things?
Sorry, but OP should have just accepted there was no such thing on offer, and got on with their holiday.
I've stayed in places, even in the UK and the US, without tea and coffee facilities. It never even occurred to me to ask for them, but if I had, and was told they weren't available, I wouldn't call the staff rude for telling me so.

There are certainly hotels with coffee and tea making facilities in Italy, but they are the exception. In Italy, there are very strict rules about heat-producing appliances in hotel rooms, which is why you also don't see irons and ironing boards in most Italian hotels. Those hotels that a have coffee and tea making facility have to have some sort of fire-resistant surround to put it in. The rules may vary somewhat by region, but that's the norm.

Out of interest, I had a look at that hotel to check the facilities.
Our friend has just joined TripAdvisor in order to make a similar complaint to the one on here.
He has also raved about a rather lowly rated pizzeria.
Personally, even in the UK, I'd rather go down and get a proper cup of coffee. Instant coffee in the room is only a port in a storm