Do you request to see a room first?
 

Some friends and I were discussing our traveling styles. I always ask to see the room in a hotel first, then may ask for a different room if it isn't suitable, such as if it dark, small, no view, etc. Usually then I am shown a fully acceptable room. Others would never even think of doing this and one stated that it is rude. Another friend suggested that the desk clerks try to get rid of the worst rooms first to those who don't complain, and save the better rooms for those who won't accept the bad ones. I thought it was common practice to see the room before accepting it. <BR>What do you Fodorites think? I am sharing your ideas with my friends this weekend. Thanks.

All I know is, that at an hotel in Sorrento I was shown three! rooms with partial views first, and on the fourth try, the view was the best on the whole cliff. At least I was persistent.

I always check the room before checking into an inn or hotel in Europe. It's not rude by any means. Innkeepers and hoteliers fully expect their premises to be inspected.

Sherry - Absolutely! Always ask to see the room before accepting it. There is nothing rude about this. My husband waits with the bags at the desk and I run up to check the room. Sometime the clerk will accompany you and sometimes they simply give you the key and let you look. We have saved ourselves from many an uncomfortable night by doing this and I have never had a problem with the hotel staff because of it. Bonnie

What a great question Sherry! I have never checked the room first! And we have traveled a lot. I will from now on. Thanks a lot!

I often don't ask to see the room first, though I come straight back down to change it if it isn't acceptable.<BR><BR>Maybe I should follow suit and ask to see it first, that way I am not lugging cases unecessarily, since we don't both need to see it anyway, they can stay in lobby with husband.<BR><BR>Cool...<BR><BR>Thanks!

do you ask to see the room even when you have made advance reservations?

When I am checking in (or even when I am making the reservation) I usually ask for the best room in the rate class that I am using. If I don't like a room, I will ask to change it.

Our first trip to Rome we stayed at the Hotel Internazionale. They gave us the key to what they said was "one of our very best rooms". When we saw it we were so upset by its condition and tackiness, that we dropped our luggage and spent the whole afternoon looking for another hotel, thinking even if we had to give up one night's deposit it would be worth it. After all if that was one of their best rooms it didn't make sense to ask to see another. Right? Wrong? After spending all afternoon looking and finding nothing available we returned and complained about the room. They moved us to another one that was hard to imagine was in the same hotel. It was dark and small, but totally the opposite of the first room. It was as if the first room hadn't been touched since the 1920's and the second room had just been totally redone. Since then I either ask, or at the first sign of unpleasantness in the room I ask to see another.

In Amsterdam, I was shown a room where you couldn't even walk around the bed, it was so small. I had made the mistake of dragging my luggage up 3 flights of stairs to this room. I trudged back down with the luggage and asked for a different room, there must be a room a little larger, I thought. I was given another key, this time I left my luggage at the desk (not such a good idea) at went to see this room, when I opened the doors, I saw the room with a big picture window that took up one whole wall, with a chair, desk, bed. Like Patrick said, it was hard to believe it was in the same hotel. I ran down got my luggage and watched the most beautiful lightening storm that night, looking over Amsterdam. What could have been a "nightmare" (oh, oh, I wrote the n word, Patrick) was turned into a beautiful memory.

For cool thread:<BR>Always check the room first, whether with advance reservations or not. In one memorable instance in London, we found the reserved room unsatisfactory, as well as another room shown to us. We stored out luggage with the desk clerk while searching out more suitable accommodations elsewhere. Had no problems convincing the desk clerk to retain our luggage until we returned for it.

Wes, what if you have secured the res. with your credit card, are they likely to refund you the deposit if you reject the room? Sounds like a legal question, with the credit card co. getting involved, since the deposit could be alot of money. True?

Always. What began as a necessary habit in India, is now a consistent occurence for me while traveling elsewhere as well, particularly as a woman traveling alone.

Do you think they really try to give out the bad rooms first? Kind of like a restaurant giving the bad tables away first, saving the best for picky customers? I hadn't thought of it like that.

Good evening, Sherry I definately<BR>say yes, check out the room before<BR>accepting it. European hotels, especially older sometimes the rooms<BR>are much smaller, have cramped baths,<BR>some with showers, some with baths and<BR>some the both. Rear rooms are mostly<BR>more restful than those facing the <BR>front, the main street...When you find<BR>a suitable room take it., they may get<BR>worse. Richard of Lagrange Park, Il..

Asking to see the room first is not rude at all. They're not inviting you to stay for free, it's business, so you have to be happy with the deal.

Thanks so much for your advice people - I have never thought about zipping up to the room for "inspection" before. I know this sounds dumb, and trust me, there have been times where I've wanted to, but I've (duh) always thought it rude. I guess that's why I've had a few slight problems along the way. (I don't stay in hotels much). Let me just clue you in on a few reasons why you should make sure the place is okay. <BR>When my husband & I first started dating we went away together to Toronto for a weekend a few months after..we had reservations and it was a very busy time in the city. When we arrived, although everyone else was having problems at the front desk, with "overbooking", we were wisked away to our room. YUK - to say the least, walls were paper thin, you could hear the neighbours, but we felt lucky we weren't stuck without a room. Seems there was a wedding booked, and they forgot about everyone else. We went out & enjoyed our night on the town and when morning came...well when shower time came, there was absolutely no hot water to be found in those pipes. My honey didn't know this...got into the shower and preceeded to inform me of a term that I had never heard before - He called it "Raisin Bag" - I have learned since what that means. Anyways, after we decided we would not stay another night there, we took our luggage to the front desk and preceeded to speak with the front desk manager. When he asked us how our stay was in his east indian accent, my honey replied to him perfectly true and honest -- "You guys don't have any hot water. Ever had Raisin Bag before?" The man had no idea what he was talking about. I thought I was going to die from laughter. But, yup, just goes to show you that you really should check out to goods before. Great idea and I'll do that.

I agree with most of the other posters. We leave our luggage in the lobby and usually even ask for keys to several rooms so we can pick our favorite. Recently we were disappointed with both rooms shown and they ended up giving us an upgraded suite at no extra charge! Of course we don't normally do this for only one night but if you are staying a few days or a week, why not stay in the nicest room possible?

so Wes, what happenned to the deposit? Were you charged for the first night?<BR><BR>do you request to see the room first in small family-run hotels too?

For cool thread<BR>We always check accommodations before registering, regardless of the type hotel, inn, auberge, gasthaus. Due to our preferences for accommodations almost all are family owned.<BR><BR>We've never been charged for a room we didn't take; never been charged a cancellation fee.<BR><BR>

It sounds like a good idea, but really if you don't like anything you are shown and get the brush off "that is all that is available", you really can get your deposit back that easily? Maybe because I am a woman, traveling with women friends, but I always seem to have a harder time with hotel clerks. They get disgusted showing me different rooms, and I am sure would put up a fight if I said none were acceptable and I wanted my deposit back. What am I doing wrong?

About the reserved room on a credit card that is found lacking...this happened to me last March in London. Had reservations at the Parkwood Hotel near Regents Park, checked the room upon arrival, was pretty bad and the hallways and bathrooms were dirty plus the bathroom was down a level instead of on the same floor as the room as I had been told in my initial inquiry. Returned to desk and said it wasn't acceptable and that I wouldn't be staying there and please could I have my deposit refunded. She called the manager who okayed and the refund showed up on my credit card bill the next cycle. No problem, except I then had to go find another room which was easy enough that time of year. Bonnie

Experience tells me it wouldn't be that easy in France or Italy. Any experiences?

Once we tried a different hotel in Paris and I was very unhappy with the room they gave us, although it fit the criteria of what we had asked for, on the courtyard,with a bed for 2..I went back down to the desk and said that I could not stay in that room, could they do anything better for us ,and they gave us a lot bigger nicer room and charged us the original rate..Washington Hotel in London, got a great room, but the bed was already inhabited-with fleas! So once the desk was alerted to the unwanted visitors, we were moved to a suite...The only hotel that has consistently shown us a bad room first then given us a good one is in the US...

I almost always ask to see a hotel room first and don't feel it's rude to do so.

Guess I'm just lucky. We've always been pretty pleased with the rooms we've reserved/gotten. However, if there were anything I really didn't like, I'd feel fine about asking to see another. Nothing rude about it. We did survive luke-warm water for two nights in Florence, but the room itself was spacious and comfortable. If we'd been planning to stay longer, we'd have requested a move.

Yes, I ask to see the room first . <BR>Innkeepers do not consider it rude at all.<BR>However once coming out of the<BR>Mount Blanc Tunnel into Italy I had some food poison and felt very badly<BR>we stopped in a hotel, some place in ITaly, and I asked the owner to see the room, can you imagine that he said NO, so I am happy to remmember, I told him Bon Giorno. and left staying in a nearby hotel.<BR>This is the exception that makes the rule. ( may be I was looking the way I felt)

I have a feeling that someone else is using Capo's name...this doesn't sound like him.

I, too, am wondering how well this tactic would go over in France and Italy. I bet not very well. Any suggestions?

Do you also request to see a B&B room first?

Well, I guess I am not alone in wanting to check out the room first. But I have never rejected all the rooms shown, I would be curious to see if anyone has had their deposit refund request refused, while you are standing in the lobby. Anyone?

I have never thought of looking at a room first, don't the innkeepers get an attitude when you ask? I have trouble enough with crabby hotel managers in Europe.

Very interesting and informative thread. I'll make sure to do this on my next trip. I wonder what happens when you've made advance reservations (with CC "deposit") and the room is unacceptable and the hotel is truly fully-booked? Maybe checking in early gives you more options?

Good point Tom. Anyone?

I've never asked to see the room first, as I've thought it might be rude. I would feel better doing that in the off-season, though. I'm going to Paris in May, and so many of the hotels are already booked up - I couldn't get my first choice hotels. I would hate to object to the room and have to wander around Paris dragging my suitcase,looking for a better room!

In Europe it is not considered rude at all. In fact at a lot of B&Bs and pensions they ask you if you want to see the room before you check in.<BR><BR>One thing to consider though - if it is the only room available and not satisfactory (not if it is absolutely awful - just less than great) - If the hotel is full, it is more than likely that others nearby are also full. So go ahead and stay (covered by the one night CC deposit) and look for somewhere else the next day. Don't give up the room until you do find something else.

<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>I almost always check out rooms, much to my husband's chagrin. Once, in a very upscale resort in the Algarve, a bellhop was taking us from room to room, to choose. He opened one door, and in we walked to find a man naked in bed with only a sheet covering the necessary parts! Thank goodness he was alone!!! I never ran out so fast in my life. Hubby and I had a good laugh, but we felt sorry for the nice young bellhop who got blasted.<BR><BR>I still check out rooms, by the way(lol)<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>Hi

In a hotel I'm not familiar with, I always ask to see the room first. I leave the kids and husband downstairs in the lobby and sprint up to take a look-see. If it's not satisfactory (and quite honestly, most of the time it is), I ask to see another. I do this most often in France and Italy (and Spain as a distant third) because that's where I am usually traveling. I've had many a hotellier offer to show me a room immediately, as if it were second nature, so I can only assume that it is standard practice. I've also had hotelliers give me the keys to a room , or several, and tell me to help myself, so I can only think that it isn't rude but rather normal. If I'm staying in a hotel I frequent and where they know me, I send them a fax and tell them specifically what I want (4th floor, courtyard-facing, preferably room 406 or something like it), and I've always gotten what I want. No, it's not rude at all to request to see rooms. European hotel owners expect it, and if they balk, they are playing games with you and assuming you are a tourist who doesn't know how things work - and you'll probably end up with an inferior room. Definitely check out those rooms!

Hey Bill,<BR><BR>Guess you don't have a hottie currently or you wouldn't be on Fodors.com

I think it would be interesting to hear from a hotel employee, do you really give people the worse rooms first? That way you will have better rooms available for clients who may be pickier?<BR><BR>I have learned to ask to see a room before I pay or put my luggage in it.<BR>In Yorkshire, I could not believe the awful room I was shown, so I asked to see a better one in the same catagory and was surprised at the difference, so I tend to think the worse rooms are tried out on customers first.