Hi!

My hubbie and I just got back from Miami. We had a great trip! BUT, we did find one thing common at each of the hotels: Room quality was SPOTTY at best. It was imperative that one look at the room before moving in and fully comitting to it.

Do any of you do this on a regular basis? I don't do this in Vegas very much, because the "product" is fairly predictable and of good quality (that is, at the 100+/night places).

Curious to hear your thoughts on this. At one hotel, they showed us our first room: dirty, bad tile in bathroom, scratches on walls and furntiture. Second room: same thing. Third room: perfect.

It pays to be persistent.

-Darvy.

Last year in Ft. Myers I went to about 3 hotels and looked first before deciding. Unless it is the Ritz Carlton I check first. Yes indeed!

Many of the front desk clerks at budget motels (Days Inn, Super 8, Econo Lodge, etc.) look at you funny if you ask to see a room in advance. They think you are going to use the room for sex, or a trip to the bathroom. One place suggested if we were interested in the motel to look in the window at a room that was empty first.

To me a room is a room, the most important thing is the bed, which is the reason we go with an inspection first, but such a hassle.

After finding out the hard way (twice, we're slow learners) we've learned to always check out the room first. We were in Key Largo and had a room that faced the water, but there was a BIG palm tree smack in front of our lanai. Then in New Orleans our room was right across the street from a bar that didn't even open until sometime after 9 PM. We're all for the party aspect of Bourbon Street, but found out if we went to the other end of the hotel the music wasn't as noticeable during the wee hours of the morning.

Of course! I wouldn't even think of checking in w/o having seen the room first! Often we switch rooms. Maybe the original room assigned is not the view that we requested (parking lot instead of oceanfront!) or it is "smokey" or next to the elevator or next to the ice room (Clunk! Clunk! all night long) or on the first floor which cld actually be the basement. This happened @ The Boardwalk Inn @ WDW...nice room but it was in the basement! Switched to a higher floor overlooking the courtyard. Perfect!
My father has a saying "When I walk into a restaurant I look around until I see the best table. I say to myself 'Someone's going to sit there so it may as well be me!'" I was brought up in a family where hotels suites & tables in restaurants were 'switched' all the time. To me not doing this is the odd thing!

Yep.
and in Vegas also, although the Bellagio really hasn't let me down yet.

Okay, I feel like a weirdo. I have never inspected my room prior to check in. My rooms have always been fine--with the exception of one in Maui, once notified they promptly upgraded up to a larger room with a partial view. Again, I stay at fairly predctable places--usually Starwood properties where you know what you will get.

I don't routinely look first, unless I have some reason to doubt the quality of the room (e.g., small hotels in Europe) but when I get to the room after checking in, if it is not OK (condition or location) I immediately call the front desk to request reassignment. 99% of the time it's handled quickly with no hassle and sometimes an apology. Fortunately, the need doesn't arise very often.

Ritz Carltons are not immune, Diann.
I recall checking into our room at a certain tropical RC which I'll not name and the first thing that greeted us was a huge cockroach smack in the middle of the bed.
Of course they felt terrible and both switched and upgraded us. But I still check rooms first.

And as for Bellagio, I've switched rooms there twice. Once because there were used washcloths and hair in one of the sinks (!) and once because the stench of smoke (in our non-smoking room) was unbearable.

You just never know.

Years ago a freind taught me to always
pull back the spread and look at both sides of the pillows before unpacking.
you will find out sometimes the maids will cheat and not change sheets ....

Eeewwww....I usually just don't like a room for the view/non-veiw, or the smell or too close to the elevator/too small,etc, but I really hate to think that I have to look for stuff on the sheets! Pretty soon I can picture me, traveling with my own sheets, towels, pillow, Gawd, it will be so exhausting to go anywhere! Might as well stay home where I know who cleans!

Hey Scarlett, are you familiar with the TV exposes and studies which have sampled the bedspreads, chair upholstery and carpets of hotels?

I'm sure you can guess the results.

There have been a couple threads here in the past discussing this, and many experienced travellers simply yank the bedspread off the bed upon entering the room and stuff it in a closet (then proceed to wash their hands).
You don't really want to think about the cleaning programs of most hotels (even the best) and certainly you don't want to watch your food being prepared in most restaurants.
Not like home, that's for sure.

Yes, darlin, I am all too familiar with the ickiness of hotel bedspreads etc, but I really try not to think about it.
I also pull the bedspread off the bed right away, never wanting to touch it.
But the sheets! when staying in really nice hotels, it is a drag to think I have to check the sheets before checking in

Have only done it once - when we pulled into a motel outside of Toronto and the outside looked creepy. My husband went in to look at room - it was moderately creepy, but clean and since it was late in the day we slept there but spent an hour on the phone and computer finding another place for the next night.

Other than that, if the outside and lobby look OK, we just check in.

My husband routinely rejects smokey smelling rooms on his travels, though

How this works ? Do you reach the front desk, ask for a room, ask to see it, leave all the lugagge there and just go for it ? If you are just two, do you both go, or one trust the other ? OOOpppps, there's a lot to do here . . .
Have you ever had your luggage stolen while checking the room ? Nice to think aout it

I don't check out the room before I check in, but if I'm not happy with the room, I call the front desk and tell them I would like a different room. I have been known to do this two or three times, until I get a room I like. I want what I paid for and I think sometimes they try to give you a not so great room and if you don't say anything about it - fine for them.

Marriotts and other big name hotels I do not check first. All others get checked out first if I can.