I’m in my third hotel on this road trip, and my lodgings have reminded me what I dislike the most about hotels:
1. Mandatory resort fees. If I don’t have a choice about paying for newspapers, coffee machines, and whatever else these fees finance, then be honest and include it in the room rate. Don’t tack it on later, after you’ve enticed me to book a room at a deceptively low rate.
2. Wi-Fi that is so weak or has such inadequate bandwidth that it’s essentially unusable (two of the hotels on this trip, plus the third some of the time).
3. Hotels that charge for bad Wi-Fi (see No. 2).
4. Shower curtain rods that bow out to give the illusion of a bigger shower, hung with curtains that aren’t long enough to stretch from end to end. Result: lots of water on the floor.
5. Rooms that lack enough light to read by, and especially rooms that are so dim that I can’t read in bed.
6. Rooms that don’t have enough electrical outlets to charge my electronics.
7. Mini-bars that automatically charge me for a product plus a “re-stocking fee” when all I’ve done is open the door to see what’s in there.
