Hotel Grand Openings can SAVE you MONEY!
There is nothing like going on a vacation or business trip, and being the first guests to stay in a new or re-furbished hotel. The smell of a new room, the look of a new lobby, a pool that is un-used, a tread-mill that needs to be broken in, and a staff that will do what ever it takes to make my stay as pleasant as possible. Yup, this is the life.
I think when ever I try to book a vacation or business travel in the future, I will always try and book it at a new hotel. Consider this, in a new hotel or motel if I have a complaint, it is most likely to be quickly resolved. The Management of the establishment is counting on my positive experience to help sell their product in the future. Even if the name of the hotel is well known nationally, it doesn’t matter if the new one in question has a bad reputation write from the beginning.
There is a good chance that booking at a new hotel will also get you showered with gifts and discount coupons you would otherwise not have a chance to receive. You might even be invited to participate in focus groups and receive additional rewards for rating and reviewing the hotel amenities and services. Who knows, you might just discover another way to travel.
Please tell us about any experiences you have had at new hotels, and if you have any problems, feel free to visit www.directcomplaint.com and post your thoughts on our consumer poster board.
Free Food In Your Room!
I just love it when I get into my hotel room, and the refrigerator is stocked with all kinds of goodies. There are so many things to choose from, I especially like the candy bars, and I like the idea of putting little nips in the refrigerator with in reach of small children. I wonder who thought of that great idea.
It’s too bad that the things I love to eat and occasionally drink cost so much money. Why don’t they clearly post the prices, I don’t like seeing an extra $1,000 appear on my credit card. In some hotels, they don’t even post the prices on the food and drink items, so we can really be surprised.
On the other hand, who wants to go out late at night for a box of cracker jacks, a bag of chips, a coke, or a bit of rum to go with the coke? That is what the hotel is counting on; most of the food consumbed is between 9:00 pm and 7:00 am. If I leave in the morning with out stopping at the check out desk, I can be assured that the extra charges will appear on my credit cards next statement.
This raises another question, what if the made decides to tie one on at my expense, how do I prove it. What if they have no money for lunch, and they eat all of the cheese and crackers. With room rates coming down because of the recession, hotels need to find other ways to make up the losses, but at whose expense.
I have an idea, why don’t they just eliminate the room refrigerators all together, or provide me with a key card to open the thing. At least that way, I will know when I am spending my money.
Tipping at a Restaurant
I have just finished my meal out at the restaurant, and I am ready for the check, or am I? I have to think for a moment, should I base the tip on the time of the meal, like breakfast, lunch or dinner, or simply on how good or bad the service was.
Here are a few simple suggestions for tipping I have always found useful.
It doesn’t matter the time of day, if the service was excellent, leave 20% for a tip. If the food was bad, and the service was still excellent, then leave 15%, and let the Waite staff know that the food was not to your likening. If the food and service were both just average, then leave 15%. If the food was just average, but the service was poor, only leave 10%, and lastly, if the service was really bad, even if the food was OK, leave a penny, and run out of the restaurant. In some restaurants, the Waite staff has been known to chase a person down the street demanding a better tip. Perhaps if they spent more time making sure that the customer was happy during the dining experience, they wouldn’t feel the need to go running after the patron(s) who for sure now will never go back to that restaurant again.
If I just order a drink at a bar, the minimum I will leave is 50 cents per drink, and the same goes for a cup of coffee. At a take out window or drive through, I do not leave a tip, but if I go into a fast food restaurant for a cup of coffee, or a slice of pizza, I will leave at least 50 cents, that is, if there is a tip cup on the counter.
The percentage of the tip is calculated by first subtracting the tax from the bill, and then leaving your tip based upon the percentage you feel is right. If you are with a group of people, and you are each paying for your own meal, or you are all just splitting the check, it is best to figure out the amount for the tip, and then divide the amount equally amongst each person paying the bill. Doing this, will not leave the person who is handling the money left with a higher amount to pay then anyone else. If it was all just a bad experience, then leave nothing, but it makes sense to also let the manager or owner know why you are not leaving any tip at all. At least that way, you are attempting to be informative, and not just rude.
Try to keep in mind, that the Wait staff works for very low wages, in most states, this means between two and three dollars per hour. The majority of their income is based upon the tips they take in during their shift. Many restaurants require the Wait staff to tip the bussing and or bar tending staff for helping them. If the manager or the owner of the establishment is the one serving you, it is not necessary or considered bad etiquette not to leave him or her tip.
Going out to eat should always be a pleasurable experience; it should not be about nickel or dimeing the people who do their best to satisfy our every need. All too often, I see elderly people stuffing food into their mouths, or even their bags, but when it comes to leaving a tip, they act like they are all suffering from memory loss. I wonder if once we turn 60 years old, we get tip dementia. Younger people are no better; they must be suffering from bad manners disease. I don’t expect a ten year old to leave a tip, but surely, a 21 year old should know the rules. I have a solution that will solve the problem of age related tipping disorder once and for all. I will suggest that restaurants only serve people between twenty five and fifty nine years old, and only if they carry the good tipping card issued by the National Tipping and Grooming Society.
Tell us, how do you feel about tipping? Have you ever stiffed your sever, are you cheep, or do you consider yourself to be one of the best tippers around?
Speak Up At The Restaurant!
Speak Up!
Whether you are going through the drive thru at Wendy’s or eating in a restaurant, there is a good chance the food will be served cold or you won’t get the food you ordered. However it was served to you, it was incorrect and should be corrected. As a waitress for more than 5 years I can admit this has happened to me naturally by accident, but I would do everything possible to correct it, and make sure the guest left satisfied. For the most part the mistake is made by the wait staff not remembering your order, but I feel that if a server does not write your order down they have mastered how to store it in their mind. If they do forgot when they are putting your order through the system or dropping it to the kitchen then they should politely go back to the table and apologize and ask the guest again. The waiting part for the food shouldn’t be too long, especially when you are really hungry, and if and when the food is delivered and does not look correct, SAY SOMETHING to the sever. Remember, you ordered it because you wanted it! If you don’t say anything how will the server know? Their servers not mind readers! If the restaurant is well run, the server should ask once the food is served is everything looks good. If the guest had ordered meat, the server should have the guest cut into it to make sure it was properly cooked to their liking. That goes without saying; the server should have a series of important questions when taking down the order. Such as, how would you like that cooked? , would you like butter for your baked potato? Or, would you like your salads before or with your meal? These questions can avoid the server running back and forth to the kitchen, and help you start enjoying your meal sooner rather than later.
We can’t always blame the server; the guest or the kitchen can mess up too. But, if the server expects you to leave a good tip and for you to want to return, then the server needs to go by the saying, “The customer is always right.” I know some guests I have had, did not speak soon enough, for instance when they say they are not happy with their meal after they have already eaten HALF OF IT! Come on now! In an incident like this, I would always notify the manager, whether the guest asked to speak with them or not!
I think every restaurants mission should be to make the guest feel 100% satisfied with their food and service. If you are not completely satisfied with the meal then the burden should be on the restaurant, as long as you bring it to their attention. If you continue to have the same problems at the same restaurant, don’t go back. You can warn other people not to go there as well, by posting your consumer review on DirectComplaint.com. On the Consumer poster board you can voice your opinion by rating the restaurant & and let others know what happened to you!
When you go out to dinner and your meal or even a drink is not perfect, be polite and explain to the server how they can fix the problem. Each restaurant trains their staff differently on how to properly correct the problem, so don’t expect them to be the same. If you feel the server is unaware of proper protocol, then ask to speak with a manager. Always remember everyone makes mistakes, and if you are patient good things will come your way. You never know, you might even get a free drink, or meal!
Peace n Love
Alicia
Treat Others they way you want to be treated.
Why is It, that once we are seated in many restaurants, it takes a long time for the Waite staff to introduce themselves, take our order, deliver our food or drinks, ask us if we need anything during our meal, clean the table, bring dessert, and give us the check. Could it be that the person is in another world, perhaps thinking about the boy friend or girl friend back home, or could it simply be that they don’t care about getting a good tip, or maybe the management of the restaurant doesn’t teach their staff how to treat the customers?
I don’t care if it is breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even just a light snack, a greasy spoon, pizza shop, or fine dining, once I am seated, I expect the Waite staff to show up at my table with in five minutes. If they are busy, they should have the courtesy to let me know, and apologize in advance for any inconvenience it might cause me. I expect the person to offer me a drink, bring water to the table, and tell me about the specials of the day, and to be able to answer any questions I or anyone in my company may have about the menu.
I expect the person to bring the food out hot, and to stop by the table several times to see if there is anything we need. If there is a problem with the food, I expect the entire staff to do what ever it takes to rectify the problem to my satisfaction, not to give me a hard time if I am un-happy with my food. I expect the manager to remove item(s) from the bill if I am not satisfied with the service or the food. Lastly, I always appreciate it when the server and or a manager thanks me for my patronage and wishes me a good day or night.
In today’s world of so many choices for places to eat out, I would hope that all restaurants would adopt these standards as part of their every day policy, but that would be asking for to much. I guess that the ones who don’t offer great food, or excellent service, will just have to be crossed of my list of places to eat in the future.
If you have any problems with a restaurant, tell us about it at www.directcomplaint.com and go to the Consumer Poster Board, or submit a complaint to the restaurant from our Consumer Complaint Center. If you have questions, please call 877-969-3463
