Really, Westin?

If you read my last blog post, you know I have a minor addiction to desserts.  In fact, when bed time nears, if I don’t get my sweets, I can get a bit cranky.  So when I travel on business, things can get rough, especially if I don’t have a rental car to go on the hunt for a bakery, ice cream shop, or even a gas station convenience store stocked with goodies.

It takes great planning to ensure that when the opportunity strikes to procure a snack for later in the night, I strike.  So I’m always on the lookout for a packaged good at lunch time or even a dessert-to-go if dinner leaves me too stuffed to eat it right away.  But the real solution would be to find a hotel chain that cares more about customer service than one that feels compelled to rip off its guests.  One that finds a way to make their guests feel like they are at home rather than feeling like they are in an unfamiliar country where everyone is speaking a different language.

Snacks Available in the Room

I’ve been in Boston this week for a work trip, and last night I went out for dinner with a group of co-workers.  At the end of dinner, no one was overly excited about the dessert offerings, so we decided to head back to the hotel.  About 30 minutes after checking back into my room, the nighttime cravings started to kick in.  But with no rental car and a hotel not located within walking distance of anything open, I weighed my in-room options, only to be left asking myself “Really, Westin?”  A normal canister of M&M’s that would sell for $2 at the grocery store was $4.  The short can of Pringles was also at least twice the price.  But perhaps most ridiculous of all was the ice cream on the room service menu.  A scoop of vanilla ice cream costs $9.  But wait, there’s more.  Let’s add a 15% service charge, a 3% administrative charge, 7% sales tax, and a $3.75 delivery charge.  That makes this scoop of ice cream $15.  What, is it topped with gold flakes?  Most take-out restaurants deliver food miles away for free, or maybe $2 at most.  This scoop of ice cream doesn’t even have to leave the building.

In-Room Menu with Overpriced Ice Cream and Surcharges

Yeah, I know I’m venting and yeah, I know it’s not just the Westin that charges outlandish prices for in-room food and room service, but as a business travel, I demand more.  And perhaps if I traveled lots more and had a fancy club membership I’d get all this for free on the 39^th floor in some fancy bar overlooking the bright city lights.  But I don’t.  That still doesn’t mean I should be taken advantage.  So I say to you Westin and all the other hotels out there like you, find a better way.  You can’t possibly be making enough revenue from these sales to offset the negative customer experience.  Bring down your prices, make travelers feel like they’re at home, and maybe they will write better reviews about their experiences!

Have you had similar experiences?  Or perhaps you’ve found hotels that are already doing this?  Either way, I want to hear about it!  Please feel free to comment below.