I have just returned from a bit of a vacation and I got gouged!
To be honest, it wasn’t a true holiday. It was just a few days spent a couple of hours away from home taking in a few concerts, dining out and hotel stays.
I did, as many others have done, stay close to home so any money would stay in Ontario and maybe help get the economy back on track.
We all have felt empathy for the whole hospitality and service industry that was so impacted during COVID.
So, I postponed a trip to Europe and did not do any of my usual cross-border shopping.
I don’t know what I expected.
Well, actually, I did expect a bit of appreciation for my patronage and a bare minimum of service.
I was truly stunned by the lack of either.
To be fair, everyone we dealt with in this tourism-centred location were very courteous. They were so short-staffed, we only saw a few employees.
They smiled as they said “parking is now extra in the hotel parking lot.”
They were quite personable when informing us “there was no housekeeping service unless expressly requested.” (Only on days that don’t end in a 'y.')
The front desk was ever so friendly when they had no earthly idea about their own hotel.
This was an actual conversation:
Guest: “Hi, would you know where the vending machines are located?”
Clerk: “Um, I know there’s one on first floor and, um, maybe, not sure if it's third and maybe on the sixth...?”
Guest: “OK, we’ll just wander until we find one. Thanks!”
The handicapped parking was always full with non-permit vehicles, or so it appeared.
Get this: In the year 2022, a hotel with no handicapped accessibility at the front entrance.
Our rather large group had pre-arranged a party room after a concert. Upon arrival, we realized it had no handicapped accessibility, either. No elevator to go down. No ramp. Just stairs, stairs, stairs and more stairs.
We then waited more than an hour and a half in the lobby for the night manager to try to locate a meeting room or something we could go into to eat pizza. Again, he was very friendly, but had no answer for how a hotel is allowed to operate without adhering to accessibility laws.
Inside the hotel (not a cheapie, either) was a too-tall bathtub and shower.
Thank goodness for my monkey-like flexibility; I could put one hand on the outer towel rod and the other on the towel bar in the shower and swing my one leg over the edge of the tub and hope I stuck the landing. No grip bars inside the shower and no slip-proof mats. It is everyone for themselves!
Don’t get me started on those stupid credit-card keys. Every day and every night…back to the desk for it to be recoded. Give me an old-fashioned, metal key!
OK, let’s move to the bill.
A page of fees all broken down. Room fee, tax, parking fee, more tax, tourism tax and there was another one with just initials. I’m going to call it the NQA charge. (No questions asked.) It's like the corporations got together and thought these tourists are so desperate for fun they will pay anything and not complain.
Oh, for the days of a bellhop. I’d even settle for a cart. A hotel of hundreds of rooms and two trolleys? Really?
There were a couple of restaurants in the hotel, open very sparingly.
There was a tuck shop, but it was closed every time I walked by.
No staff we were told repeatedly.
Not my fault, though.
I didn’t get a discount for having to do it all myself. That’s not like a holiday. That’s just like everyday!
And in the truest of Canadian form, upon departure, we thanked them!
I need to just stay home.
