I'm in Charlotte NC this weekend for a comic book convention.
My hotel stay has been very good for the most part.
Just watch what is included with your hotel stay and what is extra.
We (my business partner and I) went to the main area in the hotel for breakfast. There was someone very helpful and courteous encouraging us to pick up whatever looked good. I've been to hotels that have had complimentary breakfasts like that, so we sat down to eat.
We had some of the food. Then the people sitting next to us got a bill.
I asked if our meals were included. Guess what? They weren't! I was surprised. (I was also working on no sleep because we drove from Fredericksburg VA to Charlotte NC starting at 11 PM.)
Usually you know that you're going to be charged for food before you sit down to eat it.
Well, they managed to snag me for the cost of a meal by marketing to me aggressively and glossing over the fact that I was entering a contract to purchase food from them before it was too late.
Just like the bottles of water they leave in the room. Or the mini bar in the refrigerator that's marked up 300%. Or any number of “convenience” items tempting you in the comfort of your own room.
They're all there, all convenient, all very expensive — and usually not very clearly marked that they're not free.
I learned this weekend that I need to ask a lot more questions about what is free and what isn't, because they can be — and in my case, were — quite deceptive about their offerings.
Buyer beware! (Or at least confirm that you're a buyer as opposed to a free recipient.)
As an aside, be sure to check your credit card statements after you stay in a hotel to see if they've added any charges. One time I was billed almost $20 for items that I supposedly consumed from the minibar in the room, but hadn't. They reversed the charges because I called, but I wonder how many people before me had their cards billed for expensive items that they didn't even consume.
