Here's The Right Way To Handle Hotel Complaints If You're Not Happy With Your Room

Staying at a hotel can be a wonderful and relaxing experience (especially if you're waking up in one of these beautiful hotels around the world). At the end of a long day of sightseeing, nothing looks quite as inviting as a comfortable bed with soft white sheets, fluffy comforters, and plenty of extra pillows. You can order room service bright and early or shut the blackout curtains and sleep in. Plus, you never have to worry about making your own bed. Even so, there may come a time when you find yourself with complaints about your hotel room.

Although most hotels share a few of the same perks, they are not all created equally. Some hotels offer the bare minimum — basic rooms, a flat screen TV, and generic continental breakfasts. Others are some of the most luxurious places to stay on earth and if your budget allows for it, there are many hotels that are totally worth the splurge. Regardless of which types of properties you choose to book, there's a good chance that if you stay in hotels often enough, you're going to experience a moment in which you're not satisfied with your room.

Hotels, and the staff members who do their best to make guests comfortable, aren't always perfect. There are all sorts of things that could lead you to feeling unhappy with the room you booked. When that happens, there's a right way to handle the situation. It's crucial that you keep your cool, address the problem as soon as possible, and maintain realistic expectations about how the hotel staff can help make it right. If you handle your hotel complaints with grace, there's a good chance everything will work out just fine.

When you notice that something is amiss with your hotel room, stay calm. Sometimes, your concern may not be a big deal, like a room located next to a noisy elevator. Other issues, like unsanitary conditions, could cause some significant anxiety for travelers. I once checked into a hotel room that had a strong chemical odor that instantly caused an extreme headache. I started to get super nervous and upset because there weren't many other hotels in the area and we had splurged a bit on the room. I had to remind myself that no hotelier would expect a guest to stay in an unsafe room. I talked to the staff and they quickly relocated me to a room without a strong smell. 

"You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar" is an old saying that's been around since at least the 17th century. It's stuck around for hundreds of years because it's true, and the advice certainly applies to travelers who aren't happy with their hotel room. You're going to have a much better chance of getting a positive outcome if you are sweet and kind (honey) than if you're rude and sour (vinegar). A bad attitude usually doesn't get you anywhere. If you're rude enough, hotel management could even ask you to leave. 

Even if you're really upset and you feel your anger is justifiable, keep in mind that it's almost never the fault of the employee working at the front desk. They didn't cause the problem, but they are the ones with the power to fix it. Stay polite and be courteous no matter what. If the hotel staff likes you, they'll be much more likely to pull some strings and offer you a favorable outcome. 

There will be times when the issue that causes you to be unhappy with your hotel room needs to be addressed right away. In the situation with the fumes in my hotel room, I obviously wasn't going to wait around. If you turn down your comforter to find stained or dirty sheets, you're definitely going to address the matter before you go to sleep. Other problems, like noisy neighbors or poor water pressure, might not seem like an urgent issue. You should still make sure to let the hotel staff know as soon as you notice a problem and give them a chance to improve your stay. 

If you ordered a steak at a nice restaurant and it wasn't cooked to your liking, you (hopefully) wouldn't devour the entire thing before letting your server know that it wasn't what you wanted. If you behaved that way, you'd be remiss if you expected them to take it off your bill or provide you with a second steak. The same mentality should apply to your hotel room.

If you save all of your complaints until check out, don't expect the best outcome. You need to give hotel staff a chance to correct the problem as quickly as possible. Otherwise, it will seem like you're just complaining in order to get a discount or a free room. Some people actually do that, and hotel staff are well aware of it. As you can imagine, they probably won't react favorably if they suspect that is your motive. 

It's important that you keep your expectations realistic. Be very direct and specific when making your complaint and be honest about what you need to make the situation better. Hotel staff are likely able to help you out, but they aren't going to roll out the red carpet simply because you're dealing with a minor inconvenience. If housekeeping forgot to stock your bathroom with toiletries, having someone bring them up right away is a realistic expectation, but getting your room comped for the night is not. 

If something serious happens, you can politely let the staff members know how it affected you and what you think would make it right. During a trip to Switzerland, my mom and I booked a room at a rather luxurious hotel in a big city. When we opened the door using our room key, we were horrified to discover it was already occupied by a man who wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing. He yelled at us in German and it was quite scary. Initially, the hotel staff simply apologized and switched our room to the next room over. I thanked them, but said that they had made a mistake that was very embarrassing for us. We didn't want to stay right next to that other guest for obvious reasons. They ultimately offered us a room on a different floor and a free meal at the restaurant. That extra care made us feel a lot better, and eventually, my mom and I were able to laugh about the situation.

It's okay to push back a bit, as long as you keep your expectations rooted in reality. If you're thinking that the hotel staff will offer you the world on a silver platter simply because you had to deal with a slight problem, think again.