I had a stay recently that was…. average. “Mid”, as the kids these days say. But when I checked out, the front desk clerk at the hotel asked me how my stay was, and I wasn’t quite sure how to respond. So it got me to thinking about what you “should” do if the front desk clerk asks about your stay and it wasn’t that great. I’m sure that it can vary but I thought I would write a post about it and see what you all think.
Do Front Desk Clerks Intentionally NOT Ask About Your Stay?
I’ve actually written about a similar topic before, wondering if hotel front desk clerks intentionally don’t ask you about your stay when you checkout? In that post, I wrote about how I had noticed that it was common for hotel desk clerks to NOT ask you how your stay was when you checked out. My theory was that they really did not want to know about your stay, since at that point, there was really nothing that they could do and the only thing that might come up would be you asking for a refund or maybe some points. So instead, they just intentionally don’t ask you about it and hope you’ll forget about any problems.
The Case For Saying Something
I never really got a conclusive opinion on whether that was really a thing or not, so I filed it away. But I still wonder about whether or not I should say anything to the front desk clerk when I check out. Note that this is different from saying something DURING your stay, when it could presumably be fixed. Though when a hotel can’t get the little things right, it does give me pause.
I will sometimes proactively say something at checkout if there’s maybe something small that was wrong and/or missing from my room. Maybe the bulk toiletries are low / out, or there’s a lightbulb out, or something like that. In those cases, I will usually just mention it in passing as I check out, so that they can send housekeeping or maintenance there. I figure it’s a little favor to the next guest.
The Case For Staying Silent
On the other hand, I’m not a hotel employee so why should I help them out? Not saying anything also avoids potentially awkward conversations where the front desk apologizes but doesn’t really mean it. I tend to think that for many issues (especially larger issues), they already know all about it and either the hotel has chosen not to fix it, or maybe it’s scheduled to be fixed and just hasn’t been fixed yet. In either case, the person at the front desk may not know about it and if they do, certainly isn’t the decision maker.
Where I am torn (and usually tend to remain silent) is on issues that are more “core” to the hotel. Where I thought of this most recently was at my stay at the Baymont by Wyndham Montgomery Alabama. I was talking with my dad (who was staying with me) and we agreed that the hotel itself had some potential. It had good “bones” as they say – the rooms were large and it was in a good location.
But the hotel has clearly chosen to position itself as a super low end hotel (which is why we booked it for $95 after tax). That’s why the pool is permanently closed, the fitness center is stuffed full of housekeeping supplies, the breakfast has basically nothing and the lobby looks like a mini-golf course.
I guess this is a…. choice? for the lobby?
The hotel owners clearly have made that decision intentionally, so it feels silly to complain about some of those things when you check out, right? They’re not going to suddenly make a multi-million dollar investment in the hotel and move it up a category because one random guy complains about the ultra low budget accommodations that he knowingly booked, right?
The Bottom Line – What Do You Do?
In any case, I’m curious to hear what you guys do or would recommend when you have a subpar hotel experience. Do you mention it to the front desk? Or reach out to the hotel / brand via email, social media or an online review? Or do you just let it go and move on to the next stay?
Do you say something if your stay was bad? Or just stay silent? Leave your strategy in the comments below
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
I actually find it amazing that you check out in person at the front desk. I very rarely do that anymore. I typically call down and ask for my bill to be emailed. Once, I had an email from the hotel asking how my stay was and I detailed how many tiny sources of light there were in the room. Just to note, not to actually complain. Hotel ended up comping my stay. I did not ask for it and the stay was actually lovely and have stayed at that hotel many times since.
But in your situation, as you said, all the things you mentioned were obvious choices for the hotel and there’s not much the front desk employee can do about it.
CALL someone on the PHONE!?!?!? You can’t be serious 😛
Great topic.
While it can be super awkward I do try to mention if something has gone wrong. I’m never mean about it but it’s only fair to let them know about problems so they can address them for future guests.
If it is something that management can control, the I tell management. If it is something outside of their control, then I don’t bother complaining.
That seems like the ideal strategy
I always ask for the GM’s card, upon check-in or while moving in/out of lobby/reception.
I would tell them that you see so much potential for future if they did some upgrades to the property,, It would be a better experience for customers
If it’s something minor like a light bulb that’s out, I mention it as favor to both the next guest and the staff. That way, no one will get “nasty”(those types DO exist) with the staff, and the issue will be fixed.