Hotel Madness: Second round of pet peeves

After an exciting first round, Hotel Madness moves ahead with some intriguing second round contests. We’re thrilled with the feedback and voter response to our tournament of hotel pet peeves and can’t thank you enough for participating. Apparently, you all really hate some of the things that hotels throw at us! Hopefully, you’ve been comforted by the fact that you’re not alone. If you need a refresher or just want to see how we got here, take a look at the first round.

All of the second round match-ups are listed below. Vote for the hotel problems that bother you the most and the winners will advance to the Final Four! We’re well on our way to crowning the most annoying hotel nuisance. Choose wisely (and be sure to vote in all four polls).


#1 No free Wi-Fi vs. #9 Early checkout times

No free Wi-Fi, our overwhelming #1 seed, enters the second round thanks to a dominating victory last week. People really hate paying for internet access. Meanwhile, #9 Early checkout times squeaked out a minor upset in the closest race of the first round. Is it worse to pay to connect or get kicked out while you’re still in your pajamas?
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#12 One-ply toilet paper vs. #4 Resort fees

The first round’s biggest upset was #12 One-ply toilet paper wiping the floor with #5 No airport shuttle. Thin toilet paper really rubs people the wrong way. It ran out to such an early lead that it left skid marks. Meanwhile, #4 Resort fees enters the second round with little momentum. Unlike the other peeves that involve money, few commentators seemed overly perturbed by resort fees. So, which is more abrasive: thin toilet paper or an ambiguous extra room charge?
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#6 No free breakfast vs. #3 Expensive parking

This match-up pits our stomachs against our wallets. #6 No free breakfast juiced the competition in the first round while #3 Expensive parking put its opponent in its place. Something’s got to give. Which do you resent more?
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#7 Bad water pressure vs. #2 Bad front desk service

Our final second round batter features two nuisances that put us all it crummy moods on the road. Clearly no one enjoys being treated poorly, which explains #2 seeded Bad front desk service easily advances to this round. Meanwhile, #7 Bad water pressure left people soapy and surly. Would you rather be treated poorly or left with shampoo in your hair?
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Second round voting ends at 11:59EDT on Friday, March 25.

Catch up on all of the Hotel Madness first round action:
#1 No free Wi-Fi vs. #16 Annoying hotel TV channel
#2 Bad front desk service vs. #15 Everything about TV remotes
#4 Resort fees vs. #13 Early housekeeping visits
#5 No airport shuttle vs. #12 One-ply toilet paper
#6 No free breakfast vs. #11 Expensive minibars
#7 Bad water pressure vs. #10 Small towels
#8 Room not ready on time vs. #9 Early checkout times

Follow along with the Hotel Madness tournament here.

Hotel Madness: Vote for your biggest hotel pet peeves


We launched our Hotel Madness tournament on Monday and the entire first round is now live. If you don’t know what Hotel Madness is or you just need a refresher, check out our introductory post. First round voting is open until 11:59pm EDT this Sunday, March 20. Be sure to vote in each and every match-up listed below. Simply choose the hotel pet peeves that bother you the most. The winners will advance to the second round, which you’ll be able to vote on next week.

Make your voices heard. Vote, leave comments and let us know what you hate most about hotels.


First round voting ends at 11:59EDT on Sunday, March 20.

Follow along with the Hotel Madness tournament here.

Hotel Madness: No free breakfast vs. Expensive minibars

This first round Hotel Madness match-up is all about food. Our #6 seed is No free breakfast, a killer when you just need some fuel to power you through a day of conferences, meetings or sightseeing. It’s battling #11 seed Expensive minibars. All too often, we find ourselves with late-night cravings for snacks. We’d satisfy it by raiding the minibar but it always seem to cost more than our hotel room did!

Take a closer look at this battle of hotel peeves below. Then cast your vote for the one that bothers you the most. The winner will advance to the second round of action.

(6) No Free Breakfast
Not everyone is a foodie. Sure, some people require that every meal, snack and crumb that they savor on a trip be culturally poignant. Other people, however, just need fuel. Or coffee. Easy enough to just stop in the lobby before the big conference/hike/day at the beach and fix yourself a simple breakfast. Sadly, your hotel offers nothing more than some instant coffee in your room. No continental breakfast. No omelet station. Certainly no buffet. Just a few teabags and non-dairy creamer. There’s a Starbucks across the street, though. $8 should get you some burnt coffee and a satisfactory to adequate muffin.

(11) Expensive Minibars
After a long day of meetings/sightseeing/tolerating your wife’s family at her nephew’s bris, you just want a nightcap and some M&Ms. You’re exhausted and everything in town is closed anyway. Of course, you can always snack in your room thanks to the ever-convenient minibar. Just grab a mini-bottle of rum, a can of cola and a bag of M&Ms and invite them all to that party in your mouth. Oh, just a heads up: those 50 milliliters of rum, 12 fluid ounces of cola and 3.27 ounces of chocolate with a hard candy shell will run you about $30. You’re also not going to feel well in the morning.

Which food foul bothers you more? Do you resent having to forage for your own breakfast or get ticked off by $10 Tic Tacs? Vote now!

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First round voting ends at 11:59EDT on Sunday, March 20.

More Hotel Madness action:
#1 No free Wi-Fi vs. #16 Annoying hotel TV channel
#2 Bad front desk service vs. #15 Everything about TV remotes
#3 Expensive parking vs. #14 Tightly tucked-in sheets
#4 Resort fees vs. #13 Early housekeeping visits
#5 No airport shuttle vs. #12 One-ply toilet paper
#7 Bad water pressure vs. #10 Small towels
#8 Room not ready on time vs. #9 Early checkout times

Follow along with the Hotel Madness tournament here.

Tennessee wants to tax complimentary hotel breakfast

Just how important is breakfast? Nutritionists say it’s the most important meal of the day – the Tennessee government says breakfast is the most revenue-generating meal of the day. Seems some local politicians are looking to tax the free breakfasts offered to guests get at Tennessee hotels.

New tax legislation currently in committee in Tennessee proposes a tax on the complimentary breakfast served at most hotels in the state. The rationale? Those in favor of the bill say it could raise as much as 2 million dollars in revenues. However, officials are quick to point out the new tax wouldn’t necessarily impact the hotel guest. The tax would be paid for by the hotel, unless the hotel decides to pass on the cost to their customers.

What are the chances the bill becomes reality? We’ll wait and see, and in the meantime we suggest you stock up on the free rolls and danishes.%Gallery-73514%

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Before you go, be sure to check out Gadling’s Travel Talk TV, in which the guys visit the Monterey Aquarium, interview the pilot who filmed his entire flight from the nose of his 747, and offer up international dating tips!

WiFi? Yes. Free breakfast? Not so much: What else are hotels offering these days?

If you’re a person who likes a free breakfast when you go to a hotel–the donuts and Fruit Loops call out your name the moment you open your eyes in the morning, you might be missing out.

According to a survey conducted for the American Hotel and Lodging Association, of the 10,000 hotels out of 45,000 that participated, they’re providing wireless Internet more often, but cutting out the free breakfast. You can get the free breakfast at many– but don’t assume.

Here is a summary of the survey findings to help you compare what you’ll be getting for your dollars before you make that reservation.

  • 91% offer Internet (15% hotels charge for it, and of those, 75% to 91% of them fit into the luxury to up upscale category)
  • 75% have a computer in the lobby for guest use
  • 47% have indoor swimming pools.
  • 58% have outdoor swimming pools
  • 82% have refrigerator in the room
  • 40% have only non-smoking rooms
  • 25% have allergy-free rooms
  • 67% have weekend specials
  • 56% allow pets, and of those, 67% charge extra for your four-legged family member.
  • 43% have flat-screen TVs
  • 48% offer vegan meals
  • 66% offer healthy meals
  • 70% offer a free newspaper

And about that free breakfast? 59% offer it, but that’s down 9% from two years ago, the last time the survey was conducted.

For more details, read the MSNBC article. You’ll notice how the changes reflect societal trends and habits.

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