Is it quite common for UK hotels to have no concierge/on demand housekeeping services or room service in Hotels or is this new?

Posted by Mediocre_Address_700@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 24 comments

It’s quite weird to find no water bottles (not even to fill from the bathroom basin) and no one to send stuff or help with luggage to your room. I was visiting and stayed in a property by a reputed chain of hotels. It was literally 3 people running the reception, bar and concierge together. No room service! No housekeeping except at a specific time. Weird!

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24 Comments

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WildPinata@reddit

I've travelled a lot, worldwide, and rarely stayed in hotels that have water bottles available, other than in minibars. I've never stayed in one that had reusable bottles to borrow. I think concierge services have fallen out of favour from all but the highest end hotels - I worked in a 4 star hotel 25yrs ago and our concierge was already underutilized, I can only imagine that's increased even more now you can book things easily online. Room service should be listed as an amenity, but if there's no restaurant/the restaurant onsite is independent to the hotel (increasingly common) then it wouldn't usually be expected. Porters are, like housekeeping, one of the first things to get cut for cost savings; and one of the highest turnovers too. It's often rolled into reception duties, so if they were short-staffed or busy they wouldn't be able to leave the desk to help.

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schuhlelewis@reddit

I think 90% of the hotels I’ve ever stayed in had complimentary bottled water

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WildPinata@reddit

The only places I've really stayed with complimentary bottled water are places where the actual water isn't safe to drink. And I predominantly travel in the UK and North America, so that's usually not the case.

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EntryCapital6728@reddit

Depends where you go, but for the majority of hotels I've ever stayed in, including ones with giant fountains in the lobbies and spas, yes. Check in, but you're a big boy and you can wheel your own shit to your room lol

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cragglerock93@reddit

I've never stayed anywhere fancier than a Hilton but if I was staying somewhere grand and expensive I'd want them to take my bags up.

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No-Level6450@reddit

Which chain/price mark are you talking? I feel people have lost track of the prices of hotel and expect a service that doesn’t reconcile with it nowadays

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Mediocre_Address_700@reddit (OP)

500 gbp for 2 nights. I can bet you get better services in other parts of the world where there is cheaper labour. But obv i understand that’s exploitation too.

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Dry_Action1734@reddit

How much did you pay? Sounds normal for a chain.

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Mediocre_Address_700@reddit (OP)

500 gbp for 2 days :3

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Cultural_Tank_6947@reddit

Sadly all very normal in the UK. It's shit.

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PatTheCatMcDonald@reddit

Yes, UK service is none existent even to British people. Let alone visitors from overseas.

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Ok-Train5382@reddit

If I was paying 500+ quid a night, I’d maybe expect this, for a big standard hotel room though I wouldn’t be expecting room service and 24/7 house keeping

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Brickie78@reddit

Only time I've had that kind of service was when I splurged on the 5* Grosvenor in Chester for a big anniversary. Incidentally, I looked at your post history to see where you were from, and saw you asking about LGBTQ friendly places in Scarborough, and you weren't convinced there'd be muvh in York. If you're still in Scarbados, you should pop by[Portal Bookshop](https://the-portal-bookshop.square.site/s/shop) next time you're over in York. We don't have much dedicated LGBT nightlife but there's quite a community.

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NobleRotter@reddit

Manpower is expensive in the UK compared to many countries. We have strong labour protection, minimum wage standards and no real tip culture. This all means that the staff to customer ratios in many businesses will be lower unless you are using higher priced places. I'm guessing you are from a part of the world where labour is cheaper.

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red_black_red0@reddit

If you want these sorts of things in a cheap hotel, you should lobby for the minimum wage to be cut by 90% to make it economical. At the end of the day you will get what you pay for, so I would recommend to stay in an expensive hotel if you want luxuries.

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Queen_of_London@reddit

That's absolutely normal, yes. It's higher-end hotels that have porters (to help with luggage). No water bottle at all is unusual. Room service is usually accessible in a way, though it'll be one of the three people bringing you a meal to your room during the hours their bar/restaurant is open.

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Timely_Egg_6827@reddit

For a low to mid-range hotel that is pretty normal. Even in a high-end hotel, I'd avoid room service or concierge as it costs a lot. House-keeping is usually 10am to 3pm as they are changing the rooms for new guests. If you have a diaster, then front desk people will help or have someone on call.

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Juniper__Bloom@reddit

Where are you from that those things are a standard? Particularly on demand housekeeping?! In my experience (worldwide not just UK), concierge is offered in some 5* hotels only, on demand housekeeping does not exist, and room service is, understandably, offered only if the hotel has a restaurant.

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one_pump_chimp@reddit

It would be very uncommon to have someone carry your bags, only the fanciest of places will do this. Same with a concierge, maybe a fancy 5 star in London. In general we wipe our own arses. Housekeeping will come and tidy the room once a day Room service is common in full service hotels, also common is getting something in the bar/restaurant

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BalthazarOfTheOrions@reddit

Yep, it's all minimal and self service now. Room service is really rare here because it's expensive. Most people will just buy some takeout and bring it in.

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Mrwonderful-hnt@reddit

Yes, it depends on the location and the rating. A 3 star hotel in the UK often feels like a 1 star. Location and price are usually the key factors.

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SnoopyLupus@reddit

Not weird. Normal.

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OkGlass6902@reddit

Totally depends on how expensive the hotel is.

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