A recent poll has found that Irish travellers resent car parking charges moreso than any other hotel extra – beating Wi-Fi and in-room bottled water charges.
We’ve all been there. You’re checking out after a lovely weekend with your other half when suddenly you’re handed a considerably lengthier bill than you had expected. Okay fine, you opened the mini-bar and took out a Toberlone the previous night, but what are these other extra charges? Wi-Fi? They’re charging me for Wi-Fi?!
Or how about the equally mortifying experience of breakfast which you thought was originally included as part of your travel package? You’re gorging away on your fifth croissant with nary a care in the world, until suddenly you spot a busy till in the corner of your eye. It’s too late to make a break for it and you still have another night left in your itinerary, so it’s time to sullenly open your wallet and accept your fate.
According to a recent polling, over half of Irish travellers (55.2%) said they have had to pay for something during a hotel stay that they were unaware would be an additional cost, with 50.9% of people having to pay for car parking.
Indeed, car parking is the extra which Irish holidaymakers particularly resent having to pay for, after 71.2% stated that they believe their parking should be free of charge during their stay. Wi-Fi was found to be the second most bothersome charge, with 70.6% of respondents believing they shouldn’t have to pay for internet access.
Mini-bar madness
The sultry temptress of every hotel room – the mini-bar – made an unfavourable appereance in Hotels.com’s poll, with 69.9% of people saying they steer clear of the mini-bar by purchasing drinks and snacks outside the hotel beforehand. 75.5% of pollers went further, stating that they felt ripped off by mini-bar costs, with 67.5% of people also resenting having to pay extra for bottled water in their rooms.
According to Alison Couper, Director of Communications for Hotels.com, the site’s research indicates Irish travellers are becoming ‘increasingly savvy at making their holiday money go further and hotel extras can really add up.’ She advises travellers to ‘check what is included in the rate as there are often great promotions to be enjoyed if you shop around.
So cost conscious have we become that more than half of us (55.8%) now question the charges on our bills at check-out. The following five bugbears we reported from the research gathered from 180 Irish travelers:
Top Five Least-Wanted Hotel Extra Charges
| 1 | Car parking |
| 2 | Wi-FI |
| 3 | Bottled water |
| 4 | Wake-up calls |
| 5 |
Use of hotel gym |
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