When on the road, you expect something to go wrong and so far our road trip had been perfect. However our arrival into the resort of Yalikavak turned out to be the day when I would have to start assessing my expectations and what I was prepared to put up with. I had a bad hotel experience that has made me doubt the hotel industry.
Even though, the day turned out well in the end, it also left me with a dilemma as to my responsibilities as a travel blogger. There were a number of questions that I ended up asking myself.
- Should I be naming those who in my opinion bring a bad name to the travel business?
- Do my readers want to know the places that I suggest avoiding?
- If I name and shame those who deliver poor standards, am I leaving myself wide open?
My Bad Hotel Experience
It all began when we arrived in the resort of Yalikavak. This is a beautiful coastal resort that has left its mark on me. I imagine eccentric artists and writers to flock there for inspirations. I also understand why many ex-pats have left the UK to experience life there. What I did not like was our choice of hotel. Those who have read previous posts of mine will remember that we decided to pre-book our hotel since we found out that dropping in unannounced can be three times more expensive.
As it was a girly holiday without the hubbies, we had decided to treat ourselves and pre-book a hotel that was four star, sauna, and gym, laid on buffet breakfasts, mini bar and all the mod cons. We already knew that the swimming pool would be out of use, as typically this is out of season that we are traveling in.
While walking around the resort, we had found the hotel and even though our bags were still in the car, we decided to check it out before booking in. My friend obviously had a sixth sense and I am glad she suggested it. We went into reception and the rest of the conversations are as follows.
Me – Hi, we have a pre-booked reservation for two rooms and will be checking in later. Can we just have a look around first?
Receptionist – yes.
(We proceed to the bar and sit down. No staff there but we figure they will be along shortly. Ten minutes later, we are still sat there with no drinks so I go back to reception)
Me – Hi, Can I have one cola and one Efes beer please?
Receptionist – yes
(I head back to the bar,wait ten minutes . At this stage, my tongue resembles a flip flop as it is so dry. However, a can of beer and a dirty glass are soon placed in front of me. Warning bells are starting to ring as the bar man looks like he shouldn’t be out of school, yet alone serving beer. So I head back to reception)
Me – Hi. Can you tell me how many rooms are booked in at the moment?
Receptionist – two
Me – ok, is that our two rooms?
Receptionist – yes
Me – is the sauna open?
Receptionist – no
Me – ok, is the gym open?
Receptionist – no
(At this stage, you will realise that conservation was not one of his strong points)
Me –Will there be a buffet breakfast in the morning?
Receptionist – no, set breakfast.
(I have seen a set breakfast in Turkey before and they consist of a slice of tomato, cucumber, three olives and a fried egg)
Me – can we see our rooms?
Receptionist – yes
We follow him up the stairs, and as we turn the corner I see a girl running out of one of the rooms. She has a shaved head and a nasty laugh that makes me wonder is she is an extra from Prisoner cell block H. I walk into the room, and the first thing I check is the sheets. They are all crumpled, and the pillowcases dirty. Now, if I want to lie in someone else’s sweat, I will go home and jump in bed with hubby. I certainly will not pay for it.
So that was the fastest check in and checkout in the history of hotels. It turned out though to be a blessing in disguise, as thanks to our decision to walk around and find another hotel, we met some great people and I shall tell you about them in the next post.
Will I disclose the name of this hotel? I have debated this and I feel that since the hotel agreed not to charge our credit cards, that it would be unfair to name them.
For those readers that are saying, you get what you pay for, remember this was a hotel that I was prepared to pay 40 euros a night for. It was also advertised as having a gym, sauna and all mod cons. I expected to be able to use them and it is a foregone conclusion that I would want to sleep on clean sheets. This experience also leaves me with the questions I mentioned above as to my responsibilities as a travel blogger.
- Readers, do you feel I should be naming and shaming this hotel, even those I was not charged
- If you are a travel blogger, do you disclose the bad times on your blog as well as the good ones?
