Pushing down the advertised price, pushing up the total price charged.
The sign in lights outside this hotel says "Rooms from 55 pounds". I've prebooked and prepaid 69 per night (but then this *is* a London suburb), but I asked about the 55 pounds when I check in. Apparently, the rates vary and if you book fairly well ahead for a day that's not booking well, and not expected to book well, it may be offered to you. But advertised outside for tonight? No - it shouldn't be. The best you'll get as a walk in would be 74 machines.
I want to watch the TV, so I turn on then I have to select:
• Option 1 (default is 4 - special offer media package at 9.99)
• Option 8 (default is 5 - the same special offer media package; 1 at this menu would but you a pay movie
• Option 1 (Tv Channels)
• Option 1 (BBC One)
I have my own internet access. Without it, I could pay 5 pounds for an hour, or 9 pounds for 24 hours. But I would then learn that was only accessible in the lobby. It'll cost me 10 pounds for use in the room as well.
If I had forgotten anything at home, I could have bought a dental kit for a pound, a shaving kit for a pound, a sewing kit for a pound, and five pounds for a travel adapter.
Breakfast isn't included in my room rate. It will cost me 7.95 if I believe the information I was given when I booked. Or 8.95 if I believe the information in the lift.
I don't think I've spent any extras but I could so easily have had the odd pint of beer, a bit of breakfast, used the internet around the hotel, eaten a meal in (because it's rather windy out) and ended up spending 300 pounds for my three nights.
This experience is totally OPPOSITE to our policy at Well House Manor; no extras for breakfast, internet, teas and coffees - TV's free and there's no menu of costly add-ons to navigate to get to it; granted, we're not just across the road from Elstree studios!
(written 2013-05-08, updated 2013-05-11)
Associated topics are indexed as below, or enter http://melksh.am/nnnn for individual articles
M401 - Well House Manor - Seeing how others do it [17] Differing tastes - (2004-08-17)
[514] Crazy Day-sies - (2005-12-02)
[619] If its Sunday, it must be the Norland - (2006-02-23)
[693] The on line booking experience - (2006-04-21)
[699] Extremes costs of getting on line - (2006-04-25)
[714] Room for Octopuses - (2006-05-08)
[736] New Tape Librarian - (2006-05-28)
[966] CSL, KISS and RTFM - (2006-12-05)
[1011] Well House Manor and Beechfield House, Hotels, Melksham - (2006-12-29)
[1026] The Wheatsheaf 2, The Bell 0 - (2007-01-09)
[1091] The Psyche is all wrong. - (2007-02-24)
[1205] Arrival and Departure experiences - another hotel - (2007-05-26)
[1287] Work and play at Well House Manor - Football and Shell Shortcuts - (2007-08-02)
[1301] Plastic or China - (2007-08-12)
[1333] Kasteel Elsloo - Michelin rated hotel. - (2007-09-05)
[1347] Wireless Internet Access at hotels - an update and some pitfalls - (2007-09-12)
[1354] Match the Bedroom to the Hotel - (2007-09-17)
[1356] Crystal Ball - How long do I need to be online? - (2007-09-18)
[1374] Maidenhead Coffee Challenge - (2007-10-02)
[1406] Away or home - which do I prefer? - (2007-10-25)
[1413] The little gestures that can really count - (2007-10-27)
[1454] From Sunday to Monday, from Melksham to the Balkans - (2007-12-03)
[1458] The wrong way to put up prices - (2007-12-05)
[1525] Just one thing let the service down - but that is my memory - (2008-01-31)
[1547] New bathing idea for hotels from Hotelympia - (2008-02-20)
[1597] Comparing hotels - as a guest and from the proprietors view - (2008-04-01)
[1672] The Composting Cone Challenge - (2008-06-10)
[1758] Lindors Hotel, near St. Briavels, Wye Valley - (2008-08-18)
[1915] Quietly putting prices up - (2008-12-02)
[2007] Launch of Melksham Food and Drink Festival - (2009-01-24)
[2105] Hire Car, from Atlanta Airport - (2009-03-27)
[2127] Call in the professionals! - (2009-04-12)
[2308] A new place in pictures - (2009-07-28)
[2311] Floor to ceiling - (2009-07-30)
[2413] Sanity checking the price, and selling up to increase income - (2009-09-21)
[2441] Not your cup of tea? - (2009-10-08)
[2502] Monday night, Tuesday night - (2009-11-13)
[2885] Twenty Questions - (2010-07-24)
[2911] Feeding the Grockles - (2010-08-09)
[3054] Longhope Hotel - (2010-11-16)
[3333] Honesty and a friendly welcome goes a long way - (2011-06-25)
[3368] Well House Manor hotel, Melksham - recommended to you by our customers - (2011-07-23)
[3754] Eyes Wide Open - (2012-06-06)
[3776] Some traps it's so easy to fall into in designing your web site - (2012-06-23)
[3794] Should hotel staff sit on the toilet in the customer bedrooms? - (2012-07-02)
[3900] The Xxxxx Guest House in Xxxxxxxxxxx - my stay reviewed - (2012-10-20)
[3963] National TV - Melksham - 9th January 2013, Pre-alert. - (2012-12-27)
[3970] Comparing four VERY different places to stay - (2013-01-11)
[3975] Being an amateur hotel inspector helps me run a professional hotel - (2013-01-14)
[4058] The highs and lows of customer service - Cheltenham - (2013-04-03)
[4091] A reminder of why we opened Well House Manor for our customers - (2013-05-17)
[4093] More things to make sure that we do NOT do ... - (2013-05-18)
[4109] What might you find at a tiny bed and breakfast? - (2013-06-03)
[4177] Setting and publishing your hours to suit your customer base - (2013-09-18)
[4245] It always happens to me when I'm in Borehamwood! - (2014-03-06)
[4255] Making a personal gain from a more expensive business hotel stay - (2014-04-02)
[4321] Are administration / review charges on hotel guests acceptable? - (2014-11-20)
[4348] Taking my life in my hands in Swansea - (2014-12-11)
[4373] A long and disappointing evening - (2014-12-30)
[4443] Seventh stay away this year - and it's still only February! - (2015-02-25)
Some other Articles
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