Comments on: Luxury Travel Trends for 2012

By: Timothy

Timothy — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 13:58:00 +0000

Thanks Lee for chiming in—and for being honest and up-front with your guests! I couldn’t agree more: these days the internet is like hot water. It shouldn’t cost extra. The only people who don’t get irate about being charged for it are the ones who are on a company expense account.

You can read our detailed review of The Springs, with a view of Arenal Volcano even, at this link: http://www.luxurylatinamerica.com/costa_rica/thesprings.html

By: Lee Banks

Lee Banks — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 07:34:54 +0000

My name is Lee Banks and I am the owner of The Springs Resort & Spa in Costa Rica http://www.thespringscostarica.com (As seen on ABC’s The Bachelor and CNN Travel 1 of 7 resorts in the World with Most Spectacular Views)and I will (strangely enough) reinforce the testimony and sentiment of the individual traveler and Agent/Operator that they should not only receive the experience of a liftemine with their family or new spouse but that they should not be charged resort fees or for internet or any other related expense at the resort. Any hotel worth the experience on its own merit should honestly present the cost of the room and not nickel and dime their guests because it is self destructive and ultimately a degenerative social media cost to the reputation of the property. In this day and age of instantaneous Media/Information dissemination the true shall prevail and the Nickel and Dimers shall perish- like a great Bank Commercial says- no one likes hidden fees and illogical explanations (they use children as judges which I love) because it solidifies the point that instinctively we know right and wrong!!

God bless the Out of Touch corporate decision makers because they push their customers in the direction of independent personalized resorts like mine- abusing a captive audience creates rebellion and costs brand loyalty which these chains have spent millions of dollars trying to obtain only to throw away trying to take advantage of a necessity. Did any resort ever charge for using the bathroom- then why charge for internet- it is a necessity in this day and age.

By: Linda

Linda — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 14:24:58 +0000

I agree with them about family and friends being most important and that’s why we put travel as a high priority. Creating those memories together is much more fulfilling than buying a slightly newer car or getting another iPad. Memories give you pleasure much longer than new gadgets.

By: Timothy

Timothy — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:00:52 +0000

Marcus, I was at a convention where I only saw one person/booth using the hotel Wi-Fi and that was American Express. I imagine they worked out a side deal. Several people told me they were using their own 3G or 4G wireless modem instead. This is how a lot of business travelers deal with being charged for Wi-Fi: they bypass the hotel system, just like almost everyone did for phones already.

By: Marcus

Marcus — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 02:40:58 +0000

I was nodding along until you got to the $525 charge for Wi-Fi. Seriously? Does anyone actually pay this?