About complaints

We previously did a detailed breakdown of how to complain when something goes wrong with a flight:

In reality, problems are even more common during hotel stays, and hotels have a wide range of ways to compensate guests. On the low end, you might get a fruit plate; on the high end, they may waive the room charge or even give you extra nights. In this article, I’ll use a recent example from our reader group along with some of my own experiences to explain how to complain efficiently when something goes wrong at a hotel.

Common ways to complain

Before getting into examples, let’s first list the main complaint channels. Depending on the situation, you can choose different approaches to save time and get the best result.

Complain to the front desk

If you are still staying at the hotel, my top recommendation is to call the front desk and explain the issue. This is the fastest and easiest way to get many problems resolved. For example, if the AC in your room is not working, the room is not clean, or you need housekeeping right away, just pick up the room phone and press 0 to reach the front desk directly (some hotels use a different number, so follow the instructions on the phone).

Front desk staff at major hotel chains are usually fairly professional. If they cannot solve your problem themselves, they will often transfer you to the right department. For example, repairs for AC or doors/windows may go to one department, while cleanliness issues may go to housekeeping or operations.

Calling the front desk is the most direct method, but it mainly works for problems that can be fixed immediately. If you have already checked out, calling the front desk often does not lead to timely handling. The front desk also tends to have limited authority. Their role is more like a hub that receives issues and forwards them to other departments. If you are looking for compensation, reimbursement, or some other remedy, the front desk often cannot approve it and can only escalate you to a supervisor. That said, even after checkout, calling the front desk may still lead to the hotel assigning someone to follow up with you.

There is one exception: during check in, the front desk has a lot of power. If you feel your elite room upgrade benefit was not honored, you should absolutely ask about it directly, and if needed, complain. From my own stays, I’ve found that if you ask a few more times, the front desk quickly realizes this matters to you. Combined with elite status, they may make a stronger effort to find an available upgraded room. Even if they truly cannot upgrade you, they may offer breakfast, bar vouchers, or something similar.

Call the official customer service line

If you are no longer at the hotel and are still unhappy with the service, you can consider calling Hilton customer service through the official website. Using Hilton as an example, you can find Hilton’s phone number on its website. When you call, the representative can file a complaint for you.

This method may work well for people who are not very comfortable with English, since the back-and-forth format makes it easier to explain what happened step by step. Personally, though, I do not love this approach. I prefer writing an email or using the website’s contact us form so I can explain everything clearly from beginning to end. Phone calls also do not leave a record. If someone from the hotel calls you back later, you may have to repeat the whole story again, which is a hassle.

Submit a complaint on the website / Email the hotel

My preferred method is either submitting a complaint directly on the official website or emailing the hotel. First, it gives you time to organize your thoughts and clearly explain what happened, how you felt, and what compensation you are seeking. Second, email creates a paper trail. If the person handling your case cannot solve it, they can simply forward your case to a supervisor without needing you to repeat everything. Every exchange is documented, which can help later if compensation is discussed.

Again using Hilton as an example, you can submit a complaint directly through this contact page by selecting the type “recent hotel stay feedback.” After submission, you will usually hear back within 3 business days. If the issue is more serious, the hotel department manager will often be the one to contact you.

Case study: complaining to a Hilton Waldorf Astoria

After all that background, let’s look at a real example from a reader in our group so you can get a sense of how the complaint process works.

Background

Reader A stayed at a Waldorf Astoria by Hilton in the U.S., booked through AMEX FHR. During the stay, he found a spider in the room. He tried calling the front desk but could not get through, so he had to go downstairs and speak with them in person before they finally changed his room. The front desk attitude was also not great during the process.

Later, the pool could not be used because there were ducks in it. Also, because this was an FHR booking, he should have been entitled to a 4 pm late check out (and A had also left a note in the app requesting 4 pm check out). But before 4 pm, a housekeeping staff member knocked on the door and then came in after only a few knocks. A had not even finished getting dressed.

At the time, A did contact the front desk to ask what was going on, but because he had to rush to the airport, he did not have time to fully discuss the issue or push for compensation. The hotel only waived the resort fee.

The complaint

After venting in the group and discussing it with everyone, most people felt that waiving the resort fee was far too little and suggested that he keep pushing. So he wrote up his experience and submitted a complaint through Hilton’s official contact us form.

Below was the customer service response. Let’s break it down briefly: the first paragraph was standard polite language acknowledging the issue. The second paragraph offered increased compensation, raising it to 30,000 points. You can tell that the Hilton rep contacted the hotel, got a general sense of the situation, and decided to offer 30,000 within their authority to see whether that would make the problem go away. Their authority was clearly limited, though, since that was as far as they could go. Notice that they were not really trying to resolve the underlying issue further; they were simply increasing the compensation.

A was still upset after reading the email. What he really hoped for was either a full refund of the room charge or a free night certificate that could cover a Waldorf Astoria. So A restated his concerns, specifically emphasized how unhappy he was about the housekeeper entering the room, and made it clear that he was not satisfied with the proposed compensation.

At that point, the rep likely realized the issue needed to be escalated and passed it to hotel management. The manager first said they would discuss the matter with the housekeepin team, then increased the compensation to 70,000 Hilton points and stated that they could also cover one night at a Waldorf Astoria. They also provided contact information for a more senior hotel leader. This was actually an appropriate response, because A was not just looking for compensation; he also wanted an explanation and acknowledgment.

At this point, A was basically satisfied with the offer, but other group members felt he could still negotiate further. One idea was to ask for a higher-end Waldorf Astoria redemption level, or for a hotel he actually planned to stay at.

In the end, the manager accepted his reasoning and increased the compensation to 120,000.

My take

This is actually a fairly standard process:

  • Official customer service calms things down and offers some compensation to see whether the issue can be closed out
  • If that does not work, hotel management steps in
  • Then both sides discuss an appropriate level of compensation
  • Done

As long as what you are saying is reasonable, hotels will usually offer compensation. The key is to clearly express your dissatisfaction and ask for reasonable compensation.

Other examples

Here are a few other hotel complaint situations I’ve heard about:

  • Check in took too long: The guest arrived around 12 pm, but the room was not ready. The front desk said it would take another 2–3 hours and offered two lobby drink vouchers. The guest then responded more firmly, saying they had never had to wait like this before and that they were an elite member with the hotel. The front desk realized the guest would not just let it go, rechecked room availability, upgraded them to a suite, and had a manager come over to smooth things over.
  • Staff entered the room to deliver fruit: The guest had the do not disturb sign on, but a staff member still entered the room to deliver the welcome fruit plate and interrupted their sleep. After calling the front desk to complain, the hotel offered breakfast for two rooms.
  • Pool issue: The hotel pool had no lifeguard, and the locker room was overcrowded. After a complaint, no compensation was mentioned; the hotel simply apologized and the matter went nowhere.

Bottom line

It is actually pretty common to run into frustrating situations during a hotel stay. My advice is to speak up clearly when something is wrong. In general, the major hotel chains are fairly good about guest service. If complaining face to face feels awkward, you can call the front desk, or follow up later through the website or by email. Just be clear about what compensation you are asking for. In short: the squeaky wheel gets the grease, so do not keep your frustration bottled up.