Rooms and boards

Of all the amenities offered by the Torrance Hilton at South Bay, Craig Piersma was most looking forward to the whirlpool on a recent visit to Southern California.

But when he checked into the hotel, wrapped himself in a towel and headed to the courtyard for a relaxing swim, he found “the pool drained and Jacuzzis demolished.”

“The hotel made no mention of its ongoing renovation when my in-house travel person made the reservation,” says the Grand Rapids, Mich., automotive supply company executive. “This scene repeated itself over and over during my stay, as guests, seeking relief from the record heat, walked into the courtyard only to find it looking like a war zone.”

The scene isn’t just repeating itself in Torrance, Calif., but across the continent, as hotel renovations hit record levels. PKF Consulting analyst Robert Mandelbaum estimates that 20 percent of hotels in the United States are currently under construction, up 3 percent from a year ago.

“Renovations have been running especially high during the last three years, as customer demand for upgraded rooms has increased,” he says. “And since the 1990s have been one of the most profitable, if not the most profitable, decades for hotel operations, properties now have the money to upgrade their facilities.”

But are hotels being overhauled at the expense of today’s customers? It’s not only closed pools and exercise rooms, but construction noise and blocked access to parts of the property that are irritating guests. That, combined with the fact that they often don’t find out about the renovations until they’ve checked in, is making a lot of travelers crabby.

In Piersma’s case, he should have mentioned the inconvenience. The hotel was handing out passes to a nearby exercise club to guests who complained.

Hilton spokeswoman Jeanne Datz told me the chain has no specific policy regarding customer compensation. “We let the general managers take care of it on a case-by-case basis. We just offer a set of recommendations, but they’re little more than suggestions on how to handle it”

Unlike the airlines, which are required to file specific contracts of carriage with the federal government, hotels are less regulated, says Kathryn Potter, a spokeswoman for the American Hotel & Motel Association in Washington. “If some amenities are missing or if there’s construction noise, there are no federal laws that I know of that would require the hotel to reimburse you.”

In other words, there are few if any consumer protection laws ensuring that what you see on a hotel brochure is what you’ll end up with.

A few months ago, I stayed at a property in Breckenridge, Colo., that was undergoing a major renovation. The walls were bare, the carpeting was gone, and the front desk had been moved to a temporary (and difficult to find) spot. Needless to say, the literature mentioned nothing about the renovations. The staff knew what a mess the place was and did everything they could to make up for it. I didn’t feel inconvenienced at all, but looking back, it would have been nice to know about the construction.

I think hotels are a little embarrassed about the current state of their works in progress and perhaps afraid that they’ll lose business. I’m also certain that travel agents are part of the problem, frequently failing to mention ongoing renovations because they’re worried that the client will take a pass on the property – and they’ll forfeit that 10 percent commission.

The top hotel chains are more than responsible in the way they manage their facilities. At the Four Season Hotel Toronto, which is in the middle of an $8.4 million overhaul, customers are notified every day of the construction progress; they’re told about the work when they book a room, and they’re offered reasonable compensation for any inconvenience.

“We go farther than most hotels,” says Klaus Tenter, the Four Seasons’ general manager. “In fact, for some of the construction work which requires a lot of drilling, we’re going to close the hotel for two days.”

Same at Marriott, where hotel guidelines require complete disclosure by the property under construction. For example, the Orlando World Center Marriott, which is adding a 500-room tower, makes sure that each visitor is told of the work and that most guests stay as far away from the jackhammers and cranes as possible.

“The main point is to be sure the guest is satisfied with their stay,” says spokeswoman Geary Campbell. “If it requires putting them in anther hotel or giving them a reduced rate, we’ll do it.”

For the rest of the hotels – and really, for our benefit – I believe a federal disclosure law isn’t out of line. These protections exist for other consumer products, and given all the renovations that are going on at the moment, I see little reason why hotels should continue to be excluded.

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

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