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Unwelcoming Hotel In Santiago

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Stephen McLoughlin

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Hi
I finished the Camino Portuguese from Lisbon on Wed and decided to treat myself to a nice hotel as I always do in Santiago as a reward, you know what I mean...

The hotel in question, in my experience anyway, was only interested in the money and certainly not in Pilgrim business...I had a horrible experience and felt I was treated very badly, to the point they were at my room door , not asking me but telling me to vacate the room before the checkout time...This had a very negative effect on my last day in Santiago which is usually wonderful...I asked to speak to the manager to enquire why I was being treated so badly by the hotel staff...of course he wasn’t available...

I’m no shrinking violet....I’m 45 years old and this was my 4th Camino and have being staying in hotels for work for about 25 years and I have to honestly say this is one of the worst experiences I’ve ever had in a hotel...

I don’t usually do reviews good or bad and I’ve never complained on the forum before about anything...the Caminos are not a walk in the park! They can sometimes be very hard work but I love the challenges they throw at you but this was a step too far...

I haven’t named the hotel and I don’t know whether I should, if someone could advise me on this I would be most grateful but i feel if they are only interested in money and not treating their guests with respect, then Pilgrims should not stay there...

I used my Agoda points to get a good deal so the room cost me €160 when it would be usually have cost €400...extravagant I know but I felt I deserved it...The hotel room was in no way worth €160 never mind €400 and the experience itself was €0.00....

Thoughts please,

Stephen
 
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Yes it can happen. Naming the place here won't change much I guess.
Tripadvisor or the likes might be a better tool for you if you want to vent your opinions.
If it was me I would just get over it and just remember the Camino impressions.
 
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Yes I think this is the correct thing to do maybe...As I said in my post, I don’t do reviews good or bad, it was so other Pilgrims wouldn’t have the same experience...In all honestly, it was a tiny blip in an otherwise wonderful experience but the shock of entering the real world again after being on my own for a month took it out of me I guess...
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Yes I think this is the correct thing to do maybe...As I said in my post, I don’t do reviews good or bad, it was so other Pilgrims wouldn’t have the same experience...In all honestly, it was a tiny blip in an otherwise wonderful experience but the shock of entering the real world again after being on my own for a month took it out of me I guess...

Life as it is...
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
I’m really surprised that they asked you to vacate! Without pressing you in an uncomfortable way, can you explain why they asked you to leave? Was there some sort of mutual disagreement, or did they know that you were already unhappy at that point?

I am in a rather expensive hotel for three nights in Burgos. I’m grateful that my experience is the opposite of yours! I actually found a better deal on booking.com, but this is such an interesting old funky glamorous overdone monstrosity that I have fallen in love with that. I have figured out how much substitute teaching I’m going to have to do to justify staying here – – about two full days. Worth it!

Everything is red and gold and I have a huge bathtub with jet streams. I have the cool arm grabbers to help get out of the tub, and there is a huge buffet breakfast. It’s just the place to finish up, and I wish that you could be having a similar and entertaining experience!
 
I’m really surprised that they asked you to vacate! Without pressing you in an uncomfortable way, can you explain why they asked you to leave? Was there some sort of mutual disagreement, or did they know that you were already unhappy at that point?

I am in a rather expensive hotel for three nights in Burgos. I’m grateful that my experience is the opposite of yours! I actually found a better deal on booking.com, but this is such an interesting old funky glamorous overdone monstrosity that I have fallen in love with that. I have figured out how much substitute teaching I’m going to have to do to justify staying here – – about two full days. Worth it!

Everything is red and gold and I have a huge bathtub with jet streams. I have the cool arm grabbers to help get out of the tub, and there is a huge buffet breakfast. It’s just the place to finish up, and I wish that you could be having a similar and entertaining experience!
They said they needed the room...They didn’t give me the room I booked which I let go and there was a problem getting into the hotel in the first place...I knew the minute I stepped inside the door there was something wrong...
 
They said they needed the room...They didn’t give me the room I booked which I let go and there was a problem getting into the hotel in the first place...I knew the minute I stepped inside the door there was something wrong...
I treat people the way I expect to be treated but when that is not reciprocated there is a problem I feel...part of the fee is for hospitality and it’s their job to make you feel welcome and at home not be treated just as a large Euro sign...
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
The managers of most hotels pay a great deal of attention to Tripadvisor (to the point that Tripadvisor watches out for planted reviews), so that is the best place to ensure that your views are seen by them, as well as by other travellers. As well, each hotel much maintain a libro de reclamaciones-- a complaint book-- which is reviewed by the provincial tourism authorities. One friend, who received markedly poor treatment in a hotel in (IIRC) Santander, caused an extraordinary stir by asking for the book, and the very-absent manager drove in from across town to remedy the situation.

In nine Caminos, I have been treated very well by hotels, but Santiago is the only place where I have been knowingly overcharged. It is a tourist town, and can become jaded.
 
Hi
I finished the Camino Portuguese from Lisbon on Wed and decided to treat myself to a nice hotel as I always do in Santiago as a reward, you know what I mean...

The hotel in question, in my experience anyway, was only interested in the money and certainly not in Pilgrim business...I had a horrible experience and felt I was treated very badly, to the point they were at my room door , not asking me but telling me to vacate the room before the checkout time...This had a very negative effect on my last day in Santiago which is usually wonderful...I asked to speak to the manager to enquire why I was being treated so badly by the hotel staff...of course he wasn’t available...

I’m no shrinking violet....I’m 45 years old and this was my 4th Camino and have being staying in hotels for work for about 25 years and I have to honestly say this is one of the worst experiences I’ve ever had in a hotel...

I don’t usually do reviews good or bad and I’ve never complained on the forum before about anything...the Caminos are not a walk in the park! They can sometimes be very hard work but I love the challenges they throw at you but this was a step too far...

I haven’t named the hotel and I don’t know whether I should, if someone could advise me on this I would be most grateful but i feel if they are only interested in money and not treating their guests with respect, then Pilgrims should not stay there...

I used my Agoda points to get a good deal so the room cost me €160 when it would be usually have cost €400...extravagant I know but I felt I deserved it...The hotel room was in no way worth €160 never mind €400 and the experience itself was €0.00....

Thoughts please,

Stephen

Hi Stephen,
This is very poor so I think you should definitely "name them and shame them"!
None of us want to have a bad experience like that after finishing your Camino.
Salut
Guy
 
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Sorry to hear you are having problems... This post probably isn't going to help... Call it dumb luck but we have had nothing but great service, all be it somewhat Faulty Tower-esk at times. We like to stay in a very posh central boutique hotel when we finish our caminos, we never book and for some reason get at least 60 percent off. The manager claims it is always "impossible" for us to stay, and when he finds a room it is "strictly one night only", unless of course we decide to stay longer. One time this "fully booked - complete" hotel actually had 3 suites for us to choose from, but we did need to wait for room service, so he gave us a completmemtary bottle of cava to drink while we waited... Last time when he saw us dredge in at least 6 weeks worth of road dust he sighed, reached for the cava (and a broom) and gave us the usual "impossible" line before booking us in.
 
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For that price you can often stay in the parador, where you will be treated impeccably (impersonally, but impeccably). Last time I stayed there work was paying, but even so 180€ for 2 nights didn't seem exorbitant for what is quite an experience. My one gripe was that I had no change on me, so had to tip the person who showed me my room 5€ for not carrying my rucksack to it - one euro less than the previous night's total accommodation.
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
For that price you can often stay in the parador, where you will be treated impeccably (impersonally, but impeccably). Last time I stayed there work was paying, but even so 180€ for 2 nights didn't seem exorbitant for what is quite an experience. My one gripe was that I had no change on me, so had to tip the person who showed me my room 5€ for not carrying my rucksack to it - one euro less than the previous night's total accommodation.

Well, you must have a great employer! Sounds like a really sweet deal.
 
Yes, you want to ask for the complaint book. They will bend over backwards and try to resolve it on the spot rather than have the local tourist office find out what they did to a tourist.
I didn’t know this unfortunately...thank you
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
All are adults who make arraignments you may keep them from an ugly end to their experience. Yet everyday on the Camino we make decisions, sometimes not the best decisions that can be rather humbling. This is not one of those name them.
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
Sorry for your bad luck in hotel choice. When things go wrong it's very difficult to know how to address them, should I shouldn't I name and shame, personally I make my complaint to their staff at the time, I'm not one for visiting the internet and writing reviews (that's just me). I would just mark it down to a bad experience that will never happen again in that particular hotel.
 
I haven’t named the hotel and I don’t know whether I should, if someone could advise me on this I would be most grateful but i feel if they are only interested in money and not treating their guests with respect, then Pilgrims should not stay there...

I used my Agoda points to get a good deal so the room cost me €160 when it would be usually have cost €400...extravagant I know but I felt I deserved it...The hotel room was in no way worth €160 never mind €400 and the experience itself was €0.00....
I don't know that naming it here would accomplish a lot, but it certainly wouldn't hurt. And I don't know what Agoda is, but if you are a member of TripAdvisor or any similar site, an honest review there would do a lot of good.

That said, I cannot even imagine any room being worth €100 or more unless you have a million in your backpack and want to reduce the weight.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Sorry, but this post is stretching my credulity. Is there a hotel anywhere in Spain that charges 400E for a room?
Everybody seems to be getting carried away with the price of the hotel and not focusing on the issue...I’m sure the hotel was not €400 but this discount was offered by the booking App to make it seem like an amazing deal...
 
I will not be naming the hotel on this forum as I have been advised and to be truthful I wish I never started this thread in the first place...
 
I will not be naming the hotel on this forum as I have been advised and to be truthful I wish I never started this thread in the first place...
Stephen, so sorry about your bad experience and apologies for some of the odious comments here which are not helpful. So much for a sense of 'Community' this forum is supposed to be.....more like sharks forming an inquisition! Do not be offended nor be put off and do post again. You obviously expected a better deal and didn't get it. I'm glad you vented your frustration on this forum. Many people don't post and I'm sure in reading your initial comment would be empathizing with you. I think I know the hotel in question, at that price there are no others in Santiago. I have not stayed there myself. I prefer the Parador . Hope it didn't spoil your Camino. Keep your chin up.
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
As a fun distraction and to lighten the mood, I can tell you that the Parador in the Alhambra is offering a special deal at the moment. €395 a night.
Gosh that's really inexpensive! ( my mother told me never to use the word 'cheap' it's mch too vulgar)!!!
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
It is a very special place. So I am told by someone who stayed there one night.
 
It is a very special place. So I am told by someone who stayed there one night.
I'm guessing from a friend who told me, that you're too shy, humble and modest to admit it was you!
 
As a fun distraction and to lighten the mood, I can tell you that the Parador in the Alhambra is offering a special deal at the moment. €395 a night.
Wow!
I guess that makes the Hotel Reis Catolicos an absolute steal at 180Eu.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
And I have stayed there; (Reis Catolicos). When I arrived with my son in 2014, he announced, (having had watched that film), "...My treat!.
 
that makes the Hotel Reis Catolicos an absolute steal at 180Eu.
Guess what I just saw on agoda.com, a hotel booking website (I think it's the website in question?):

upload_2017-10-16_12-46-11.png

Fact is that nobody in this thread said that they paid 400 EUR for a hotel room in Santiago.

Fact is also that there are four hotels in Santiago that are rated as 5 star hotels on popular booking websites.

Fact is further that the Parador in Santiago - just as an example - does indeed have a regular price of 386 EUR for bed and breakfast for one night for a "doble superior room" and 455 EUR for a "junior suite". The top is 730 EUR for a "suite".

Fact is also, if you look at Trip Advisor, that 5 star hotels in Santiago, just like anywhere else, get lots of glowing reviews, ie "excellent" and that there are always a few that rate their stay as "terrible" or "poor". In the later cases, there is often a reply from the hotel management.

There is a difference between "I can't afford it" and "I would never pay it", at least in my book.

I feel that nobody has to publicly defend what they chose to pay for their accommodation, their long-distance flights, or as a matter of fact, how often they make these expenses. It's probably smart not to mention numbers when they are on the higher end. There is also Matthew 7.3-5 to consider ....
 
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€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
Thank you...I never said I paid €400 for the hotel room and even if I did it’s nobody’s business but mine...I paid the discounted rate which I doubt was true in the first place...ALSO, if I want to sleep on the street or stay in the Parador that’s also MY BUSINESS...I work very hard so I can afford these Caminos and if I want to stay in a nice hotel when I get to Santiago then that’s my right...
 
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Please accept my apologies @Stephen McLoughlin. You paid 160€ for a 400€ room. That’s a bargain as far as I am concerned. I was not commenting on your choice of hotel. And if it was indeed the Parador I can totally understand. The Parador is part of the modern legend of the camino! BTW it was always booked out when I got to Santiago which is probably why I never knew the cost. I was simply commenting on the fact that there ARE 400€ rooms in Santiago. I thought your original post made it clear that you had NOT paid 400€. I am sorry if I have caused any offence or have derailed your post because that was most definitely not my intention. Please don’t leave the forum on my account. Mind you it does sometimes take balls to stay on this forum but believe me there are many kind people here. Just ignore my posts. :):):)
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Sorry, but this post is stretching my credulity. Is there a hotel anywhere in Spain that charges 400E for a room?
Although (again) I can't imagine a room worth that much, there's no surprise to me that it happens. I looked up a hotel that I had heard about in China and found that the least expensive room for one night would cost my entire income for a whole month!
 
If the hotel is unnamed, this entire thread is just noise. It could be anywhere, or it could be nowhere -- no one is helped. A vital piece of information is missing, and without it all the rest is useless, empty air.
Actually I disagree. The OP is venting his frustration/disappointment and that is a good thing as it obviously is helping him. Agree/disagree with him is not the issue. The issue is he can vent his frustration in what I hope is a supportive and non patronizing community. The fact that he does not mention the hotel in question makes him rather honorable and has gained my respect. The other point I think this thread highlights is the fact that people didn't realize that there are hotels in Santiago who indeed charge a lot of money. Moreover the hotels in Santiago are not the reserve for pilgrims as there are lots of tourists who visit too. Santiago afterall is a city for everyone servicing all kinds of budgets. This thread indeed is helpful.
 
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The issue is about naming the hotel, am I right? If I want to know the name of the hotel, I could send the original poster a private message to find out. I notice Grayland has made some previous posts about the impending closure of threads, which indicates strong moderation, a good thing in my opinion. I often compose posts and delete them before hitting the button because I say to myself: who is this for? Does it add anything to the price of cheese (a frequent expression from my home upbringing). There are so many spokes on the wheel of the forum, so many people with experience of what it has been like to walk the various caminos, well qualified to respond to requests for information and advice. Sometimes the spotlight is on one topic, other times something different. So different ‘actors’ hold the stage, and then recede to the wings when another focus takes centre stage. That is part of the fun of checking in, the variety, especially when caminos are not a regular possibility. A vicarious way of keeping in contact with the Way. So, to the original poster: sorry you had such a terrible experience. You will not do that again! Now I decide: post? Delete? ....ah, go for it! Buen Camino everyone, have a lovely day, stay safe.
 
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Some posts that contain personal remarks directed at other members have been deleted.

The thread has been left open for now.
Further personal attacks will cause it to be closed.

Please consider your remarks before hitting the "post button".
Hi Grayland. Well said! Thank you for keeping this thread open and for deleting the unhelpful posts. Personally, keeping the thread open is a good sign as it sends a message to everyone that this forum is also about emotional support, even at the individual level.....if a person is asking for it. The OP was getting things off his chest and this Forum should be a safe environment for him to do so.....for anyone for that matter. That is one reason why I have contributed to the discussion points. Again, thank you for your compassionate approach. I hope other posters may learn from it.
 
I have deleted several posts. Apparently remarks have been posted on Facebook referring to this thread, and making personal remarks about members. I am not sure what we can do about that, but ask that all members remain respectful of each other and of the forum rules.

For the time being I have closed the thread.
 
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