NOT ALL HOTELS CHARGETHEIR GUESTS ON THE DOUBLE
Sometimes the staff on reception can surprise you by going that extra mile,
Most of us, at some stage, have had to do battle at the hotel checkout desk. Why are we being charged for that? Wasn’t that supposed to be included? No, we didn’t eat those pistachios from the mini-bar. (Yes, okay, the two wines are a fair cop.) It’s a rare enough event, however, when you know that you are in the ‘wrong’ so to speak, and still the hotel makes financial amends in your favour.
It started with a last-minute online booking for a night’s R&R at the Seafield Hotel, near Gorey in Co. Wexford. It was a place that I had never heard of until a friend suggested that it might be a good chill-out spot. I googled it and there it was – one of those Golf & Spa hotels, the sort that generally send me running for the hills (especially the golf bit). It looked attractive, however - modern, airy, beautifully planted grounds and only a ten-minute stroll along a woodland path to lovely Ballymoney beach. We’d give it a go. Ten minutes later and I had secured a room for the night on a dinner/bed/breakfast basis at €99 each for the husband and myself, and a day later we pulled into the
car park in front of the Seafield hotel. Yes, there was a golf clubhouse in evidence but it was at a remove from the hotel proper and although there were fairways to the left of us and fairways to the right of us, overall the ‘golfy’ vibe wasn’t too in your face.
Inside the hotel itself all was modern decor, with great light and high-ceilinged rooms in the general areas. Both the bar and the restaurant were impressive and we had a glass of wine at the bar before we checked in. Good bar menu, we noticed, and lovely staff. A great start.
Our room on the third floor was a delight, complete with outdoor balcony. Furnishings were good and the bath itself was an elegant dull-marble job, with a high sweep at one end and was... well, just different.
A walk to the beach followed by a swim in the spa area and I was ready for a leisurely bath in aforementioned tub before our pre-booked four-course dinner in the restaurant. I should say that the spa is stunning. Spas aren’t my kind of thing, but this is beautiful and award-winning and all that.
The rest of the evening was a bit of a disaster. A family crisis precipitated endless phone calls, hospital updates etc. and, after putting back our dinner reservation, we eventually cancelled altogether, not being much in the mood for a big meal. Much later we opted for a simple snack in the bar.
Checking out the next day I explained that there would be a bar chit for food on our bill and could they just count that as the ‘dinner’ part of our booking. In other words, although our bill for bar food was much less than the dinner part of our original booking, I was happy to pay that - I just didn’t want the bar bill added on to the €99 rate.
What was the problem, the receptionist asked, and so I told her.
Well, we can amend your booking, she said, ignoring my protestations. And, quick as a flash, she dropped the price to €65 each for bed and breakfast - and then just added on the small food bill from the bar.
She didn’t have to do that – but she did. It shows a hotel that cares about its guests. So thank you, Seafield. We’ll be back.