My husband and I recently stayed at a nice hotel (Marriott). We were staying in a standard room but the folks ahead of us were (we overheard) staying in the Presidential Suite ( which apparently takes up most of a floor). Other than a very hearty “Wow, you are going to have an amazing time” to them, our check in process was identical. The clerk was nice and friendly, patient when I had to dig for my reservation number , providing us with a very pleasant and warm experience.
The reason why I was so struck by this is that after years of coach class travel we decided to only fly First Class. The difference between even the check in process in 'standard" coach class and First class is 180 degrees. Our most recent several coach experiences have been with indifferent if not rude check in people who all but screamed at us if we weren’t doing things as quickly as they wanted. Their behavior to us was equivalent to a guard to a prisoner. The same is true on board where the flight attendants seem unfriendly and ready to pounce at the slightest failure. Glitchy tray table? “PUT your tray table down NOW!!!”
Our most recent several First Class experiences have been like we were VIP’s. Having trouble getting a driver’s license out of the wallet. “Oh don’t worry Mr. Maya, take your time.” Your tray table is acting glitchy? They are so so sorry and “let me get in there and help you.”
That Presidential Suite couple certainly was paying a vastly greater differential than we were flying first class on that 2 hour flight. But the treatment difference with airlines is just unbelievable.
Since this is the “Cafe” Forum and a good place (I think) for idle musings, I’m just wondering if anyone has any theories about these differences between air travel and hotels.
Hmmm. I’ve traveled many times first, business, coach. I would say my “front end” experience hasn’t been a lot different. I guess I haven’t had horrible coach experiences in terms of service. I can only think of one or two unfriendly flight attendants in all the years. My flight experiences in different classes of service seem similar to what you are outlining for hotels - not different treatment by staff but a different class of amenities - the flowing champagne and alcohol, multi-course meals served when ever you wish to have them (too much food really!), bigger seats that sometimes recline into beds, pjs and toiletry kits provided, etc. The service is bit more gracious because they aren’t as rushed with less people to attend to.
I don’t think you can directly compare your two particular experiences. With air travel even though you’re first class you still have to pass through TSA with everybody else. And maybe you can go wait in the club/lounge, but then you still have to go stand at the gate with everybody else, wait for them to call boarding with everybody else, hand your ticket to the same gate agent, and walk down the same jetway.
Now if you had stayed in a Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton, or other luxury hotel, you’d have an upgraded service experience. I’ve stayed at hotels where the check-in agent meets you at the front door (the valet or the parking security guard calls ahead) and they hand you an alcoholic beverage while you sit on a sofa and they check you in then escort you to your room where you luggage has miraculously preceeded you.
In a sense, an upgraded room at a Marriot is like domestic first class or maybe United economy plus. Going to a Four Seasons or other luxury resort is more akin to international first class. But you’re still passing through TSA with the plebes :))
A flight is over in a few hours, and everyone takes off and lands at the same time. The hotel stay is where I want the pampering. I’d prefer “first class” for both but, if it’s an either/or choice, will opt for the hotel over the flight every time.
“With air travel even though you’re first class you still have to pass through TSA with everybody else.”
We have been" upgraded " each time we have flown First to TSA precheck even though we aren’t official pre check approved. Much faster and better process anecdotal but agents friendlier too. Of course you can get TSA precheck without flying first.
"And maybe you can go wait in the club/lounge, but then you still have to go stand at the gate with everybody else,
No waiting at the gate either. We go from lounge to gate to on. They won’t let anybody take up the First Class"
overheads so we don’t have to rush on. Just walk up as they are boarding the first group in the " priority line"
Maybe we’ve just had bad luck but for the last few years before flying first we definitely felt the treatment in coach was akin to being a low level criminal. Just so unfriendly and unpleasant
I agree. If one is prone to get stressed out or anxious during air travel, business or first class can make a difference even for a shorter flight. (And no, the boarding process is no comparison to coach. You get to board first, and needn’t have any concerns about running out of overhead space.)
Certain airline credit cards with a relatively high annual fee give you the privilege of checking in with the elite frequent flyers and/or first class passengers. You can also purchase this access on a “per flight” basis with some airlines. Some of these credit cards also offer memberships to airline clubs which are a haven of relatively calm at chaotic hub airports. The airline clubs usually have clean restrooms and sometimes even showers compared to the public restrooms which are usually crowded and often filthy and disgusting.
Domestic first class sure isn’t what it used to be on most airlines and I’ve been flying commercially since 1981. Continental’s BusinessFirst product for long haul flights was my favorite.
If you have a long distance, overnight flight such as a transoceanic one, the upgrade to the premium cabins with lie flat seats is often worth it. What I try to do is book economy class tickets and if there is an empty seat in the premium cabin during online check-in, the upgrade price is usually quite reasonable compared to reserving it at the time the ticket is purchased.
As a frequent flyer, I do appreciate complimentary upgrades to First Class for domestic flights when available, but flights are often so full of elite frequent flyers that upgrades aren’t as common as they used to be.
At hotels, while I have enjoyed occasional complimentary upgrades to suites or bungalows at certain hotels with my frequent guest program privileges, to me, it’s not such a big deal. Most of the time when I’m traveling, I’m not spending most of my time in the hotel room other than for sleeping, so fancy suites and concierge floors aren’t a necessity for me as long as my room is clean, comfortable, and all of the fixtures are in working order. Surprisingly, some of my most memorable hotel dining experiences have been at airport hotels that weren’t fancy resorts, but delivered a high quality meal for the money.
I think the difference at the hotel is more the room than the service. With that said, you may not have seen their “specials”. They may have had chilled champagne, a fruit basket, flowers, etc. waiting for them in the room.
Years ago, I stayed at the same Four Seasons almost weekly, and they always stocked my fridge with my favorite drinks and snacks.
On a flight, besides a few ibches, the service is the only differentiator, I suppose.
For me the point is that even with the lowest price room at a hotel I almost always get good to great friendly service. But in coach it is not unusual to get actively hostile service. I know it’s not just me because there has been much discussion of this in the news and on flyer message boards. I can’t think of another industry that treats the " regular folk" like this on a not uncommon basis. So to me the difference in service between coach and first is a huge chasm where I’ve never seen that same in hotels.
Like I said…for a long international trip I would most definitely spring for an upgrade. But to,fly one hour to Baltimore or Cleveland…sorry…it’s fine to go coach.
As a former airline employee myself, I’m not condoning or excusing rude and abusive behavior by ground staff and flight attendants; however, there are a considerable number of passengers that are rude and abusive to fellow passengers as well as airline employees, including passengers that are already intoxicated when they board or seek to drink to excess on the flight.
Then there is sometimes an inflated sense of entitlement for those that pay a no frills price for their basic economy tickets and expect first class service. Flight attendants aren’t compensated that much for what often is a difficult and frustrating job. They don’t control the size of the seats, seat pitch, or what is offered in the meal service but many people vent their frustration on them for factors beyond their control.
Have had pleasant airport staff without being upgraded. Precheck has been frequent for us recently- I suspect we are really low on the suspect list given our ages et al. We goofed and went through the regular line on one recent flight- so different.
Yes you get food/drinks/better seats in first class- but the flight is still the same and any turbulence equal. Plus all of the rest of us are marching past… Not worth the increased costs for our 5+ hour flights (if nonstop- kid chose to be as far from parents as possible! Actually we retired to Florida and he got that PNW job).
We have had pleasant hotel desk staff at most hotels. We have upgraded our hotel choices recently, but not to luxury levels. We want free parking, high speed internet and breakfast plus a “suite” with a couch along with a microwave and refrigerator for several day stays. We find the standard “high class” hotels are no more comfortable than “upper middle class” ones and lack amenities we use. Valet parking is not just expensive, it is time consuming.
I would rather spring for an upgraded hotel than a first class flight on the same plane. But- too upscale isn’t as nice as rooms with the above amenities. We also tend to prefer suburban to downtown stays for this reason.
When traveling by car and just spending the night (or before/after a flight) lesser choices will do.
We started getting TSA precheck a couple years ago and suspect it’s due to our ages. If all the codgers at the airport had to remove their shoes it would cause delays, and we’re less likely to be carrying complicated electronics. Recently traveled with H and I was “zone 1” and he was “zone 3” for boarding on Delta. Why anyone thinks it a perk to sit on a plane on the ground longer than necessary is beyond me. We travel with small enough carry-ons that putting them under the seat works and makes for a faster exit.
It makes me sad to read that people are willing to pay more for treatment that we should all have a right to expect. I don’t drink, so that wouldn’t be a plus. More room would be nice but not worth the price for me. It’s ironic that in a country whose oath of citizenship requires people to denounce royalty titles we have imposed on us by marketers a system of labels sorting us by class of consumer. Maybe it’s perfect? If I carried the cards designating my status to every business I patronized I’d throw my back out.
I was carping the other day to H about the erosion of civility and it irks me to be reminded that people pay for better treatment. Pay for upgraded facilities, but treatment/human interactions should always be courteous. These are businesses; they have no right to expect customers if they don’t meet a certain level. Not enough competition I suppose, or maybe the few players in the airline industry got together and agreed on low standards of customer service.
I flew first class to Honolulu recently (8.5 hours or more), and it was much more than a matter of inches. My seat actually reclined all the way down to a bed. That was so awesome. I used miles for the upgrade, so it didn’t cost me any more than I would have paid. The same has been true of our flights to Europe. I won’t book the flight unless I can upgrade to Business class. The service is nice, but with my back problems, being able to fully recline is such a luxury to me.
Most times I have ever flown first class, I bought it using miles. I have been lucky that I have almost always been able to get this upgrade when I wanted it. I don’t bother unless the fight is 4 hours or more though.
I don’t book first class for better treatment, I book it for the physical comfort of more room to stretch out.
I don’t think check in has ever been different for me when flying or checking into a hotel. It’s everything after that where it’s different. I have Clear so I even bypass pre-tsa.
We are platinum elite at Marriott, so even at check in we get a snack or free breakfast or points. We almost always get a small suite if possible, hubby wakes up VERY early. We also try to be on the concierge floor as well where they service breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, free drinks, etc. You wouldn’t know that when I was checking in. We also get free wi-fi, automatic upgrades, etc.
I haven’t been treated badly by the airlines in economy, but I am treated better when I fly in business. The difference is noticeable enough that I am disappointed when I am not upgraded. I check in at home and travel light, so I don’t have much contact with people until it is time to board the plane. If I were checking luggage I would get the shorter line. I agree that when I board early I don’t have to worry about the battle for overhead space. I can also get settled and go to sleep sooner.
On international flights the difference is more pronounced. I agree with Maya54 that I enjoy hanging out in the lounge and eating/drinking/sleeping until it is time to board. And having a flat bed seat makes it much much easier to fly. Having that upgrade has really helped during a few times when flights have been delayed or rerouted. A flight from the Far East got rerouted due to bad weather. My eleven hour flight turned into a fourteen hour one. I was glad I had more access to snacks and water and more space. On another occasion a connection from an international flight was delayed by six hours. I was exhausted. Because I had that business class ticket I could go nap in the lounge during the delay.
It does bug me that people can pay for shorter lines, including at security and customs, but I do it.
Hotel pampering doesn’t mean as much to me. I just sleep there. Yes, I do enjoy access to food and coffee in the executive lounge, but sometimes I’d rather go out and buy something better.
I do actually prefer airline business/first class than hotel’s better rooms. I think it is probably due to the actual physical space. I really do not like to have people too close to me. To have few more inches of elbow room and leg space mean a world to me. I am traveling a short distance today, but for less than 100 I opted to pay for the upgrade. I have a carry on, so it is not about my luggage, food or drinks. I just do not like having people that close to me.
My favorite sitting in the front is still with Emirate.
I feel extremely claustrophobic flying.
At 5’3 I cannot see over the seat in front of me.
I choose an aisle so I have at least some free air next to me.
The problem with that is getting smacked in the face with backpacks as
somehow no-one seems to remember that they are wearing one.
The seats bend at the headrest in such a way that it throws my
neck out.
I am hearing impaired and TSA is very rude when I need to ask them to
repeat the instructions. I recently contacted TSA and there is a form I can hand them
which I will do next week when I fly. I decided to be extremely decadent and
am going first class just for the space. (this is my treat to myself following D’s wedding.
H is in comfort.
I purchased a second seat on our last trip so H and I had the whole row on JetBlue
at a really reasonable price.
That said, back to the question, I would still choose a better hotel for a longer stay
over the air choice. Where I sleep is super important to me and I am easily effected by
my environment. A Hampton Inn or such is fine for a short stop but if it is my
destination I want the room to be high up and have something nice to see out the window.
Not a Four Season range but just under. We go for boutique hotels.
I dislike B&B’s, wish I liked them, but I hate that whole breakfast thing.
“I dislike B&B’s, wish I liked them, but I hate that whole breakfast thing”
100% agreement. Do like vacation rentals however, which we do a lot these days. Things like concierges, doormen, bel hops at hotels I have no need for.
