Survey Results On the Road Again: The Good

At a recent stay at the Hilton Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, I was traveling with medication that required refrigeration. Since my room did not have a refrigerator, the front desk arranged for my medication to be stored in the hotel's refrigerator and also arranged for my cold pack to be stored in the hotel freezer.

At the Four Seasons, Las Colinas, Dallas, the staff remembered the ages of my children, provided age-appropriate toys/stuffed animals/snacks to take home for each of them. The items were waiting in my room when I arrived.

The Ritz Carlton Jakarta has the most impeccable service and best rooms. If you ask for anything more then once, the staff will remember your preference!

The Taj Mahal Hotel in New Delhi offered the best service ever. Our flight was delayed over two hours and our hotel driver still waited outside to pick us up. Service at the hotel was phenomenal. Even when I did my laundry, my clothes were individually packaged with flowers on top.

The staff of the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, went out of their way to eliminate distractions—like monkeys—so I could work.

On the Road Again: The Bad

My hotel bed was once so worn and used that there was an impression in the mattress. The hotel moved me to another room, but there were still issues with the mattresses.

I was staying in a hotel in Virginia and my room was on the 30th floor. In one night we had three false fire alarms—requiring me to climb 30 flights of stairs each time—and there was no offer of compensation for that of any kind. My request was denied.

The room above mine caught on fire while being remodeled. The fire fighting flooded my bathroom.

The room was not clean and had an odor. I requested another room and the staff accommodated my request, but did not seem at all surprised that the initial room had been dirty, nor did they apologize.

The door couldn't be locked. The hotel staff didn't do anything, other than offer to have a security guard make some passes by throughout the night. I had to move a chair and barricade the door.

On the Road Again: The Ugly

I was approached by an armed mugger at the indoor courtyard next to the hotel restaurant when returning from the office late at night. This was in a mid-size city in the heart of the downtown business and entertaining district. To protect my life, I had to engage with and disarm the mugger. The hotel had no security presence and did not get involved. Fortunately, I was not physically harmed, though I was shaken for several weeks. Oh, and I also had to switch rooms twice because of broken plumbing and glass in the room.

Best Places to Stay Survey: Consultants Travel Up About 10%