Marriott - Doha
Couldn't believe the cheek of this place.

After a long (wink) flight from Dubai, I managed to spend a lovely night in the Ritz Carlton. I was only there one night as the Doha football team were arriving the next day for the Gulf Cup. They very kindly laid on a 7 series BMW from the airport with hot and cold running towels and bar. Fantastic.

The usual request to stay for the extra night was declined with grace so I tried the room upgrade plead. This again was declined as I had been given a suite and the only upgrade would have been the Presidential Suite and that was already taken.

Hmm, spose ill take it then and traipsed upto the 8th floor of the tower.

Shit, what a treat. A massive suite, with more floor space than my 4 bed house at home. Huge living room with dinning room and a kitchen - for the maid!!! Seperate dressing room and heated marble bathroom floor.

First time in Doha and warned it might be 'dry'. But no, the fully stocked bar opened up at the press of a button. Only thing wrong was that the only beer was Becks. Quick call to room service and offending crap was removed and my favourite brand installed. Sorted.

10 mins later the boy arrived with my suitcase which he deftly unpacked into the dressing room. I had to ask where all my clothes were as I hadn't spotted the extra room.

Ok so not a drive hotel, but you need the background to understand the full horror about to decend.

After a lovely day/night at the hotel (its miles out of the City so nowhere else to go), had to get the boy back to pack the suitcase again and back into the limo and asked him to take me to my next hotel - the Marriott Doha.

Its right on the main road from the airport to the bay and was in the middle of a re-furb. Obviously my bit hadn't been done.

I knew it was cheaper but did expect a few home comforts. Unpacked, all by myself!! And needed a shirt to go out to dinner with so did the usual call 'laundry' for an emergency shirt press. Usual in the mid-east if you have just arrived.

The lady on the other end of the phone advised that I had missed the cut off time for laundry and that if I wanted anything pressed/ironed (ever) I could use the iron and ironing board hanging on the back of my door.

WTF!!!

Never stayed and never will stay in a crappy Marriot again.

Will post some photos of the Ritz when I get home, just to set everyone a benchmark.
(Suck it and Sea, Fri 18 Jan 2008, 9:06, 9 replies)

Jeez
Does your mum still tie your shoelaces?
(oneinthepink is at your cervix m'lady, Fri 18 Jan 2008, 9:12, closed)

I stayed in the moscow
Marriot it was same experience..
( Trollman, Fri 18 Jan 2008, 9:15, closed)

Respect
Maybe I'm just strange or something, but I treat everybody with the same respect and dignity regardless of who they are and their position. Whether they're a porter, cleaner, brain surgeon or CEO of a multinational, I'll treat them exactly the same.

Even though often it's their job, I intensely dislike anyone doing something for me that I'm perfectly capable of doing myself - I get both embarrassed and offended. It seems to me to be some sort of unfortunate throwback to the age of servants and slavery.

So, if I'm staying in a hotel, I tend to get strange looks from the staff when i insist on taking my own cases to my room, polishing my own shoes, hailing my own taxi and ironing my own shirts.

But what irritates me more than ever is the whinging tossers with overinflated senses of self-importance berating these staff for not ironing their shirt/fastening their tie/wiping their arse/whatever whim takes their fancy.
( rubberduck should only be used after consulting with your GP, Fri 18 Jan 2008, 9:31, closed)

Me too ^^^
I also get odd looks when refusing the assistance of porters etc, but I feel a bit self-conscious because I always have the feeling that they think I'm just doing it myself so I don't have to give them a tip.

And to be honest, there's a bit of truth in that!
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Fri 18 Jan 2008, 9:39, closed)

This is a joke
yes?
( chenobble rocking his explorer beard on, Fri 18 Jan 2008, 10:55, closed)

?
The BMW had hot and cold running towels? :)
( Devil_In_Tights the *real* DiT!, Fri 18 Jan 2008, 10:58, closed)

Poor you.
How did you ever put up with the horror of a mildly creased shirt? What an awful thing to have happen to you. Are you still in therapy?


You are taking the piss, aren't you? If not: please do feel free to shut up.

(I've been angered implausibly by this post.)
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Fri 18 Jan 2008, 11:52, closed)

hmm
tough choice, i like this or ignore?

whoops and the post doth vanish
(Halfy By light alone, Fri 18 Jan 2008, 13:57, closed)

I'm hoping it's a joke. Nobody can be that snobby.
I've heard that being embarrassed by being waited on is a uniquely middle-class thing (if such as thing as "class" means anything any more), as the working class will relate with the waiting staff, the upper class have spent their entire lives feeling superior to others, but the middle class are lost.

I'm not sure I buy it, though. I think most of us just unused to being looked after as adults, and those that aren't are the ones who have never really grown up.
(Musuko, Mon 21 Jan 2008, 14:10, closed)