Top Hotels Hotels that are Overrated

Unfortunately so many hotels could make this list. I travel very often and many times I am making additional plans while I am still away, not allowing enough time for research and debate. Here are a few of my worst experienced for overrated hotels.

No. 1 - Le Meridien Barcelona - To start I must say that booking the Le Meridien was not my first option, usually in Barcelona I stay at the Grand Hotel Central or the Ritz Carlton but on this last minute (literally two hours before arrival) trip to Barcelona the only top-rated hotel was the Le Meridien. Upon arrival the service appeared to be fine, they assisted us inside with out luggage and showed us to check in. When checking in they informed us that the terrace suite we had booked was no longer available and that they had upgraded us to a penthouse mediterranean suite. I thought this would be fine so of course I made my way to the room. Immediately when I opened the door I was in a state of shock. The suite they had given me looked like it hadn't been updated or cleaned since 1985. The headboard was of a fake wood material, the carpets two tone patter was literally coming up and wrinkled, the television was bulky and out of date and the view was that of a building 15 feet away. The experience continued to get worse when I discovered the only wardrobe was that in the hallway without any doors or division. The bathroom was large but only featured a small vanity with one basin and a very small bathtub similar to that in servants quarters. I immediately called downstairs and asked to speak with a manager. I was informed that the hotel was nearly fully booked and that the room they gave me was the best room other than some other penthouse suite which cost nearly double what I booked for. After about twenty minutes of arguing the hotel manager came to my room and tried to settle me by giving vouchers to the restaurant (no need since I was only staying three nights and had already made dining plans). Then she FINALLY decided to show me the other suite they had available. Of course it was double the rate (3,600 euro), it was actually a decent suite. I thought this was great, finally, the problem solved. Well, the stay declined even further, the water pressure sucked, we had a minor flood in the wardrobe due to condensation in the a/c unit, it was noisy all night, our breakfast was never delivered on time (nearly an hour off each day), the television in the bedroom did not work properly and the overall design of the suite just did not function well. It was really a let-down and has jaded me toward any Le Meridien property.

No. 2 - St. Regis Aspen - as someone else had put it, a very bad value for the high-price. I spent nine nights at the St. Regis this past February and although it wasn't a horrible experience it was a huge let down. The staff is very rude and do not follow any sort of order. I would return to my room mid-afternoon to find three housekeepers cleaning, and chatting it up while one was sitting on the end of the bed making a phone call. The Todd English restaurant is a let down, especially for Todd English unfortunately. The concierge was useless and unable to assist and misplaced our bags that were delivered from two boutiques in town, very unsettling feeling. The biggest disappointment was the room. We had booked a junior suite for our stay, which at first glance online was very nice. The room in person was not as well put together as in the photo. The decor was very limited and the room felt empty. The closet was extremely small for a suite and could not even accommodate what little we had brought (bad for a ski resort due to the need of skiwear, formalwear and daily clothes). The bath was alright, the shower was so small that your elbows would hit the wall, and the tub was not that for bathing, it was very small, similar to something you would find in a childrens bathroom. All in all, it wasn't horrible but definitely far from what it should have been.

No. 3 - It really saddens me to write this, but the Four Seasons Hotel Geneva... I must say, the property itself is extremely impressive and probably one of the most beautiful hotels in the world, but service still lacks which I find surprising for a Four Seasons. At check in the service was very short, and cold and unwelcoming. I made my way to the room and immediately off the elevator into the fifth floor corridor there was security everywhere. The distance between the elevator to my room three men were stationed. When actually stopping at my door to go in one of the men came within about three feet of me and just stood there. Now - I know certain people need security but this was rather overboard. I ignored this until about an hour later when I went to leave my room and a security guard (not english speaking) came to me and literally blocked me from leaving my room, while an arab man walked down the hallway. I guess I was waiting for him to depart? When I got downstairs I mentioned this to the front desk manager and he had informed me that some Sheikh was staying in the room adjacent to mine and that security would be present for the next two nights. I informed them that I didn't care but I was not going to be harassed or herded by his security, and the hotel did not have any response to this. The next day the problem escalated to new heights - upon returning to the hotel with two bags from Hermes I was STOPPED on my floor immediately after getting off the elevator. Some random security official insisted on taking my bags and searching them, WHICH I COULDN'T BELIEVE was happening. I had gone back downstairs to inform the hotel of this problem and again, they said it was policy to accommodate those with security needs. I wanted to laugh, then the assistant manager also informed me that any well travelled individual would be aware that Geneva was home to many foreign heads of state, etc. and that this is a common practice. I was really beside myself and honestly wanted to hit the woman at the desk. Conclusion - I ended up checking out immediately and moved to the Mandarin Oriental which is not as nice in design, but was a far more relaxing and enjoyable experience.