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Most hotel guests would agree, there's no excuse for poor service.
According to consumer advocate Christopher Elliott, inattentive hotel employees are the top concern for a majority of guests. Elliott talked to a handful of hotel guests about what bugs them more than anything else, and it was bad service that kept coming up.
Although it can appear in many forms, it almost always results in an unhappy guest.
"It's the bellmen who talk with one another rather than helping their guests carry luggage and open doors," educational consultant Doug Devitre told Elliott. "It's the buffet service that seats you and leaves the bill without doing anything else."
Elliott points out that withholding facts is another annoying behavior in the eyes of the guest.
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"They told me that no rooms were available," San Diego-based entrepreneur Adam Dailey told Elliott. "Then I heard them say to each other a few minutes later that they were not full."
Staff can easily compound situations like these by not providing an explanation. For example, hotel guests who are assigned an older room instead of a newer renovated space are likely to be disappointed. But that disappointment can turn to outrage when the staff fails to explain why.
When it comes to combating poor service, Elliott recommends guests speak up, maintain their composure and take their business elsewhere in extreme cases.
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In order for a hotel employee to assist you they need to know that there's a problem. And a friendly or appreciative guest is likely more likely to have their request met by staff. But if guests still aren't getting anywhere, avoiding that particular hotel is the best course of action.
"Don't forget to fill out the guest comment card and let them know why," Elliott writes. "For the most egregious cases, talk to your corporate travel manager about the hotel's contract."
Interestingly, hotel guests' disdain for indifference extends to their fellow guests.
Last year, Expedia's 2015 Hotel Etiquette Study found that two-thirds (67 percent) of Americans consider inattentive parents to be the most frustrating hotel guests.
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