Dear Hilton Hotels...

Merhaba! Glad you decided to stop by. Pull up a chair and grab a snack. Today, I’m ranting about hotels.

While my spousal unit has been a big Hilton member over the years, I prefer Hyatt even though I often don’t have enough choices of Hyatt brands in the cities where I travel. Other than the Marmaris Bodrum, my favorite Hyatt hotel brand is Thompson. I’ve never had a bad night in a Thompson hotel (thank you, Thompson, Chicago), but that is my experience. Your mileage may definitely vary. But I digress.

Over the past several years, I have learned that customers of hotels in the U.S. have completely different expectations than travelers in the rest of the world. When reviewing various essays or articles on these differences, each discussion seems to be the same as the last: European rooms are smaller than the ones in the States, bidets are ever-present, beds are too small, etc. That is not my direction here.

Here’s my problem: For the most part, the hotels in the U. S. have lost their “H” factor—the hospitality element, which should be one of the most important aspects of a hotel. In reading travel boards, I am not the only one who feels this way, even though we all have different ideas about how we got here. I can go to a boutique hotel such as the Thompson chain and be treated well, but it still will not match my experience of hotels in Turkey and Europe.

I recognized this fact after traveling across the U. S. in 2022 and then traveling to other places outside the States in 2023. The most striking example of the differences in hospitality arose in Bursa, Türkiye. Whether you stay in the Hilton Bursa Convention Center or the Hampton by Hilton Bursa, the rooms are the standard Hilton fare, basically the same as if we were in the States, with big king fluffy beds and great water pressure in the shower.

The staff is the substantial difference. On the Hampton side, we are immediately greeted as old friends. They reach for our luggage off the elevator and walk with us to the reception desk, with questions about how to help us with our stay in Bursa, whether we are there for pleasure or business.

Turkish hotels include a full New York-Sunday-Brunch-type breakfast every day.1 This is in a Hampton Inn, mind you. You know, the ones in the U.S. that feed you barely edible boxed breakfasts? Not in this country. Turks expect to be treated well at every hotel, and American hotels have had to up their game to compete with the local luxury and boutique hotels across the country.

The best description of a traditional Turkish breakfast is that from Sol Spier (see footnote below).

“A Turkish breakfast isn’t just one dish but rather a spread of bite-sized, Turkish delicacies. A classic kahvalti spread varies by region but is generally comprised of cheeses, pastries, dips and sauces, olives, eggs, fresh tomatoes, cucumber, bread, cured meats, honey, and multiple types of jam. Along with the food, no kahvalti is complete without a freshly brewed cup of tea.

From my kahvalti experience in restaurants in Istanbul, I noticed a pattern. First came freshly brewed black tea in an hourglass-shaped cup as soon as you sit down. As you sip the tea, you’re given a small plate and cutlery to prepare you for the lineup. Next comes a copper pan with eggs that are closely followed by a bowl of tomatoes and cucumbers, followed by a platter of 10 types of cheeses, followed by a few bowls of different types of olives, followed by a basket of bread, followed by a basket of pastries. Just when you think the affair is over, another waiter shows up with an entire platter full of tiny plates. The contents range from savory to sweet: tomato paste, olive oil, hummus, yogurt, seasonings, more olives, caramel, clotted cream, several types of jam, and honey. Finally, a platter of fresh fruits and a glass of orange juice arrive to wash the feast down.”

Think about a large buffet service at a typical upscale hotel, then double the size. That is what Hampton serves every morning to its guests of every possible version of what Sol describes above. I am brought coffee quickly even though I can get it myself (it is a buffet, after all), and they are sure to speak English if I appear confused about their Turkish. The bottom line is that we are made to feel like a valued guest, not a dollar sign.2

When we check out, they walk us to the door, and act like we are friends, not hotel guests just passing through. For that reason, we have begun to bypass even the historic hotels in Bursa when we are there, simply because the staff at the Hampton knows how to treat their guests.

For my future trip to Bangkok, I fully intend to use all my Chase, Hyatt, and any other points I can find and clean them out in one fell swoop. Once those points are spent, I intend to branch out and search for those places that truly define the word “hospitality.” I’ll let you know what I find.

So Hilton Hotels, your employees, and, at the very least, your managers should be trained by the staff in Hampton by Hilton Bursa. I spend the money I worked hard for, and I want a hotel staff that understands.

Don’t you?