A mother named Marie-Catherine had to cut short her stay at Center Parcs de Lommel due to a heating problem in her accommodation. Her daughter was waking up during the night because of the cold, and despite the visit of a technician, the situation remained unchanged. Marie-Catherine and her companion left the studio one night earlier than planned and got compensated with 50 euros. However, customer service refused to reimburse them for the entire weekend, claiming that the family took advantage of the aquatic center and other park facilities. The management regrets the incident and assures that Marie-Catherine’s family will benefit from generous compensation.
According to Luc Marshal, president of the federation, hoteliers have implemented many solutions to avoid unnecessary energy expenditure. He emphasized that the comfort of the customer remains a priority and that energy savings should in no way impact their stay.
“We packed up following the second night. The cold kept us from sleeping,” says the mother in an annoyed tone. Following a heating problem in her accommodation, Marie-Catherine cut short her stay at the Center Parcs de Lommel. She tells us regarding the unpleasant experience she had via the orange Alert us button.
Since the birth of her daughter two years ago, Marie-Catherine has regularly booked a chalet in one of the many holiday villages of the Dutch brand Center Parcs. At the beginning of March, his stay did not go as planned…”The heating in our apartment was not working. That weekend it had snowed. The baby monitor in my daughter’s room read 12.5 degrees. She is two and a half years old and she was waking up because of the cold during the night”she explains.
After the visit of a technician of the domain, the situation remains unchanged: “He explained to us that the park had opted for a fully automated heating system in order to save money and that there was obviously a problem with the thermostat”.
Marie-Catherine and her companion then decide to leave the studio one night earlier than planned. They claim compensation and get fifty euros. However, customer service refuses to reimburse them for the entire weekend, believing that the family took advantage of the aquatic center and other park facilities. “I had rage. When you have a two-year-old daughter who doesn’t sleep, you’re not having fun. It’s really outrageous”concludes the young mother.
Faced with the abundance of complaints, it is sometimes difficult to detect serious complaints.
For its part, the management regrets the incident and evokes a misunderstanding. “Without any news from the tenant following the visit of our technician, the problem was classified as being resolved by the maintenance teams”, says the group’s spokesperson. “Faced with the abundance of complaints, it is sometimes difficult for customer service to detect serious complaints. Automatic compensation was therefore granted to the customer”, she says. She assures that Marie-Catherine’s family will benefit from generous compensation.
Savings yes, but never at the expense of customer comfort
The Wallonia Horeca Federation confirms that many solutions have been put in place by hotels to avoid unnecessary energy expenditure. According to Luc Marshal, president of the federation,“Hoteliers did not wait for the energy crisis to be as economical as possible”. Some facilities use motion detectors to avoid heating an unoccupied room for several hours. Thus, when the customer is present, the device maintains a temperature equal to or greater than 20 degrees. When the occupant is absent, the sleep mode is activated and the temperature drops to around 14 degrees.
In the event of a technical incident, the federation is clear: “The least you can do is offer extra heating to the customer. The hotelier must offer solutions. Giving a discount is good, but that doesn’t solve the problem”, adds Luc Marshal. He recalls that the comfort of the customer remains a priority and that energy savings should in no way impact his stay.
In conclusion, it is clear that the comfort of the customer should always be a top priority, even when it comes to energy savings. The incident experienced by Marie-Catherine at Center Parcs de Lommel is a reminder that technical problems can arise, and it is the responsibility of the hotelier to offer solutions and ensure customer satisfaction. While savings are important, they should never come at the expense of the customer experience. Let’s hope that hoteliers continue to prioritize customer comfort in their efforts to be economical with energy.
