Gæstebruger
9. september 2024
We had a wonderful room over looking the breathtakingly beautiful cathedral – and indeed it is the most stunning cathedral I have ever seen - and a perfect room. We also had a delicious dinner and fine breakfast with charming and helpful waiters. However, an hour after we had checked out and as we were on our way South I received a frantic phone call from the front desk sounding quite aggressively accusatory and saying I had gone away with a bottle of water from our room and that either I must return to the hotel immediately or pay €25. We were by now more than an hour away so to turn around was impractical but equally to pay €25 for a plain glass bottle which I thought was complimentary seemed incredible, and as I was driving on the motorway- equally impractical. I told her that I would phone when we reached our destination in two hours time and that I had no idea that the bottle was part of the hotels property. In an unnecessarily rude and threatening tone she said if I did not phone back she would phone me. To explain the situation: we had arrived at the hotel the day before and there was a bottle of water on the table with a label beside it. I cannot remember if it was in English but I did recognise the words saying that it was a complimentary bottle of water. When we left in the morning we had drunk half the bottle and so I took it to the car, assuming that the word ‘complementary’ really meant complementary – and not just the plain water that had obviously filled and refilled it. I have to say that this episode and the very ungracious way it was handled really spoilt and left a bad impression of this Hotel. Especially as her tone of voice and vehemence seem to suggest that I had purposefully stolen the bottle. I had previously noted that the hotel had a twin hotel in Lisbon, so I paused my journey and telephoned that hotel. I explained that I had apparently misunderstood the word ‘complimentary’ and had walked off with a very plain glass bottle apparently worth €25. I asked if I could return it to them as it would be closer than Batalha and they sounded very puzzled by the whole situation, but agreed. When I arrived at my destination 45 minutes outside Lisbon, I called the hotel in Bethalha and explained that I would indeed return their precious bottle to their twin hotel in Lisbon. She reiterated that some people take the bottle as a souvenir - and that it was just the water (!) that was complimentary. I suppose I did not read the fine print. I told her I thought €25 would buy a really special memento rather than a small, very ordinary glass bottle with the name of the restaurant printed on it. When I told her what a bad impression this episode gave me of the hotel she answered “But you had a lovely room overlooking the cathedral!” Yes- this was true, and I truly appreciated it - and paid for it!! So tomorrow I am going to be spending an hour and a half of my holiday driving to Lisbon and back to return this bottle.
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