It Says Nothing Online!' — The Hotel Pool Problem That Just Won't Die
Picture this: You roll into your hotel after a long drive, suitcase in hand, dreams of a cool dip in the pool swirling in your head. You check in, only to discover—horror of horrors—the pool is closed. Outrage! You’re sure no one told you, and you demand answers (and maybe a discount, too). But wait… did you actually check the hotel’s website? Because, as this recent tale from r/TalesFromTheFrontDesk reveals, sometimes the “shocking surprise” is posted for all to see—if anyone bothers to look.
"It Says Nothing Online!"—Except It Does
In a post by u/NathanDavis74, a front desk worker describes the Sisyphean struggle of dealing with guests who are absolutely incensed to discover the hotel pool and hot tub have been closed for months. The kicker? The closure is clearly posted on the front page of the hotel’s official website. Yet, wave after wave of guests arrive, claiming there was “absolutely nothing” about the closure online. Cue the angry demands for discounts, managers, and sometimes, justice.
But the real headache isn’t just the pool—it’s the wild world of third (and even fourth!) party booking sites. Even after repeated requests to these sites to update amenity information, the info can linger like a bad cold. As OP laments, “There’s also so many third party websites that it is just impossible to put it absolutely everywhere.” And even when the two most popular sites were checked, both clearly showed the pool closure. So where’s the disconnect?
Booking Through the Looking Glass: Why Third-Party Sites Trip Us Up
If your travel style is a little “click first, check later,” you’re not alone. The Reddit comments are full of hospitality veterans (and exasperated travelers) pointing out how booking platforms can turn a simple hotel search into a game of telephone.
u/Winterwynd, echoing a chorus of seasoned front desk workers, offers a simple maxim: “Yet another reason why we should all book directly with the hotel.” Booking direct means you’re far more likely to get up-to-date info, easier cancellations, and maybe even a friendly voice on the other end of the line. As u/miniskunk chimed in, “Always at minimum call the hotel if certain amenities are important to them and if they want easier cancellations/refunds.”
But why don’t third-party sites update their info instantly? As u/Phrogster, who actually worked for a booking site, explains, it’s a massive, global game of catch-up. Some workers are paid to monitor thousands of properties, often in different languages, and the lag between hotel updates and site changes can be weeks. Sometimes, the person answering the phone at the third-party site doesn’t even have the power to make changes—they’re just passing notes up the chain, hoping someone will push the right button.
And then there’s the next-level chaos: “fourth-party” clone sites. As u/SkwrlTail points out, these sites scrape and copy other listings, sometimes using outdated info and SEO trickery to leapfrog official pages in search results. You may think you’re booking with the hotel, but you could be reserving via a site the hotel has never even heard of.
When Guests Just Don’t (or Won’t) Read
But let’s be honest: sometimes the problem isn’t the internet—it’s us. Several commenters vented about the epidemic of guests who, as u/_tantibus bluntly puts it, “just GOOGLED THE HOTEL FIRST 💀.” The inability (or refusal) to read a hotel’s homepage, amenities list, or—gasp—call and ask, leads to so many unnecessary meltdowns.
u/wowlobster shared a story about a property that hasn’t had a pool in eight years. Even after asking an irate guest to show where they found proof of the pool, the guest gave up and declared, “he shouldn’t have to ‘waste his time reading the f-ing website before reserving a f-ing hotel in the first place.’” It’s almost poetic.
The comments are peppered with similar tales—guests who call for a phone number but miss the giant pool photo on Google Maps, or who book the cheapest nonrefundable rate and rage when no parking is available (see u/WizBiz92’s saga of the parking lot wars). Some even complain about missing breakfast or elevators, all because they trusted a “list of amenities” somewhere, anywhere, except the actual hotel website.
The Blame Game: Who’s Responsible, Anyway?
So, whose fault is it when a guest shows up expecting a pool, pancakes, or a parking spot, and finds none? Community consensus swings toward shared responsibility—with a big helping of “buyer beware.” u/KrazyKatz42 wisely reminds us: if you booked through a third-party site, you’re their customer, not the hotel’s (unless you booked direct). So, if the info was wrong, your beef is with Expedia, Booking.com, or whoever took your money.
That said, a few commenters argue that hotels should do everything possible to keep their listings current, even if it means chasing down obscure clone sites. But as several front desk pros admit, it’s a never-ending game of digital whack-a-mole, and sometimes, no matter how many times you update, the internet just won’t listen.
Still, there’s a silver lining. As u/wowlobster puts it, “I’m also very accommodating with refunds if you don’t want to check in over situations like that or at least send you a round of drinks if I can’t do anything with the rate you booked. For me, that is grace earned by people who feel frustrated, disappointed, or embarrassed, and still treat others…with respect.” Kindness costs nothing, and sometimes, it gets you a drink on the house.
The Takeaway: How to Avoid Pool Drama (and Other Booking Disasters)
So what’s a traveler to do? Here’s the wisdom of the Reddit hive mind, distilled into a few easy steps:
- If amenities matter (pool, parking, breakfast, etc.), always check the official hotel website.
- If you can’t live without the hot tub, call the hotel directly—don’t trust a list from a random site.
- Be wary of clone and “fourth-party” sites. Look for the hotel’s actual web address in your browser bar (thanks, u/MazdaValiant!).
- Remember that the person at the front desk didn’t invent the internet, and can’t magically update every website on earth.
- And finally, if something goes wrong, politeness will get you much further than a meltdown.
Booking a hotel shouldn’t feel like an episode of CSI: Pool Edition. With a little extra research—and a dash of empathy for the folks at the front desk—we can all avoid the next “It says nothing online!” drama.
Have you ever been burned by a missing amenity or an outdated listing? Share your horror stories (or pro tips) in the comments below!
Original Reddit Post: It’s Says Nothing Online! (Yes It Does)