My bigest complaint is afternoon room availability. If you travel from the US to the UK, the chances are that arrival will be in the early morning but you cannot get into a hotel room until the afternoon - no matter how exhausted and jetlagged you are after a highly uncomfortable 8 hour flight and all of the airport hassle. It does put you into a twilight zone mode as you become the walking dead wanting only to lie down for a little nap.

Jon Takseraas, Darien, Connecticut, USA

We are among those odd people who like to read at night- hotel room lighting is dreadful. I suppose they want us down in the bar.

Why are bathroom extractor fans so noisey and why is there no over-ride switch for when you don't want them on or need them on- say at 3am? They often seem to run for about 20 mins.

Anthony Roberts , Shoreham-by-Sea , West Sussex

Burglar in our Holiday Inn hotel room,

We spend a night in an executive suite at the Holiday inn Opera in Paris over easter. I woke up at 4am in the morning and realized the hallway light was on. I was sure i had turned it of. I have a closer look and saw a man going through my hand bag. He was sitting right next to my 2 year old's cot bed. 'What are you doing' I said. He jumped up and said 'is ok, is ok'. At this moment my partner woke up and told him to leave. There were 2 men and they ran downstairs. I called the security guard (not easy to find, reception is not '9'). We heared him arguing with these men but he let them go. When my partner went downstairs he was very unhelpful. The police did not want to come down. The hotel manager never showed up. We have heard nothing from them. These people obviously have keys to get into hotel rooms...beware....

mollo, london, UK

Why do the majority of hotels in Britain take the mickey with the price of the rooms, in compare with the rest of the world, if we consider what you get for your money?

frank, luton, beds

I must say that anywhere we have stayed in the UK they have been filming The Apprentice during our stay. It gets quite annoying with staff pretending that they know what they are doing.
When we go abroad it's friendly & comfortable and if there is a problem someone will gladly help.
I don't think that they have The Apprentice abroad, apart from the USA that is.

Andy Bush, warwick,

1) I'm still surprised about the number of business hotels without proper internet connections (so not just overpriced, but just absent). Internet should be included in a proper business hotel.

2) I want an easily available iron - so not calling to the reception for someone to bring it pleae

3) PLEASE regularly check the batteries of the TV remotes - one of the most common problems I have in hotels. About one hotel out 5 I guess where I have this problem.

4) And when you haven't yet built your hotel, please think about the noise. That's what I hate most about staying in hotels: I want to sleep with an open window, but most hotels appear to be built alongside ridiculously busy roads, or the rooms suffer from the noise (and smell) of ventilation units on adjacent buildings (often part of the hotel)

5) for british hotels: forget about bacon and eggs and nothing else for breakfast. I don't want this every morning

6) also for british hotels: Mildew in bathrooms is a problem

peter, liverpool,

Due to business travel I have stayed at many 4 & 5* hotels. It always frustrates me that the hairdryers in the rooms are travel size which means that it takes about an hour to dry my hair (by which time it as gone all curly).

Decent hairdryers are not that expensive why can't they put decent ones in the rooms?

Lizzie Williams, Edinburgh,

After having stayed in so many so called luxury hotels around the world at very many different prices, i have wised up to a few things.
Obtain in advance their very best corporate rate (it will save you alot of money)
When you find a good hotel patronize it often, they really do appreciate return guests
On arrival check the bed inside and out and raise any foreign object concerns immediately in a polite manner
Only eat breakfast at the hotel, there are usually better places to eat within a short distance most especially in south east asia and south america
These are my favourite hotels in the world, and in my view incredible value at one quarter of the cost of a London hotel
Halekulani Hotel - Waikiki
The Observatory Hotel - Sydney
Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, Chicago
and New York City (all three are amazing)
Plaza Athenee in New York City
The Oriental in Bangkok
The Peninsula in Hong Kong
The Four Seasons in Bali
Faena Hotel Buenos Aires

anna, wellington, new zealand

Kat,
I couldn't agree more....hospitality is about people not machines.
Talk to them and they talk back! Sadly the old world of oversell and under deliver lives on....

David Livesley, Woodstock, Vermont USA

Last year I had to stay in a five star hotel for four months because of work . What I had thought would be a real treat turned into a nerve-wrecking experience. Apart from the lack of privacy and independence, what was most annoying was when I switched on "do not disturb" and housekeeping called - usually when we'd just fallen asleep after working all night - enquiring when they could clean the room. What I also came to hate was the corporate speak when I called room service, i.e. "Good evening, Mrs XX, this is XXX YYYY at inroom dining speaking, how can I be at your service this evening?" After four months that sentence drove me INSANE. And why did they always have to ask "don't you want some eggs or a fruit platter with your breakfast?" - if I order a cappuchino and toast then that's what I want, what I don't want is having to argue with someone who sounds like my mother when I'm hungover and tired and ALMOST late for work.

Kat, London,