At the Carlsbad property, what was once routine daily housekeeping is now only "by request" and not at all on weekends. Gone are modest amenities such as body lotion and mouthwash. The evening social hour, previously offered Monday through Thursday, now exists only on Wednesday.

For frequent travelers who achieve Hilton's Diamond status, the changes are more annoying. At the company's flagship Hilton brand, as well as at the Doubletree and Garden Inn properties, many executive lounges remain shuttered or have cut back dramatically on food and drink. The free breakfast for Hilton's best customers has been replaced by ten- or fifteen-dollar vouchers — which don't cover the price of even a simple buffet breakfast.

My point isn't to single out Hilton, only to cite my own experience in underscoring what is happening across the hospitality spectrum, where services have been reduced in the wake of the pandemic, while prices remain high.

Marriott, which operates 30 hotel brands and more than 8,000 properties worldwide, has adjusted housekeeping so the more you pay the cleaner your surroundings. Its high-end properties, like the Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis, provide free daily cleanings. At the next level, including Sheraton and Le Méridien, rooms get a daily touch-up. Guests at lower level properties, such as Courtyard by Marriott, get their rooms cleaned every other day.

Restaurants don't find it quite so easy to reduce service, so they're finding ways to raise prices.

On my Carlsbad trip, dinner at the acclaimed restaurant Campfire included a 4% service charge in addition to tax and tip — a fairly new wrinkle in post-pandemic nickel and diming. The fine print said it was "to help ensure competitive compensation and benefits for our team," adding that the charge would be removed upon request.

In my view, if a restaurant wants to raise prices it should. But a service charge earmarked for employee benefits seems no different than, say, a 3% charge to make sure the electric bill is paid promptly, or a 6% fee to guarantee tablecloths are properly laundered.

Marketing people refer to this as "price partitioning," where the actual cost of a meal is disguised by splitting it into smaller pieces (for example, charging for bread, which at Campfire is $9). This prompted the Chicago Tribune to editorialize the other day, "Message to the restaurant industry: Sympathy is giving way to frustration and customers are feeling gouged."

The hospitality business is difficult, and the pandemic along with rising costs of goods and a labor shortage, have only made it tougher. But loyal customers haven't removed only their Covid masks. They're taking off their blindfolds and seeing the post-pandemic service cop-out for the greedy ploy it really is.

(c) Peter Funt. Distributed by Cagle syndicate.