I have just one of the most horrendous encounters that I have ever experienced in my lifetime at this hotel property.
At approximately 10:50PM on June 25, 2011, I logged onto the web and made a reservation at this property. Upon arrival to the property, I advised the front desk clerk that I had an existing reservation and provided him with the confirmation # for said reservation. The clerk, who I later found out was named Patel, informed me that he did not show any record of my reservation. He then advised that I would have to pay the property’s regular nightly rate.
I inquired as to why I was being overcharged when I had an existing reservation, and he said that he had not received any information from the Reservation Department on the reservation that I had booked. I advised Patel that I would call the toll free reservation line to request their assistance with this issue.
I dialed the reservation line, I spoke with Reservation Agent Robin, who asked for my name and quickly pulled up the reservation in her system. She then said that she would fax over the confirmation which included information on the rate I booked. She also indicated that she would give the property a call. She placed my on hold, and then attempted to call the property. By this time, three additional employees of the hotel joined Patel, and I am unsure of what was being said because they refrained from speaking in English. As I was standing at the front desk, the phone was ringing, but neither of the employees would pick up the phone. Robin came back to my line and asked if I was standing at the front desk. I told her yes, and then she asked that I inform the hotel employees that she was dialing the property, and to please pick up the telephone. I relayed Robin’s message, and shortly after, they picked up her call.
At this point I am completely unsure of what the agent was telling the property employees, but the gentleman that she was speaking with went absolutely ballistic. It is my understanding that the gentleman that she spoke with was the Property Manager. The next thing I know, I was asked to leave the property. I have never been asked to leave ANY establishment, and I was completely appalled, and totally unsure of what had transpired on the call. The Property Manager kept saying to me that since I called the Reservation Line I could not be given a room. I even offered to just pay the regular rate to avoid all of the confusion, but I was told to get out. After Robin’s conversation with the Property Manager, she came back to my line and apologized for the gentleman’s behavior. I then advised Robin that I had been asked to leave the property. Again, she apologized for the gentleman’s behavior. She said that she was unsure of what set him off, and that he’d hung up on her .
After leaving the property, I asked Robin what could be done to ensure that no other customer shared the same experience that I had. No one has ever spoken to me as this Property Manager did, and in addition, I am not sure where the problem lied. Was he upset that I made a reservation online? Did he not want to charge me the rate that I booked? Was this whole tirade because I am African-American? I am completely stumped!!!!
But, I do know that no customer of any hotel chain should ever be spoken to and treated in the manner I was tonight. This type of behavior is completely unacceptable. This entire scenario was very hurtful and embarrassing to me as a consumer, human being, and a hard-working, law abiding citizen.