Hyatt Regency Baltimore-- shouldn't the rooms have beds?
Just returned from a visit to the Baltimore Hyatt Regency. Before I complain, I want to acknowledge that I used Priceline to book my room (one of my first times to try the service). I thought I received a pretty good rate-- but then again, sometimes you get what you pay for!
I arrived late in the evening after two connecting cross-country flights. At check-in, I confirmed that my GP Diamond number was in the system, was offered a Diamond amenity and received the key to my room. When I got to the end of the hall where my room was supposed to be, the door indicated two rooms-- not a good sign. Stepping through the locked doorway I entered an extremely small, windowless foyer (there apparently is no way to block the first door open when the suite is split into two rooms) leading to two seperate rooms.
Upon entering my room, however, I was pleasantly surprised-- it was tastefully renovated and offered a decent view. But after a moment, I realized something was missing-- the bed! After puzzling on this for a moment (I was extremely tired), I had a vague recollection of staying in something called a "Parlor Suite" many, many years ago. Like this room at the Baltimore Hyatt, it had a Murphy bed-- and I vaguely remember being unhappily surprised at the discovery and having a fitful nights sleep. This is when I learned the ironic definition of the term "Parlor Suite."
Too tired to complain, I pulled the thing out of the wall to discover an extremely thin and unpadded mattress covered by poorly tucked in sheets-- looked like a bed I could have made.
Oh well, at least I was offered my Diamond amenity-- although it was a little tricky finding a place for the cheese and cracker plate other than on top of the desk I planned to use.
After the snack, I decided I would take a nice bath to relax-- oops, this room was missing a bathtub as well! In its place was a small square shower stall open from floor to ceiling and protected by a long, opaque shower curtain-- similar to many locker rooms. After my shower (good water pressure, at least), I retired for the evening. It took awhile to fall asleep, however. Evidently the guest in the bedroom of the suite was ill-- the sound of her coughs carried effortlessly through the interior doorway connecting the rooms that was thoughtfully positioned directly adjacent to the head of the Murphy bed.
The next morning, I woke from a fitful night's sleep to find the sheets completely untucked and my body partially "resting" on a bare mattress. Given the lack of padding under the thin flat sheet, I hadn't even noticed (I finally understand why the Westin "Hevenly Bed" is such a big deal). All-in-all, it was kind of an adventure-- I remember similar situations when I was back-packing in college (although not in a 4-star hotel).
Of course, the property appeared to be pretty decent, and I suspect that it may actually offer reasonably-sized rooms with real beds. However, you may want to confirm this when making your reservation-- Hyatt's website apparently does not indicate that presence of these "unique" rooms at their Baltimore property (i.e it seems they assign these rooms at random to people who are paying normal rates, rather than offering them at some sort of discount). I have to credit the young man working the check-in desk. He did an excellent job of maintaining a poker face while preparing my card key while sealing my fate!
Maybe they built these rooms especially to trick Priceline customers! Looking at my confirmation, it only confirmed "1 room," not one bedroom. Some might say it serves me right for not paying full rack rate ($270 - $300/night).
I e-mailed Priceline about this situation in the middle of the night (when I'm most susceptible to righteous indignation) and much to my surprise received an e-mail from them within 15 minutes indicating they had read my complaint, would forward it to the hotel, and offered me an apology and a financial incentive to use their service in the future-- a more than adequate response from them, IMHO. As from Hyatt, I e-mailed them asking them to clarify how they assign such rooms and asking how to avoid a repeat of the situation.
[This message has been edited by HKG_Flyer1 (edited 10-23-2001).]