Originally Posted by
HNLbasedFlyer
This is way over the top over-entitled. I mean - the hotel has no obligation to show "compassion" - they sell hotel rooms - the poster tried to check in prior to check in time (why do people gloss over that). They don't owe flowers - they don't owe a mothers day lunch - they already responded and said it is what it is - the room wasn't ready. The don't owe anything.
The op should have called the hotel before putting mom in the car to verify the room was ready. A simple phone call would have avoided the entire issue. Just showing up and stating I'm here! Before check-in time! Let me have my room! And then getting upset it isn't ready is really a don't you know who I am moment.
Why put the hotel in this awkward position of compassion - they run a business. This falls squarly on the op's shoulder and could have been avoided.
This is the "hospitality" business. Those of us that stay at hotels a lot are used to a higher degree of hospitality than the average Joe.
The OP did coordinate with the hotel as the notes in the reservation clearly showed. The OP had every right to assume it would be ready at 2PM. Your24 is a service that Starwood provides which also enables someone to check-in at non-standard times and this doesn't conflict with the 4PM check-out. End of the day, the hotel failed to deliver here. The OP did what they should have done, what I would have done, what most of the folks here who stay extensively at hotels would have done.
When I ask an employee to have a report ready next Wednesday, I shouldn't need to ask them every day if it will be ready on Wednesday. I shouldn't need to ask them on Tuesday if it will be ready the next day. We agreed to something. End of story.
The notes in the reservation showed that the hotel knew it was to be ready by 2PM. It wasn't. They had suites available, at a higher category. They easily could have given the OP one of those suites, even just for the night. But they didn't. They failed to remember what hospitality is about. They failed to remember that they had a "guest" in front of them. Not a customer. The OPs post could have been raving about the wonderful service they received at the SOTP. Instead it points to staff who are not willing to g the extra mile, not looking beyond the training manual and not endearing themselves on guests. Sadly this is not the first time in the past year that I'm hearing about poor guest treatment at this property. The hotel failed and while no compensation would make up for the experience, some sort of goodwill is definitely in order.