aww3583

My reservation confirmation page says "Complementary Parking". We knew this was a busy weekend for the hotel, so we called ahead and the front desk confirmed free parking for up to two vehicles.

Upon check-in, we were charged $20 for the second vehicle and told to park in an off-site lot across a 4-lane road.

I asked why we were charged when the confirmation says parking is complementary. We were told "Oh those can change at any time. On a weekend like this, policies go out the window."

Any recourse?

arlflyer

How were you "charged upon check-in"? Usually one doesn't review a folio at check-in...did you actively ask because you were suspicious, and then notice this? Or were you actually charged - like they were collecting $20 at the entrance to the lot?

If you've actually forked over the money or agreed to do so, it of course makes it a bit more complicated than if you stood your ground right then and then. But still, if you have a confirmation on paper than that is obviously worth something. I'd start with the property one last time, and then if they don't budge, I'd call the Diamond desk, which can put you in touch with Guest Assistance to open a formal claim.

aww3583

When they issued the first parking pass, I said I needed another for the rest of my party. The FD agent said "we'll have to charge $20 to your room for the extra parking pass." That's when I pushed back and she said "policies go out the window on this weekend."

The $20 then appeared on my folio at checkout.

arlflyer

Hmm...I'd probably push back with corporate. That's a pretty egregious statement from the FD agent.

lcohen999

Depending on the property, can you invoke the satisfaction guarantee ?

davie355

Yeah, it's nonsense but a simple email to HHonors will do. Just say parking is free, but you were charged $20, so you'd like that removed.

clarence5ybr

The grammar police can answer your problem!

"Complimentary" parking is free. "Complementary" parking (which your post says you were promised) presumably 'enhances' your room, but is not free.

There was a hotel ad on TV a few years ago starring John Cleese as a FDC who used the complimentary/complementary difference to explain why a family was charged an outlandish fee for a bottle of water labeled 'complementary.'

Hope you get your money back nonetheless!

aww3583

I appreciate the response. Well put.

I'll cite you as a source when I start my "Hilton Uses Deceptive Spelling Practices" thread.

jabbered

You're lucky. You got one free. After all, I'm sure 2 vehicles in the entire lot were free. According to you, they didn't say each guest got 2 for free, just 2 vehicles did.


Seriously, did you mention the dates of your stay or that you knew it would be a busy weekend when calling? If you're the 10th person that day calling about free parking and the only one coming during a "blackout weekend", I might give you the normal free parking bit and not even realize that you were coming during a blackout period until long after the phone call if at all.

RogerD408

Unfortunately the confirmation does not specify how many cars a guest can park for free so proof is lacking. The only hope is if the property has a standard policy and they agree the agent messed up not checking the dates. Hotels are good about doing hidden fees for just about anything so this doesn't surprise me. OP needs to determine how many hours they want to invest in this problem before moving on. If he wants more traction with his complaint then maybe posting a review on TripAdvisor will get their attention as more people read that than FT.

Often1

For $20, it's unlikely that anybody is going to fight about it and I suspect that the property will agree to refund. The time to have dealt with this was with a manager during your stay. Much easier to clear this stuff up then accept the word of some low-level nobody.

But, as a general matter, I would not expect a "parking included" to mean more than one vehicle unless the confirmation expressly said something such as "parking for up to [X] vehicles" included.

smmrfld

Nice characterization of FD staff as a "low-level nobody".

RogerD408

And the OP did (almost) due diligence in contacting the property before hand. Not getting it in writing was the only flaw. Had the clerk that checked him in been the one he talked to probably no issue, but now he's got a he said he said situation.

I'm more bothered by the FDC's "policies go out the window" statement. Tells me the property goes for the money grab when they think they can get by with it. Policies are most important during busy times. If OP can find something that supports normally two cars are allowed on-site would really help.

mikeef

A man walks into a bar and orders a beer. The bartender serves him and goes into the back room to clear up some paperwork.

A few minutes later, the man hears a voice say, "Nice shoes!" He looks around and is surprised to find that nobody else is in the bar.

A couple more minutes go by, and the voice again speaks up, saying "Nice shirt!" The customer looks around and again finds nobody there.

Sure enough, three minutes afterward, the man hears, "Nice pants!" Well, by this time, he's getting a little freaked out, so he calls to the bartender. He tells the bartender, "I keep hearing these voices, but no one else is here."

The bartender replies, "What are the voices saying?"

The customer says, "Well, that's the odd thing. It told me that I have a nice shirt, nice shoes and nice pants."

Without missing a beat, the bartender replies, "Oh, don't worry, that's just the peanuts."

"The peanuts?"

"Yup," says the bartender, "They're complimentary!"

Mustang1

What property???