***Warning: A lot of this story is driven from my family
being in the hotel industry and being picky, so if you haven’t booked your
hotel block yet or aren’t even going to don’t panic. This is just my family being anal about their
hotel choices. No real point or
question to this story. I just thought
this was a horrible example of customer service, it made me laugh, and I had to
share.***<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
We went to book our hotel block back in the spring when we
booked our venue. To our surprise hotels
were reporting they were full or almost full 15+ months. Turns out there is a rather large convention
in town that same weekend. My mom wanted
a specific brand as she works for that brand, is very familiar with amenities
offered, level of service employees are trained at, fells loyalty to the brand,
and this was the newest hotel in town.
We toured it and it was good, acceptable for a bed to sleep in. We decide to move forward. After playing phone tag for a few weeks it is
apparent that this hotel and a few of their sister hotels in the city did not
want to respond. So we give up a move on
to Brand B.
Brand B is a brand we don’t frequent because we have a
relationship with Brand A. Brand B steps
up to the plate. They are more than over
accommodating, waving a guarantee of rooms, providing shuttle transportation,
suite for FI and I on wedding night, and quickly responding to every phone call
and email left. Block is set.
Mom is talking with a coworker about the wedding, he goes to
look into a room at an employee rate for the wedding weekend (employee rates
are deeply discounted and generally only cover the costs to the hotel). Come to find out hotel of Brand A, who was
refusing to get back to us, offers him an employee rate. We’re talking almost $100 less than what our
guests would be booking a room night at.
Mom is not happy about this and writes an email within the brand asking
what happened that we can’t book a hotel block at full rate but employees are
still being offered rooms at such and such rate (turns out her hotel and hotel
of Brand A have the same regional manager).
Email quickly escalates and Mom is contacted by the hotel to try and
reclaim our business. The new room block
with Brand A we are offered is now a two night minimum and $45+/night more than our current room block, no
mention of bonuses such as shuttles, free room nights etc.
I was happy it was mom talking to the manager and not me
because I couldn’t stop laughing when I read that. Not only did Brand A inconvenience us by not
responding to request from Mid-March until it was escalated in August, but then
once they acknowledged their errors they offer their hotel at a two night
minimum with more expensive rooms….Really, this is customer service? It’s good for us that I like hotel of Brand B
better and they have better amenities for our group. We’re definitely sticking with hotel of Brand
B. Sometimes I just have to shake my
head at how people expect to do business.