I made reservations for 2nights stay. I was arriving at hotel after 3am so I made sure to book the day before so I can get a room ready to go.
Day of arrival, I called around 2pm to let front staff know that i will be doing Mobile check in but will be arriving late at night(~3am). I was told that's okay, they will make note.
I have used hotels avidly for work and travel for the past decade so I know how this is suppose to, and has worked. And it's breeze. Marriott check in has never been an issue.
I drove 2.5hrs to work site, worked 11hrs, and got off work at 3am seriously fatigued, was just looking forward to checking, getting a soda from the market place and landing into my bedroom and passing out. Hmm...you can imagine that's NOT what happened.
Upon arrival, I told the man at the desk that I already called/check-in etc. I present to him my my credit card and drivers license for what was supposed to be a fast process.
He then sits there and proceeds to type for the next 3mins in silence with a semi-confused look on his face. 3mins is a long long time to be standing there to check in when you have already checked in, when it's 3am in the morning, when you are dead tired and just want to sleep.
At a point, I even thought
1) Wait, I don't see an ID, does he even work here? because he looks really confused.
2)"is this dude on best buy.com or amazon using my credit card to buy a large TV?" Like WTH is he typing? And what's taking so long?
Since he was too busy deciding if he should order a 40inch of 50inch TV, I ask what's going on/taking so long(because I am really tired)? He proceeds to tell the 1st of a few things that annoyed me.
He told me my credit card was declined so my reservation was cancelled What? I didn't see him swipe my card, so was this earlier or when? (annoyance #1 of 9)
So he has to now rebook a new reservation for me but I would have to pay a cancellation fee. Uhm NO I WON'T. This must be a joke.
I looked him dead in the face and let him know THAT wasn't happening.
He then said "well then you have to pay for last night". DUH Sherlock, I know I have to pay for the night prior. Do you work here?
At this point, it's ~7mins into this horrible check in with me standing here trying not to faint and scream.
He proceeds to make me a new reservation WHICH costs like $20 higher per night than the rate my company booked. I was already heated and I was too tired to fight for my initial rate.
Get this- he then takes my credit card, the SAME credit card that has been on file for the past 5yrs, the same credit card that was declined earlier...and uses it to book my room. So how was it declined before?
I get handed a key for room on the 1st floor. Uhm?? Excuse me, but NO. I am not staying on the 1st floor. That's in my Marriott profile that I like high floor. He said there were no rooms left.
I replied- How so? I had a room when I called? How can you just cancel my reservation, kick me out of a room, not call me and give away my room? And the point of me calling prior was to avoid being marked as a "no show". This isn't my first rodeo.
He said no one gave him ANY info about my late arrival.
The Clutch- He opens drawer filled with keys ( I assume), there was a key with a sticky note on it.
Ladies and gentlemen, the minute I saw that I KNEW that was my room key that someone has reserved for me. His FACE when he saw the key also alert me that my precious time has been severely wasted by this man!
He takes the key, doesn't admit that it's the key for me, excuses himself to go to back room. returns in 15secs and gives me the same key that was with the sticky note with a room on the THIRD Floor!
He gave NO apologies about NOTHING. I was sooooooo mad. So annoyed. To add insult to injury, he said I could not get anything from the market place!
BTW- I got no recognition for my Titanium status.
I get my bill emailed me to days later, it was the same reservation that my company had made with the initial rates.Which mean my reservation wasn't cancelled.
So what the heck did this man just put me thru with his new "fake rates and new reservation?". Did he even work there?
There is a building being built or destroyed across the street that looks like hotel, and I swore if that place had been open I would have dragged my luggage across the lot and just checked in there.
I should go leave this on the travel site actually. read more