...(Part 2 of 2) Continued from original post on 4.15.18 RE: Courtyard Marriott Reno (NV) Downtown Riverfront. ... Upon arrival and entry to the room, oddly, the security guard (who I ensured entered first, having nothing to hide) did not look around for a smoke detector. In fact, she, when my fiance and I asked some very appropriate and logical questions to attempt to aide her, and move the concern forward, did not even know where the smoke detector was in the room. He had to point it out to her and begin asking questions about (Isn't it hard-wired?; Could it need a battery replacement? Wouldn't they know if it would go off again in the middle of the night? She wasn't even paying attentions the "smoke detector issue" or conversation, instead she looked for a moment at our uninteresting hotel room, my work laptop left open, and my work, which I was diligently attending to for hours prior to his arrival, spread on the hotel desk/workspace. They left, with no attention paid to the detector, nor with any assurance that their visit was really about the smoke detector going off (she had no clue how the hotel system worked, how they would be signaled if it did go off, or even where it was located in the room). After they left, we felt that the situation was odd and invasive. We tried to shrug it off, and enjoy our significant evening. Even with attempt to disregard their odd approach and the lack of comfort (or even logic) we were left with, from them, we were unsettled by the whole situation. We carried on with our evening, trying to enjoy each other's company, when it hit us: that visit seemed to have nothing to do with a smoke detector. Though we knew it all seemed odd in the moment, we had no reason not to take the request to see our room at face value. Now, a bit later, reflecting on the way it was handled, and the sequence of events from an unwelcome arrival by a gay partner to his partner, to suddenly non-functional room key, to a now seemingly fabricated story of a smoke detector, it all seemed very odd, and likely very untrue. Regardless of my perception of the "truth", one thing cannot be disputed. It felt very invasive, unnecessary, and done for all the wrong reasons. (Note: Let it be on record that the hotel DID have a different incident that day, involving an ACTUAL smoke detector alarm, with a completely different guest and room number. This event with the other guest WAS documented by the hotel, and was later communicated to us/admitted to us by Suzanne in management, when we expressed our concern about how we were treated the next day. Our "incident" was not documented anywhere, we were told. Our tactful addressing of the issue (I was even mindful to do it discreetly, conversing with Suzanne, up front, with a low voice, and even stepping aside to allow her to help incoming guests, so as not to influence their experience as they arrived for their stay. When I talked to Suzanne, politely, and discretely, after I arrived back to work from the hotel the day after this occurred, she did apologize, and stated she'd let the hotel general manager know. Suzanne also looked at the notes on our account/room, and said that it was odd that the entry request and review was not documented anywhere. She apologized, and admitted that documentation, in any such event, was a mandatory hotel policy - one, which the two employees (front desk shift employee, nor security) did not follow. Suzanne also ensured me that she would communicate the events and our concern to the GM. The next day, when my fiance and I saw the GM at the front desk, she had no knowledge of anything happening, not from Suzanne, nor from any other staff member. She stated that she and Suzanne had worked together for a couple of hours the evening that I addressed the issues, and she knew nothing about it. The GM apologized and, trying to do the right thing (this was the first time that any Marriott employee really seemed to follow through on trying to do the "right thing" at all), offered me some "points". I stated that I appreciated her trying to make the situation better. More than anything, in my line of work, and in what I stand for in life, I wanted the situation to be reviewed, addressed, and for the Marriott team to know how to properly approach guests and how to approach what they perceive to be any situation needing attention in the spirit of the safety of their team, and all guests. I simply left it at that. My fiance moved on from this terrible experience, enjoyed some time together in breathtaking Tahoe, (outside of my work, in Reno). We celebrated our engagement properly (NOT at a Marriott property - I cancelled that reservation in the wake of everything they did and DID NOT do, in favor of another resort brand). Now, I write this review to let it speak for itself.
Note: Surely not a Marriott VIP "guest", but I have multiple stays, status, am no stranger to Marriott, despite being treated like one. read more