Question: I’m trying to get some compensation for a hotel stay that didn’t meet my expectations. But all I’ve gotten so far is an empty apology. I hope you can do better.
I recently stayed at the Howard Johnson Oceanfront Plaza Hotel in Ocean City, Md. When we arrived at the hotel early Friday morning, the room was not cleaned, the bed was not made from the previous occupants and there were no pillowcases on the pillows.
I went to the front desk and I was told they were booked solid for my entire stay and the room couldn’t be cleaned until the next day. We reluctantly agreed to sleep in the unclean room.
I spoke with the head of housekeeping, the manager on duty the morning we checked in, the manager on duty Saturday morning, and the manager on duty Sunday when we checked out. Every time I tried to get a resolution I was told there was nothing that could be done. My only option was to go to another hotel and forfeit my money for the remainder of the stay. We endured the stay.
I contacted Howard Johnson customer service directly to inform them of my stay. I received an e-mail from them that said my information and complaint were forwarded to the general manager of the franchise for review and I would get a response. The hotel replied with a form apology. That was almost six months ago. Any suggestions? — Erin Hott, Waynesboro, Pa.
Answer: Ewww. You slept in an unmade bed? Someone should give you an award for the most accommodating hotel guest. Ever.
Obviously — and I can’t believe I have to point this out — Howard Johnson should have offered you a clean room. If it mistakenly gave you the key to a room with an unmade bed, it should have offered to change your sheets immediately. It doesn’t matter what time of the day or night you check in — clean sheets are the bare minimum.
When I received your letter, my first response was disbelief. I asked you why you didn’t protest the conditions in your room more loudly. You say you did, but that the hotel staff was equally insistent that they couldn’t clean the room and that your only other option was to leave, but that you’d still be charged for the room. I don’t like those choices.
As always, your best bet is to resolve the problem right there and then. It might have been helpful to contact Howard Johnson at the corporate level. Here’s the contact form.
To underscore the seriousness of your grievance — and trust me, this was serious — you could have copied Maryland’s Consumer Protection Division. I think it would be interested in your story. If nothing else, it would have signaled to Howard Johnson that you didn’t intend to let this go.
By agreeing to live in an unclean room, you limited your chances of resolving this grievance. Once you check out, a hotel is far less likely to compensate you for a substandard stay. One way to light a fire under it is to rope the corporate office into each complaint and subsequent rebuttal. Many hotels fine a franchisee that ignores a customer complaint.
So don’t accept the hand-off to the hotel by the hotel chain. Keep corporate Howard Johnson in the loop, because that keeps pressure on the individual hotel.
I contacted the hotel on your behalf. A representative contacted you, and admitted the hotel had experienced some housekeeping problems while you were a guest. Howard Johnson refunded $131 to your credit card.
(Photo: theleahsaur/Flickr Creative Commons)
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{ 38 comments… read them below or add one }
Obviously there has to more to the story. I work in hotel, and can guarantee you that no guest was told to sleep in a un-made bed. The hotel would have at the bare minimum handed the guest some clean sheets so they could change the bed themselves. Like I said at the bare minimum. I can’t believe this guests accounting of what happened. Also, I do believe the hotel owed the guest some compensation and should have handled it immediately instead of having to have Chris intervene.
Unreal; I do not believe your stupidity; never would I accept an uncleaned room; You were not firm enough with management; Also as a follow up follow chris advice;
another thought post it on trip advisor; also you should never have to touch dirty sheets; the manager himself should have cleaned the room; if you put up with totally unacepatable behavior that is your fault.
I disagree. Some people are just such wimps that they are happy to have others fight their battles. I don’t find it hard to believe this happened at at.
It would never have happened to me because I wouldn’t have allowed it and judging by the comments not to the other posters, but some people are perfectly happy playing the part of the martyr.
My response would have been: No clean room, watch me dispute the credit card charge right here in front of you.
If that is really all there is to the story there is no chance in hell I would sleep in a dirty bed. Eww.
There is no reason to sleep in someone else’s unmade bed. For a loss of $131, I would have walked away and slept in my car, if I could not find another hotel. At least there, I know that the stain on the seat is my spilled coffee! And I would have taken plenty of photos with my cell phone to send to HJ corporate managment long before six months had elapsed. I understand being tired, trying to be polite, but this is totally unreal.
Just thinking about this got me hot under the collar. When a hotel made me do my own plumbing (even to the point of making me walk across a large parking lot at 10 p.m.!), I demanded a free night – sorry…I don’t work for the hotel, I’m NOT a plumber, and frankly at 10 p.m. after a funeral and family visitation, I’m ready to sleep. We were eventually moved to another room, but we checked out the next day and stayed elsewhere. More recently, when I had to clean poo off the bathroom door of my own room (a clear accident rather than any real negligence on the part of the hotel), I still asked for money off my bill for having done the cleanup. They offered to move me to another room as well, but it was easier just to stay and do the cleanup than to get dressed and repack everything. The hotel was very obliging about the discount I asked for. I’ll never travel without Clorox wipes again! But I cannot *imagine* being told to like it or lump it, but be prepared to pay anyway.
I think something is fishy about this story; why would anyone agree to stay in a room that hadn’t been cleaned? Yuck.
My family and I stayed at a Hampton Inn in Maryland and after being out all day we came back to our room that hadn’t been cleaned (we had stayed there the night before) while we were gone. I went down to the front desk and spoke to the night manager, his excuse was that 4 out of the 6 maids didn’t show up that day so they left rooms untouched. Needless to say, I asked and received that night free. My faith was restored and have stayed at Hampton Inns since then.
I have worked in hotels and the management has always ensured that the rooms were ready at check in; if for some reason they decided to let someone check in early before the room was cleaned, we made sure the room got cleaned as soon as possible.
Wade:
I worked for a HoJo in college. They are franchises and if the owner doesn’t give a rat’s behind, let me tell you…corners are cut everywhere. I know for a fact that the one I worked at didn’t always change the sheets between guests. They saved housekeeping and laundry costs that way. I quit after three weeks because I couldn’t rent to people without feeling guilty.
We also were at a Hampton Inn in Maryland (Frederick) and came back to find our room unmade on the second day of our stay. It was late, we were tired and it was our “mess,” so we just went to sleep. The next morning I mentioned to the manager at the front desk that our room hadn’t been cleaned the day before, even though we gone out early for the day. I had no intention of invoking the 100% guarantee, but she immediately said that we would not be charged for the day. We were very pleasantly surprised and have returned several times since.
Anyone who accepts poor service in a restaurant, flight,or hotel, deserves it; all that person does is encourage poor performance;and makes it difficult for people who expect the best; This guy was a complete idiot, Bela was foolish trying to play plumber; kudos to ca. he was smart.
Not sure what Bela meant by “own plumbing”. I work at a Courtyard and if someone has a toilet issue, we give them a plunger in a cool bucket with disinfectant, not sure if this is the standard or not.
sorry; no; you are asking the customer to fix the problem; you send someone else to plunge; the toilet has a problem; that is not the clients problem its the hotels ; Ibelieve courtyard is Marriot; a pretty high class chain; how dare you ask the customer to fix the problem. I would plank your plunger etc right on the hotel lobby desk and demand you fix it or get me another room free of charge.
That’s pretty disgusting. A call to the county or state Department of Health might have also been in order. I bet there is some regulation about clean linen in a hotel room, especially when turning over between guests.
I hate to go against the traveler, but I have to agree with those who said accepting this situation sent the wrong message to the hotel management. I like Peter’s idea. File a credit card dispute right in front of the guy. Take photos with your cell phone and send them to your credit card. Makes winning your case a slam-dunk. And send them to HoJo’s corporate customer service for good measure.
I live in MD and after reading this, I’d sleep in my car before booking a night at that hotel.
hmm – clean rooms.
Guiyou Hotel in Jinan China. Look it up. Place has not been cleaned since Mao was alive. Amazingly no bugs – but the toilet was a traditional chinese hole in the ground with a FOLD DOWN sat that was over the hole that was filthy. Then the hookers came to the room at 9p seeing if you were looking for a massage. The windows had not been cleaned since the building was constructed – so full of grime you could barely look out.
Then the finest hotel in all of Qufu, China, the home of Confucius, the Queli – many in our group got bed bug bites. Room was trashed – stains, the bed was chinese – hard as a rock – interesting place to stay.
So sleeping in a unmade or cleaned room in the US is not that big a deal in the grand scheme of things – again – was there not a housekeeping cart visible anywhere? Have you never made a bed before so you could not simply ASK for clean sheets? Hell, WALMART is still open and probably a couple miles away and for $20 you could have clean sheets.
Joe; that was the most ridiculous comment you ever made period; you were nuts to accept those accomodations; we do not live in a third world country; gosh when we were in Cairo at the Nile Hilton we .even had silk sheets; most of us go on vacation to be pampered.
The guest should have never slept in the dirty room. As for not refunding their charge..the hotel is not entitled to the money if they do not provide a clean room, period. Yes, I would have taken photos and filed a dispute. But then again, I don’t stay in Howard Johnson’s. ever.
@ Barbie:
Why do you think I got a free room? Despite my vehement protests that I’m NOT a plumber, the hotel (not a Courtyard property, don’t know where that’s coming from), the night clerk refused to do anything whatsoever except allow me to come pick up a plunger from the front desk. This was when I thought the problem was simply a clogged toilet and all it needed was some plunging. I thought the hotel needed to do their own plunging, since it was clogged when we arrived in the room, but they refused and we were too tired after the funeral to pack up and leave. The problem turned out to be more complicated than that – after the plunger treatment, the water completely disappeared. We ended up having to pack up and change rooms. Like I said, we did NOT pay for the room, and I can assure you, I do not pay for such shoddy service. Had it been 3 in the afternoon and not involved me attending a funeral, there would have been a lot more arguing involved and would never have ended with me touching a plunger.
It did end, however, with me telling people NEVER to stay at the La Quinta in San Angelo, Texas.
sorry Bella; did not get all the facts ; I stayed at one in Savannah I got through hotel.com ; it was the pitts; the Coutyard involved a n emplyee who said they give a plunger and a disinfectant to guests who experience plumbing problems; If I were you and you had the time post in in travel advisor to give them more bad publicity. good luck.
To Christopher: You have a problem with a frequent commenter on your board, and I’m dismayed to see you doing nothing about it. “barbie45″ continually posts insulting and offensive comments, and you allow them to appear on your site. This is an established pattern that been going on for many weeks. Just in this article, she has posted calling someone stupid, telling people that they “deserve what they get,” and saying other offensive things to people. Her comments are frequently hostile, argumentative, insulting and attacking. It is rendering your site extremely unpleasant to visit. I have taken to avoiding participating in what used to be valuable discussions, knowing that she is likely to jump in and divert it into hostility and insults.
Please do something about it and clean up the mess.
Amen LeeAnne!
Aw, C’mon Barbie – I’m in the boonies in China for gosh sakes. They did have a bowling alley and 25 cent beer. Sure – it was a dump – but then I would not have a good travel story to tell.
The folks who have the money to stay in the Ritz or the Four Seasons all the time never any stories to tell -well – perhaps that the butler got the crease in their bed sheet wrong, or forget to put an extra chocolate on the pillow!! I was on a tour!
LeeAnne,
I am a regular reader of Chris’ blog, and in my opinion Barbie45’s comments are acceptable (even though a bit more attention to spelling and grammar would be welcome). Just because she does does not side with the traveler and does not support them (us) with nice comments, reminding them (us) instead that it is our responsibility to do something when we encounter bad service, does not mean that she is “hostile”. Let’s not get so politically correct that we cannot express our opinions, please.
@LeeAnne, I contacted Barbie privately yesterday. She called me, and I haven’t had a chance to return her call yet.
I’ve reviewed the comments that have been made by everyone, and I can understand your perspective and hers. Certainly, we can agree to disagree in these comments. (That’s the whole point of having comments.)
Let me make an appeal for politeness, though. Name-calling and YELLING have no place here. We can attack ideas, but let’s refrain from personal attacks. Fortunately, I don’t see very much of that in these comments, which is a relief.
Bottom line: Your comments, and Barbie’s, are both welcome here.
I am just recovering from extensive eye surgery; therefore I apologize for my spelling and grammar which is totally unacceptable; when I am incorrect in the travelers situation,I do apologize ; as in the case of Bella; Chris writes an excellent column with plenty of sound advice and lots of contact information; many of his topics are very subjective; such as what annoys you most about travelers on a flight; also would you fly if you were ill; these are not math questions; there is no right or wrong answer; it is in the response that offense may be taken; calling someone a racist or vermin for their opinion is offensive.If someone sleeps in an unmade bed and several mounts later wonders where is refund is well that is very foolish.
My first concern is why the lazy General Manager him/herself didn’t come and clean the room??? I would have immediately been on the phone to someone in NJ at Wyndham Corporate and made sure to tell them I was taking pictures, posting them on the net…plus, I would have called the Director of the local Convention Bureau/Tourist Promotion Agency to tell them why I would never be returning to their town (and telling others about it via the net). The CVB head would have been on the phone to the hotel faster than a TV anchor would be at the open bar at a press event.
Christopher – thank you very much for taking my comments seriously and taking action. Please note that it was not just the comments in this article that generated my concern – it was an ongoing pattern in numerous columns. I do hope that your addressing it directly will have an impact. I’m sure you would agree that saying to someone “I do not believe your stupidity” is simply unacceptable.
Barbie – interesting you bring up the “What annoys you the most” column – that is where I first found your comments offensive. When you attacked nursing mothers for the act of nursing, and all Hassidic people as “obnoxious”, and referred to a man who appeared Middle Eastern as “Al-Queda”, I found that horrifically offensive, and yes, racist. I apologize if you objected to my shocked responses, but in the future, I would ask you to re-read your posts before you click that “submit” button, and think about whether or not you are offending someone – or perhaps an entire group of humans. I will gladly take Christopher’s advice and be polite. But if I read a comment from someone insulting other people for no reason other than their race or religion, I feel it is my duty to call them out on it.
If you refrain from attacking racial and/or religious groups as a whole, I promise I will not call you a racist. Agreed?
I paid a week in advance at a national chain at Kansas City. When I went out the next morning I left the notice on the door only to return at 4 pm and find the room unserviced. The manager said that was because the housekeeper could not read English(!!) although the notice had large red and green icons for the illiterate. They thought I was hooked for the week but I got a refund and moved out. It’s not uncommon for unethical motels to make up every other room first(in case of a flood of customers) and leave prepaid customers to last thinking they can’t leave.
I am wondering if the reservation was made/paid for with a credit card. If it was, end of problem with the “non refund.” VISA and MasterCard, inparticular, are wonderful at backing up their customers. I am not sure if this traveler is not very experienced or why they were at all accepting the idea of sleeping in some one else’s used room. WOW!
LEEANNE; before you go libeling someone ,please get your facts correct. I did not insult any religious group, just a cult; In a subjective question there is no right or wrong opinion; if you do not want to read my postings that is your right; please refrain from using the word racist;it is a very loaded word ; to often used in this political enviorment; when I have made an error I have apologized as in the case of Bella after she provided more detail; once again let us just drop it;
Barbie, I have not “libeled” you. The legal term “libel” refers to defamatory comments that are untrue. I did not get any facts incorrect. I referred only to things that actually did occur, that are fully verifiable right here on this website. The truth, no matter how unpleasant or embarassing, is not libel. People can legally say anything they want about someone, provided it is truthful. And I said no untruths about you.
I’m sorry that the term “racist” upsets you. Racist is a term that is often used to define people who practice hate speech. And several of your earlier comments can clearly be defined as hate speech. The best way to avoid hearing that term in relation to yourself is to not directly insult racial, ethnic or religious groups on a public forum.
Hasidic Judaism is not a “cult”. It is an ancient and recognized branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality and joy as the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith. Saying that all Hasidic Jews are obnoxious, as you did in your earlier comments, is slamming an entire religious group, and is considered hate speech. As are comments suggesting that anyone who has a Middle-Eastern physical appearance is a terrorist. I’m sure Christopher would agree that such hate speech is unacceptable on his site, and I am confident he will ensure that those types of comments no longer are allowed to appear here, so I’m happy to see that the issue has been addressed. Thank you, Christopher!
Barbie, I’m quite sure you are sorry you made those unacceptable comments, and have learned your lesson…and I forgive you. Let it go. I expect we will no longer be seeing such examples of hate speech in the future (or at least, that it will not be allowed to appear on this site) so I am in complete agreement that we can just drop it. Thanks for suggesting that, and I look forward to a “kinder, gentler” comments forum on Christopher’s site, where we continue having these intelligent discussions about the issues of travel that are so important to us all.
LEEANNE; you just cannot let matters drop can you; for your information ;Haddistic cult is grew up in the ghettoes of central Europe in the middle ages;not ancient times .It is not an tablished branch of Judaism ; I ought to know I taught Sunday school for several years; I am fed up with your tirades; I do not intend to read your posts; and just chill out and stop your moralizing; it is a bid tiresome.
Barbie – thank you for not reading my posts in the future. I will happily give you the same courtesy…as it’s clear from your latest that you HAVEN’T
Barbie – thank you for not reading my posts in the future. I will happily give you the same courtesy…as it’s clear from your latest that you HAVEN’T yet learned your lesson about avoiding hate speech in a public forum. I find hate speech to be horrifically offensive. I do not believe that anyone has a right to denegrate and insult any established religion or ethnicity. I do not wish to see such speech on Christopher’s site, and it adds nothing to any discussion. So, since you are unwilling to cease it, I will do my best to avoid your comments.
However, if I happen see one that is blatantly racist or filled with hate, I will continue to call you out on it…and ask Christopher to delete it.
You may be tired of my “tirades”…but I am tired of your hate speech. Please stop.
By the way, there are numerous resources available on the Web that can teach you about Hasidic Judaism. And about cults…which Hasidic Judaism is NOT. I would encourage to you read up and learn a little more about this, and any other, religious or ethnic group before you post nonsense about them. Especially if you plan on TEACHING on such topics in the future!
Chris, on one of the other news items you stated that if comments got out of hand, some one should tell you and you would delete and edit – well the last few between LeeAnne and Barbie45 are there for me. I do not know where the comments about the Hassidim started but it is time for them to end and be deleted.
Ames…this has already been addressed. These comments were from earlier yesterday. Christopher subsequently agreed to disallow offensive posts and personal attacks on his site. Hence, there is no need to continue the discussion.
I’m sure everyone would appreciate it if we all stuck to commenting only on Christopher’s articles. I know I would! :-)
I’ve traveled a lot in my young age and I have was at a LaQuinta in CA (I prefer not to give out the exact location), anyway I encountered a similar problem. I got to my room and it was very dirty, the beds were not made, and there were dead flies all over in the bathroom. I dropped my things and went right to the front desk, where I was told the entire hotel was booked (I am pretty sure this was BS, it was a small town and the parking lot was virtually empty) and when I asked for a manager I was told I was speaking to him. I was told I could not be moved and that no one would be available to clean my room for at least 2 hours (this was already at 8PM) I was exhausted from traveling and had no energy to argue. I went back to my room and watched TV and waited. I dozed off, and woke up at 10:20PM and no one had come to my room yet. I went back to the front desk. The so called manager was gone and this young looking girl was there and I did not want to get mad at her. I explained what was going on and she apologized and walked WITH me to my room and then she went and got the maid cart and cleaned it herself. I felt so bad. I am sure her shift started at 10PM and the manager just waited until she got on cause he knew she would clean it. I didn’t ask for anything free. I was staying on the company dollar for a business trip, but I let HR know not to book anyone there again, and I wrote a letter to the LaQuinta and expressed my disappointment. I never got a response.
I can understand why Erin would just deal with it and stay in the unclean room. Arguing takes a lot of energy, and when you have very few options and are tired, it is hard to get a resolution. In that case I would have taken off the sheets, flipped the mattress, and slept in some warm clothes so I wouldn’t have to use the sheets. Also, some people, like me, don’t like confrontation. For those of you thinking that Erin is dumb for staying, think about your own fear. If you are afraid of public speaking or of spiders, or something, maybe Erin doesn’t like confrontation. You aren’t going to force someone who is petrified of spiders walk into a room with hundreds of them. Leave Erin alone, she did what she could do, and to be honest, I do not think sleeping in a car is better than being in a dirty room.
That’s just my 2 cents.
Calling corporate offices is not an option 24/7.
We stayed at a Sheraton 4 Points in San Rafael, CA through Priceline and felt we must be getting those special “Priceline Rooms”.
The first two rooms we had were straightened up all right – with previous guest’s sheets. I sure haven’t seen clean sheets with pubic hairs in the center of the bed.
The third room wasn’t clean but the sheets seemed to be.