Our stay was excellent, until the last 15 minutes, which completely changed my impression of this…read morehotel.
Before our arrival, I called on Tuesday and spoke with Erika, who was incredibly kind and understanding. I explained that we were traveling to town for the funeral of a childhood friend. When we checked in, I explained the situation again to the front desk associate, who was also very courteous. The hotel was clean, the room was comfortable, and everything started off wonderfully.
We paid for a late checkout. Although it was a holiday weekend and the hotel could only extend it until 2pm instead of the usual 3pm., that was completely understandable and not an issue. I again explained that I would be attending funeral services about 45 minutes away in Cedar Creek, where I would have little to no cell service. My husband would remain at the hotel with our two young children, a 3-year-old and our 4-month-old baby--until I returned so we could leave together.
I arrived back at the hotel at approximately 2:10pm and immediately went to the front desk. I explained that I had just returned from the funeral and only needed five minutes to change out of my dress into comfortable clothes before my family and I got on the road. The front desk associate and, I believe, the manager assured me that was fine that they will let housekeeping know.
When I got to the room, I discovered that at 2:05 p.m.--just five minutes after our late checkout time--a staff member had already called the room, and my husband and our two small children had been asked to leave. They were standing outside the hotel with all of our luggage, our toddler, and our infant, waiting for me.
That was incredibly upsetting.
The hotel staff knew exactly why we were there. They knew we had paid for a late checkout. They knew I was attending a funeral and that I was returning as quickly as I could. Yet there was absolutely no grace, compassion, or consideration shown to my family. Five minutes after checkout, despite knowing the circumstances, my husband and children were already being ushered out of the room. That level of disregard was disappointing and unnecessary.
To make matters worse, when I asked if I could quickly use a restroom to change, I was told there wasn't one available in the lobby. I was then sent back to the room we had just vacated, where three housekeepers were already cleaning it. It was a standard room with two queen beds--not a large suite--and I only needed a few minutes to change clothes before leaving.
I've worked in hospitality myself and hold a bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management, so I understand the importance of turning rooms over quickly, especially during a full holiday weekend. What I don't understand is the complete lack of empathy and basic courtesy shown to my family during an already difficult day.
It's unfortunate that an otherwise wonderful stay was overshadowed by how we were treated at the very end. A few minutes of patience and compassion would have made all the difference.
Instead, my lasting memory is of my struggling husband, with our frazzled toddler, and our sobbing four month old infant - standing disheveled against the wall outside with all of our belongings. IMMEDIATELY, after I spoke with front desk; upon returning from a funeral. The contradiction of hospitality in those moments was unnecessary, and left a very sour ending to an already terrible and emotional morning.
I wasted time and energy being sent back to do exactly what was agreed upon, in a far more uncomfortable way. All I needed in that moment as a grieving and post partum mother was: a small crumb of peace and compassion. Yet, we were met with disregard. I'm absolutely furious.
I'm patiently waiting on your response, looking forward to hearing back from you promptly.
