Extremely rude front desk staff, manager even worse. DO NOT STAY HERE!!!!!
I was traveling to Batesville, Arkansas on July 29, 2020. My family and I moved from Batesville 3 years ago, and we came for our 11-year-old daughters birthday. Just before we arrived in Batesville we got a call that one of the people we were coming to see tested positive for COVID-19. My daughter was devastated that her birthday plans were ruined. After making some arrangements, we made reservations at the Comfort Suites at Batesville. I told my daughter that I would take her to a hotel, take her swimming, and allow her to have a "virtual" birthday party with her friends. She was still quite upset, but she understood. So, 2 hours before our arrival, I booked a reservation at Comfort Suites via the mobile app. My reservation was for 2 nights.
I arrived at the hotel. It was dark and seemed less than clean. I was not exactly excited about our stay. But, I checked in. Then, I noticed a sign that the pool was closed due to COVID-19. I decided right away that I was not going to disappoint my daughter again. I made a quick phone call to the Holiday Inn Express next door, and they very nicely informed me that their pool was open and available. I explained the situation to Kelsey, the front desk clerk on duty. She was quite unfriendly and unwilling to assist. I told her I would call and speak with the manager the next day.
Upon arrival at the Holiday Inn Express, I was greeted very friendly, and I was very, very pleased with their service, professionalism, and facility. I am so glad we had the opportunity to stay with them. I cannot say enough good about them.
Later that evening, I called Choice Hotels and Explained the situation. They were friendly, but informed me they would have to defer to the management of the Comfort Suites.
I was awaiting a phone call from the manager of Comfort Suites at 8:30am the following day. Having not received a call, I called them at 9:30. I was immediately greeted by a hostile and aggressive manager, who very rudely informed me that she had refunded one night of my hotel charges, but that I had to pay for one night. It was clear that she was angry about the situation and trying to do the very minimum possible to keep from having to assist with the ordeal.
I am fully aware that I booked a non-refundable room rate. I am also fully aware that the Hotel Details section of the app (an obscure and not-readily viewed area of the app) indicated that the pool was closed. I realize that the hotel is under no legal obligation to refund any of the charges, and that they did refund one night when they did not have to. But, I also feel very strongly that the right thing for the hotel to do would be to refund the entire charges. I booked the reservation 2 hours prior to arrival and I never entered the room. My presence there did not cost the hotel a single cent. The information about the pool being closed was present on the app, but not readily apparent or accessible. The staff at the hotel were completely unfriendly and unconcerned about my problem. If a hotel is unacceptable to a guest, and the guest does not cause any expense whatsoever to the hotel, it is good policy to refund the cost to the guest.
I am a platinum member of Choice Hotels. I only ever stay in Choice Hotels. Based on this experience, I am inclined to choose Holiday Inn Express for my future lodging needs. I am certain that I would NEVER stay in the Comfort Inn and Suites in Batesville, and would discourage anyone else from doing so (and I anticipate multiple future trips to Batesville--they have lost me as a customer). read more