Will not return and recommend not staying here if you have any guests that need understanding or patience.
They tried having my elderly, special needs uncle trespassed even though he was a guest with a paid room!
We were in Lawton for a wedding and stayed in My Suites-Lawton. We had a group of 13 people (2 special needs) in 6 rooms over the course of 4 overnights.
Throughout the time, we used the lobby as a gathering place: Thursday night, Friday morning and again Friday evening, and Saturday afternoon. The same front desk staff worked those evenings and were friendly and joking with us. We had no issues until Saturday night.
Saturday evening, we returned from dinner and my mother had my uncle sit in a chair in the lobby so he didn't have to walk any longer (he has continual foot and leg pains). He is capable of being alone up to a few hours, so resting a few minutes until we returned from our rooms would be fine. Our plan was to use the lobby again.
Less than 20 minutes later, Lawton PD arrived because front desk staff who worked that evening (who we hadn't seen before) called them. Lawton PD asked my uncle a few simple questions and luckily, realized they were dealing with a developmentally delayed adult. My mother came around the corner and once they spoke with her, they left, recognizing the situation for what it was: an overreacting, over reaching, ill trained hotel staff.
We asked the clerk why they were called and this is where the lies began.
-First, she said it was because it was "company policy" to call the police if someone is confused. She decided he was confused because he couldn't remember the room number he was staying in with my parents. (A policy she could not provide when asked.)
-Then she said she called every room with the last name he gave (there were multiple), but got no answers. Weird since we had gone to change clothes, put away leftovers, use the bathroom, and such.
-Then she said the phone system was down. We were all on the ground floor, specifically approximately 25-50 feet from the desk. She had no issues with leaving the front desk to smoke on the porch, so I fail to see why knocking on any of the doors would have been a struggle.
-Then she said she called her manager and the manager was who told her to call the police. (Seems odd if this is policy.)
-Then she said she called the police for a "wellness check" Except when we spoke to the responding officer, he said he was called to respond to a homeless man who needed to be trespassed from the property.
My Suites intended to have a 72 year old man with physical limitations and limited mental capacity thrown out at 8pm on a Saturday.
FYI- my uncle was clean shaven, combed, neat hair, wearing clean clothes and shoes as well as a leather jacket. He carries a phone with all of our numbers preprogrammed. He was waiting in the same area we had gathered in multiple times. That was the totality of his crimes: he was in the lobby of the hotel where he was a paying guest.
Needlessly to say, he spent the remaining time there withdrawn, worried, and upset because he thought he was in trouble.
When requested to respond, the manager listed as "Manager on Duty Travis Severson" wasn't available. In subsequent conversations with family members, he explained that we needed to understand what he "deals with in Lawton" implying the area their hotel is in is not safe. Yet, they were prepared to throw my uncle out into that dangerous environment.
Travis added that the situation with my mentally challenged uncle needed to be dealt with in the same manner they handled a rapist situation they previously had. EXCUSE ME? Comparing a disabled adult with a violent offender is not an acceptable inclusivity practice.
When elevated, my family received much of the same type of flippant responses. It seems that because we were able to keep the police from actually arresting or removing him, the hotel didn't feel like they had anything to own up to. We disagree. All we requested was an explanation of how they will train people in the future to show come compassion and understanding and how they will retrain their management as to not disregard people with genuine concerns.
For clarification-at no point did any of us ask for a refund or discount. Getting one will solve nothing.
The only positive notes in this situation were AJ (Operations manager) and a gentleman whose name I didn't catch who worked the night shift at the desk. I hope they find employment in a place worthy of their professionalism and hospitality.
We tried to let corporate resolve it before I posted, but they decided not to. read more