I was pretty stoked to see a brand new, modern hotel pop up in Baker. I come here to hunt, and it's a pretty small and isolated town with not much going on. So my expectations were high!
It was about $50 more per night than my usual lodging option in town, but my buddy and I figured that the pool, hot tub, and complimentary breakfast would be worth the extra. WRONG!
As others have mentioned, the hot tub was either lukewarm or out of service. And the pool area was cold and drafty, basically unusable.
But here's the worst part: the complimen-TARY breakfast. They specified that your option was scrambled eggs, toast, sausage, and coffee or tea. No substitutions...
I don't eat sausage, and I prefer my eggs over medium. I had 6 days booked, so I figured we should address this on day 2. So I asked for eggs over medium, and said I'd prefer either ham or bacon, and would pay an up charge if necessary.
NOPE! I was told no substitutions whatsoever. And if I wanted something different, I could order off the menu, but receive no credit for the breakfast I was eligible for.
Ok, I see this is going to be a problem. So I just ask for the eggs, no meat, and rye toast please.
NOPE! You can't have eggs over medium, only scrambled. And even though they offer 4 types of bread for toast, I could only have white or wheat.
So my first thought was that the eggs are powdered, and that's why I can only get scrambled. Wrong. A quick glance into the kitchen showed me stacks and stacks of fresh eggs, and a giant flat top griddle. Absolutely no reason they couldn't do over medium.
So now I'm thinking that I'm being pranked, and that they're gonna point out the hidden camera any second. But no, these idiots were dead serious.
So I ask to speak to the manager. This woman is miserable, and clearly has zero experience in the hospitality business. She explains to me that what I'm asking for is not complimen-TARY (this is how she continued to pronounce it throughout the entire, painful conversation.) I try to explain to her that in the hundreds of hotels that I've stayed in all over Gods green earth, I've never encountered such nonsense. If you offer a complimentary hot breakfast, You should be able to get your eggs cooked however to like, your choice of meat, and whatever type toast you want. This was apparently crazy talk. She said that she had never heard anything like that, and that I was being unreasonable. When I asked why I couldn't just pay a small up charge for the meat of my choice, she said I should just order something else and forego my complimen-TARY meal.
So at this point, I know I'm screwed. Common sense is not one of the amenities at this establishment. So I break it down to the manager, if you don't accommodate me or at least attempt to meet me halfway, we are leaving. Period. She says she will happily cancel my remaining days.
So we left. The hotel was only half full, so my room went empty for the next 3 days, and we moved to a property $75 a night cheaper. Instead of just providing me my desired breakfast option at a cost of maybe $20 over my entire stay, she instead lost $450 of revenue. Talk about cutting of your nose to spite your face! I even offered to pay a small up charge, so she could have even MADE money on the situation had she not been so rigid.
I will never understand what this woman was thinking, and I have never, and will never stay here again. read more