Complain about a product or service

Choice Hotels

Paul of Saugatuck MI (5/15/04):
We stayed at a Choice Hotel in Galveston Texas because the price was good. I wasn't expecting a fancy hotel at all. I just wanted a clean room to spend a couple of nights before our cruise. When we arrived at our hotel it was late at night and we were all tired after the flight from Chicago so we headed right to bed. The room appeared to be a little dirty at first glance but nothing too bad. One of the people in our party has allergies and experienced major problems when the air conditioning didn't work right. It would work part of the time so we didn't notice a real problem with this until the middle of the night when it was very hot in our room. We didn't think anything of it because if was off when we arrived and we knew it would take a while to cool down.

The next thing we noticed was that the mattress on the bed was saturated with MOLD!! The next morning after we realized how bad things were we went through the room with a fine tooth comb. We noticed that all of the heat/air ducts were filled with dust/mold. The dressers and entertainment center was rotton on the bottom like it had water damage. I contacted the hotel manager and explained the situation and was told that she would give us a new room. She did so but I explained that I would not pay for that room for the first night. She said that there was nothing that she could do about that. I should have complained earlier.

I placed the charges in dispute with my credit card company and wrote an email to Choice Hotels. I received a reply back that said that they tried to contact me but I was home so I could email them with any information. I sent another email explaining everything and that I wanted my money back for the first night. I then received an email back saying that they would pass the email on to the hotel directly and see if it gets resolved there. They would reply within 7 days. 45 days later I still hadn't heard anything so I sent another email. I finally received a phone call and explained everything to them. But by this time they were talking about a complaint for a hotel in Illinois. I have no idea where that came from.

They finally filed the complaint as it should have been done previously and sent it to the hotel. I followed up with the guest relations department of Choice Hotels when I didn't receive a reply and was told that I would have to contact that hotel directly as it was independently owned. My complaint by this time was that they are allowing these companies to use their name via a franchise agreement and they won't back them up? Chuck kept telling me that they don't manage them and can't control them. I called that hotel directly and was told that they are no longer affiliated with Choice Hotels and they won't be replying to my complaint. I called Chuck back and explained this to him and he said there's nothing he can do now if they aren't part of their hotel chain anymore. I explained that at the time of my stay and initial complaint they were part of them. He said sorry there's nothing we can do!

Diane of San Francisco writes about the Comfort Suites, Asheville, NC (7/12/01):
I stayed at the Comfort Suites in Asheville for 8 nights in May. The reason for my travel to the South was to accompany my fiancé on business. He was participating in an art workshop while I relaxed at the hotel and checked out the local sites.

Before I booked the 8 nights at the Comfort Suites, I called the management at the hotel and asked if they had a pool. They said "yes", so I proceeded to book the room. What the management failed to inform me was that although they did have a pool, it was closed and would not open until the day we were to check out! I was unable to use the pool the entire time.

There were no chairs by the pool. As a result, I was forced to spend a considerable amount of time in the small hotel room. I was not able to relax comfortably and could not get any sun for the 8 days. The hotel was completely surrounded by a parking lot and did not have any grounds where I could sit outside.

In addition, the window in the room would not open. (Not a malfunction, just a design issue). My finance and I had to use the vent system and air conditioner in order to get any air in the room. While the unit was running, we both coughed considerably. I removed the covering off the a/c and was surprised to find the filter was completely covered in dirt. I called the management. They sent a handyman to replace the filter. He only cleaned it ... and not a very good job. I left the handyman a note about the environmental system (a machine by the couch) that was broken. I felt that might help the air quality. He didn't fix it nor did he leave an explanation why it was not fixed.

I could have stayed at one of the many other hotels in the area with pools that were open during my visit. I feel that the management employed a "bait and switch" method when telling me they had a pool. Had I stayed somewhere else, I would have had the relaxing kind of vacation I had anticipated all year.

The management misrepresented their accommodations. I am a non-smoker with asthma and I book and expect to stay in non-smoking rooms with clean filters. If the windows do not open, the management should see to it that the a/c filters are clean. My asthma was exacerbated by the bad air quality in the room while staying at the Comfort Suites. I coughed constantly and had to medicate myself during the entire stay at the hotel.

I wrote to Choice Hotels International. They had a manager from the Asheville Comfort Suites call me at home. He apologized, but did not offer to do anything about it. I received a letter back from Choice Hotels International apologizing for my frustration. They wrote, “Choice Hotels international considers the hotel’s decision to be final”. In other words, too bad, they plan to do nothing about it. Can they get away with this?

Linda of Somerset NJ writes about the Choice Hotels-Econolodge in Vineland NJ (10/16/00):
Checked into Econolodge for two nights. Hotel is a health hazard. Rat poison openly displayed in room. Wallpaper falling from the walls, carpeting torn, toliet did not flush properly, and mildew smell throughout the room.

After complaining to the desk clerk, Roberta, she credited me for one night and we checked out. Three days later, after complaining on-line to Choice Hotels, someone name Bart called me at home. He left a message on my answering machine that he was the Manager of Econolodge. He stated that if I did not like the hotel, I should have checked out, and not stayed for the one night.

"If I think I am going to refund your money, its not going to happen." He was very rude, and when I returned his call to explain what happened, he repeated a refund was not going to happen, and he hang the telephone up on me.

After staying one night in that hotel, I developed a throat, ear and mouth infection. My doctor told me it came from an unclean glass or environment exposure. My husband and I stayed at this hotel because we were in town for my husband's mother's funeral. It was a big emotional strain on us to encounter these circumstances at such a trying time in our lives.

Follow-Up
On 8/20/01, Diane sent us this update:
This is a happy ending to what happened to me. Subsequent to your publishing the article, I wrote to the President and CEO of Choice Hotels International, Charles Ledsinger, Jr. I recapped the entire situation and told him I felt he would not approve of the way I was handled by his corporation.

I received a very nice call today from Connie Feist, Manager of Customer Affairs at Choice. She apologized profusely for the way I was treated. She said the letter sent to me from Choice Hotels was "horrible". Ms. Feist is sending me a $100 coupon to be used toward future stays at any Choice Hotels. In addition, Ms. Feist is sending investigators to the Asheville Comfort Suites to investigate my complaint and to take a thorough look at the property.

Thank you for publishing my story. I am satisfied with the outcome of my complaint. I know that your site helped me to get the attention I needed in order to get satisfaction. I wish all the complaints referred to on your site could be met with satisfaction.

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