OT-No room at the Inn for us-final update! Last page

[eek40]

I did not know where else to post this so forgive me ahead of time if its not appropriate.

My DGF and I have been traveling for the past couple of weeks plus several other smaller trips over a period of time in hotels etc. Typically this is for convience since we live an hour away from a "city". I have never had this happen before and to put it mildly I am still in shock. I will do my best to keep short, but I wanted to know if anyone else has any idea how to address the issue or if I am just over reacting! Be honest!

Heres the short verision. We stayed at Harrah's Casino Hotel in St. Louis on the 6th of June, no problem, other than the fact that they charged me 391 dollars twice and 123 once(that is the correct one). They fixed that problem. We were not sure about our return date so we left it open, I asked the hotel if they felt there was a need to hold a room for the 12th of June, and was told no. On the 12th at 2pm I checked online, rooms still available, I called about 4pm, rooms still available. So we showed up about 7pm. I walked up and asked the lady behind the desk for a room. She said "Sure no problem, 2 double beds?" I said "Well I prefer a King bed but will take whatever you have" All of a sudden she started to act strange, she was looking at me funny(even dgf agrees), she mubbles something about someone playing with the rooms? And tells me she has to go talk to her manager. I say ok, and wait, not two min later she comes back out of the back office with a manager behind her, who NEVER made eye contact with me just stood behind her and flatly and loudly stated "WE ARE SOLD OUT" I was just so surprised because of the feelings it sent through me, as we were walking away dgf looked at me and said "wow were we just refused service" I just kept walking to the car. Once there I sat in stunned silence and then figured out I would just call reservations from my cell. So I call and low and behold I am offered a room, nothing about it being sold out. I hang up without booking and at this point I am fairly certain that we in fact were not given a room solely based on the fact that I requested a king bed for the two of us. Granted we do look like sisters, I have always felt that we just belong together and that people can see our love. I have never had this problem before, and now my poor girlfriend is afraid to come into a hotel lobby with me when I get rooms. Now I am still upset and shocked at the treatment. I wish I could explain it better, but it just felt so horrible. We have decided that writing the hotel is one step simply to state the discrimination we felt, but we are not looking for a free room or anything from them other than to let them know that this situation occured. We will not ever stay there again, nor will we gamble there or frequent any other of their properties. Yes I know that me simply not staying there is not going to affect them, their pocketbooks are much bigger than mine.

I am afraid I read to much into her expressions but there were rooms available, why were we refused? I can not come to any other conclusion other than it was our sexuality. I feel so lost..so hurt, this is the first time in a long time that I have been this blantely been shunned. My girl is the best in the world and I could not ask for more than her, and I will endure a thousand moments like this for our lifetime together!

Ok thanks to all that read and all that help!
Aimee

 

[maelstrom]

I think you need to get the word out about how you were discriminated against. That is horrible. :\

For your own information, Harrah's, Caesars, Showboat, Rio, Horseshoe, and Bally's are all the same company now.

 

[mickeyfan1]

I think I would have made the reservation on the phone, gotten the confirmation number and then walked back into check and and gotten the room. Unless it is illeagal in that state for 2 women to share a room, there could be big trouble for them.

What would have happened if you had strolled in and gotten the room with out your DGF there?

I swear I hate ignorance.

 

[LukenDC]

The casino-hotel companies are pretty progressive, so you should definitely write a letter to corporare headquarters and complain. It certainly sounds like you were refused service due to your sexuality.

 

[OrlandoMike]

I think I would have made the reservation on the phone, gotten the confirmation number and then walked back into check and and gotten the room. Unless it is illeagal in that state for 2 women to share a room, there could be big trouble for them.

What would have happened if you had strolled in and gotten the room with out your DGF there?

I swear I hate ignorance.

Thats exactly what I would have done. Secondly I would have asked to see the manager. Third, I would have been on the phone with my laywer.

I guess the older I get the more fiesty I get, when it comes to situations like this I'm more than ready for a fight!

 

[Boston5602]

Thats exactly what I would have done. Secondly I would have asked to see the manager. Third, I would have been on the phone with my laywer.

I guess the older I get the more fiesty I get, when it comes to situations like this I'm more than ready for a fight!

AMEN SISTER !!!!!!!


But I also agree with getting a room reservation over the phone and / or internet and walking in with confirmation . I would not tell them I had a reservation with confirmation YET. I would again have asked about a room and when told NO I would have asked for a corp number and told them you had just booked a room ( although I guess , they could claim you just got the last room hmmmmm)

 

[TuckandStuiesMom]

What jerks! and how upsetting for you both.
I second Luken's idea -- you should complain to their corporate HQ. Somebody deserves a double -- No, TRIPLE DOSE of HR sensitivity training.

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Unacceptable. Write to the corporate office and make it clear how badly you were treated. Then visit Trip Advisor and write a review on the hotel. Visit any other hotel site that accepts reviews and do the same.

Get the word out. I'm sorry it happened to you. Take care and remember, it's their ignorance, not your lifestyle.

 

[Snow_White]

That is horrible I can't imagine how hurt you must feel. I would definitely write a letter to the upper management. This is just not acceptable

 

[smartestnumber5]

Ugh, that's horrible.

Do you happen to get the person's name who helped you? I usually feel bad pinning bad service/problems on specific people, but in this case I wouldn't think twice about it.

And I agree with the others that I'd make noise about this. Post it on the community board and on review sites. Too many people don't believe that this type of discrimination occurs against gay people.

GF just had a similar (but more subtle) homophobic experience last week. We went to an urgent care place because she thought she might have broken her foot. When we arrived it was close to closing and she didn't have her ID or insurance card with her. I went home to get her ID, but we just gave them my insurance card and told them she has the same # as I do, but with a 2 as the last digit since she is my domestic partner. (We've done this other times before GF received her card and never had a problem because she is in the system under that number.) But apparently these people have never heard of domestic partners getting health insurance and had an issue with gay people. GF says they asked her about 15 times why she didn't have her own card, how she was related to me, how she could possibly have my insurance, how she could be listed as something other than "single" in the system under marital status, etc. She told them over and over again that we are same-sex domestic partners. Finally one nurse said in a snarky voice, "Yes I understand that, but what I'm asking is how you could have insurance through her given you are single according to the insurance company." GF had to explain AGAIN that she is not "single" according to the insurance company--she is in a domestic partnership!

Of course, in hindsight it's obvious that the appropriate answer to all of these questions was, "It's none of your damn business what our relation is. If you type that number into the system you'll see that I am covered on her insurance and that is all that you need to know. So long as the insurance lists me it doesn't matter if I'm her lover, her gardner, or her 2nd cousin once removed." Of course, GF said nothing of the sort. She came out looking like she was going to cry. We will be sending a letter (and on top of the homophobia the doctor didn't even touch her foot and refused to x-ray it--he told her she was "fine" and then sent her home with vicodin!).

 

[eek40]

Thank you for all your kind posts. We considered going back in with the reservation number but we were so upset that we could not even go back inside. We both have talked about it and think that starting with the letter is the way to go first. From there it will depend on attitude and what they say to us, we do plan on letting people know of our experiences. You all have been awesome!

To the post above about your dgf and the insurance, I bet you wanted to scream! Hang in there.

 

[R Dog Walt]

Uggh! This is horrible!

I agree with the other posters- get this information out there- write reviews, etc.!

This was at the Harrah's in St. Louis? I live like 3 miles away from there. Haven't been there in years, but definitely WON'T be going back!

 

[Saxton]

I agree with others - I would have made a reservation over the phone, gone back in and asked them again for a room and when they refused I would have thrown it on the desk and promptly cancelled it (since I wouldn't want to give them any of my money). But I'm sure that in the midst of the situation emotions were running high, I probably wouldn't have thought that clearly. Please keep us posted.

 

[SnackyStacky]

In whatever sort of exchanges you have - via E-Mail, USPS mail, or the phone - be sure and leave your emotions OUT of it. STATE that you were angry that you were refused service for such an asinine reason, but don't show your emotions. (I hope that makes sense!) Just tell them what happened, and that the ignorance of their employee has deterred you from every staying in any of their properties. And that you will be sure and share you negative experiences with friends and family as well.

Sorry that happened to you. Ignorance, bigotry and hatred know no bounds.

 

[hematite153]

I'm sorry to hear that you had such a horrible experience. Thanks for letting us know about it.

 

[mstew99]

Wow, that is pretty bad right there. I think you handled it much better than I would have. I would have definitely made the reservation, then went right back in and made sure you were waited on by the same person and demand that manager come back out. I can normally keep my temper in control, but in that situation it would have been pretty tough. It's really a shame too, because the company itself is great IMO, and how a couple employees could leave such a bad taste in ones mouth. I'm not one to try and get someone in trouble on the job because I know people make mistakes. However, this is completely different, and i'd want to be sure these people were properly disciplined. I hope you take this further, because this is the kind of thing that needs to be heard. Please keep us updated!

 

[eek40]

You make a great point, as I work on my letters I will make sure to just stick by facts and leave the emotion out of it. What a cutie baby you have!

In whatever sort of exchanges you have - via E-Mail, USPS mail, or the phone - be sure and leave your emotions OUT of it. STATE that you were angry that you were refused service for such an asinine reason, but don't show your emotions. (I hope that makes sense!) Just tell them what happened, and that the ignorance of their employee has deterred you from every staying in any of their properties. And that you will be sure and share you negative experiences with friends and family as well.

Sorry that happened to you. Ignorance, bigotry and hatred know no bounds.

 

[eek40]

I am not sure I didnt make mistakes, I think the shock was so huge then the anger that I could not even think about walking back in, plus the embarassment! I can not remember the lady who waited on me, this whole thing happened within like 5 min! I just have to use dates and times and state my facts in a letter. I will make sure to let you know when I send off everything, I will post what I plan on saying here first for some advice! Thanks

Wow, that is pretty bad right there. I think you handled it much better than I would have. I would have definitely made the reservation, then went right back in and made sure you were waited on by the same person and demand that manager come back out. I can normally keep my temper in control, but in that situation it would have been pretty tough. It's really a shame too, because the company itself is great IMO, and how a couple employees could leave such a bad taste in ones mouth. I'm not one to try and get someone in trouble on the job because I know people make mistakes. However, this is completely different, and i'd want to be sure these people were properly disciplined. I hope you take this further, because this is the kind of thing that needs to be heard. Please keep us updated!

 

[eek40]

Ok everyone, if you do not mind looking this over and seeing what you think and making suggestions, I am wanting to make sure its not over the top but still clarifies the problems we had. Thanks!

Dear Harrah’s Corporate Offices and St. Louis Office,

It is not often that I have to write a letter of this nature. I am a well seasoned traveler and also a former travel agent, I also continue to book vacations for family and office employees. I realize that things can and will go wrong and try to keep a light heart and just enjoy my travels.

Let me outline the problems I had while on my most recent vacation. On 4/26/07 I reserved one room for the night of June 6th, reservation FVMY3 one night only. We arrived and checked into our room #601 for the evening. We loved the casino, we signed up into your player’s club program, and we gambled well into the night before turning in. Since this was a half way point in my driving trip to Columbus, Ohio, we were not sure of the date we would return. I kept checking to make sure rooms were available for the return dates and watching prices online. I checked out of the room at approx 8:30am and my charges showing on the TV checkout showed 123.62. While in Ohio I checked my bank account, and was shocked to find 3 charges on my card, one for 123.62 and two for 391.81 dollars. This is a total of 907.24! Thank goodness I had the money in my bank account to cover this, the reference numbers in case you decide to investigate this are VISA RF#715929004065 RF#715925004065 and RF#715921004065. When I called the St. Louis Casino I was transferred several times, once to a voicemail, so I had to call back. Finally I was able to speak with a front desk clerk who advised me that the two charges for 391.81 were for my other rooms? I only had one room at check in, she then stated that I had checked out late and these were the charges for the late check out? I can certainly understand having to access a late checkout fee, but when I checked out at 8:30am I do not consider that late, when I mentioned this the clerk remarked, oh yes I see you checked out on the TV by 9am, well I do not know why but we refunded it. Typically this would be fine, but I have questions, who has access to my credit card and who booked extra rooms. I could never get these answered. I am still concerned about the charges, it seems rather odd. Plus had I not had the 907.24 your hotel charged me in my account I would have bounced and received several charges from my bank. Would these have been refunded to me? I doubt it as I know from past experience working at a hotel that those charges are the customer’s responsibility.

Even with the problem above, we did enjoy our experience at the resort, we found the room clean and smelling GREAT. The casino was well staffed and fun. So when we made our plans for the trip home I called in the morning and was told there were plenty of rooms, then about 2pm before we departed Ohio I looked on-line where there were rooms available for 100.00 or so for the night, plus suites. We were not sure if we would be able to make it all the way to St. Louis since we got a late start so we decided that based on what we had found we would just head towards our goal and go from there. This is where the most horrible part of the trip occurred.

I arrived at the hotel at about 10 to 11pm on the 12th of June. My partner and I made our way from the garage to the lobby with a small amount of personal items for the evening. I approached the clerk and asked for a room for the night. She said “sure 2 double beds?” I stated that I preferred a King bed but would take what was available. At this statement she started to behave oddly she acted nervous and was not looking at me, she typed a few things into the system then told me “They are playing around with the rooms, I will have to go ask my manager” and left. She came back 2 minutes later with a manager behind her, who never even looked at me. The clerk did not look at me either, just coldly said “We are sold out”. Now I had a hard time believing this since I had been looking, and felt so embarrassed by her behavior and the manager standing behind her. See my partner is also a female, in all my travels I have never felt so discriminated against. My partner and I turned to leave and she said to me “Were we just refused service?” I was so shocked that I just said I do not know, we got to the car where I called reservations, I asked for a room and had no problem in getting a quote for the night and I asked if there was room available and was told yes. At this point I knew I had been refused service at your casino simply because I asked for a King bed and because I am a Lesbian. Had I not been able to get a room when I called reservations that would be a different story, then the fault lays on me for not booking a room in advance. We were so upset and angry that rather than book the room and return to the lobby we just left and drove further for the night and dropped all our plans for gambling that night, breakfast in the morning and most likely more gambling! We both were so shocked about the way we were treated. This is simply not acceptable treatment for any guest! Regardless of sexuality or race, if rooms are available we should be given a room if one is available. I do not know if this is a companywide policy to refuse service to gay couples or if it was simply an uneducated desk clerk and manager who decided to make that decision. I would like to know your views on this. I have to wonder all this because checking in was not a problem.

I have no intent of ever staying at or gambling at your properties again. I am fully aware that you own several different properties in lots of different locations. I also am not naïve to think that we not using your company will have any effect on you. I know your pocketbook is a lot heavier than mine. However pending your response I may decide to take further action, and at the least I will share my views with anyone that asks and to encourage them to avoid your resorts.

 

[RickinNYC]

I think you're getting the point across but please edit those two super long paragraphs into shorter ones or at least split them up!

And more importantly, in your last paragraph, you state "I have no intention..." That may be true but you should delete that sentiment altogether. If you have no intention, then the powers that be will figure it's a lost cause so why bother to make amends or even respond? Let them think they can help or do something.