MaryAnnDVC
"Mare", DISing since '99; prefers being tagless
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2001
- Messages
- 14,950
This past weekend, Saturday to Monday, my kids and I (DDs 14 and 12; DS 9) stayed at the Radisson Hotel & Suites in Chelmsford, MA, with 8 other families, for a soccer tournament (DS's). It was lovely...each family had a nice, large "mini-suite".
The problem? NO ROOM KEYS!! The machine broke and they were expecting another one Sunday night (it never arrived and last word was that it would not be received for several days). Every time we needed to get back into our rooms, we had to get someone from the front desk to let us in.
Picture it...how many times have you left your hotel room and realized you forgot something? We got into our cars at 7:45 AM Sunday (first game at 8:45, 1/2 hour drive), and DD asks "do you have my pills?" NOPE! Run into the hotel, announce I need to get into my room, they radio the "door opener"
, I go up to my 4th floor room, wait outside for someone to come, go in, get the pills. I leave the room, door closes, I realize I don't have MY pills! Take elevator downstairs, door opens, I call to the front desk "I need to get back into my room!", back up the elevator, wait...and wait...for someone to come, go in, get MY pills, look all over the room to see if there's anything else I need , and leave. Realize I forgot the camera...decided not to take pictures.
Now, I may sound ditzy as far as getting out in the morning, but hey, that's me and I certainly should be able to get into my room on my own! Can you imagine not having a backup for this machine??
On top of that, some hotel staff checked our room number (written on the envelope that should have had a room key in it) and some didn't. My DD (12) and her friend got into the friend's room by asking a maid to let them in...with no proof it was her room.
Some hotel staff (esp Mike and Jordan
) were VERY nice about the repeated need to get into our rooms...as well they should be!...some not so pleasant. All of us were returning at basically the same time, so we all needed to get into our rooms near the same time, not to mention the rest of the suites for other soccer groups and other general guests as well!
"No key" also meant no access to the pool/exercise/game rooms without someone letting us in (they did lend out a limited number of keys for those rooms).
And just to top things off...Sunday afternoon...after sitting outside in the rain, while the soccer players slipped and slid on wet, muddy fields, we get back to the hotel to find that there was [size=large]no hot water.[/size] Luckily, DS and I managed to shower while it was still lukewarm...others weren't so lucky.
Also...the laundry detergent machine was out of order...and we had 9 filthy soccer uniforms that we needed for the next day's games. Thank goodness I found Tide tablets from my last trip in the side pocket of my suitcase...which was in my room so I needed to get someone to open the door again. (The laundry room was on the other side of the hotel, and we had to walk through a wedding reception to get there. ??)
Despite discussing the situation on several occasions with management, and this line on the room key envelope...[size=large]Our goal at Radisson is 100% guest satisfaction. If you are not satisfied with something please let us know and we'll make it right or you won't pay[/size]...they refused to give ANY compensation whatsoever. Another soccer group from our town stayed at a Holiday Inn...one of the families arrived and their room wasn't ready for 3 PM checkin (ready at 4:30)...the HI gave them dinner vouchers! (And at the Radisson, our rooms were all over the place, even tho the coach had put aside a block of rooms; at the HI, all the families' rooms were together, as it was when we stayed at a Best Western for a soccer tournament in Maine last summer.)
I've had an occasional issue with a hotel/hotel room...never anything I couldn't deal with or management didn't accomodate, and I've never expected compensation for anything before. But this was the most pain-in-the-*** situation I've ever had to deal with at a hotel.
So...what do you think??
The problem? NO ROOM KEYS!! The machine broke and they were expecting another one Sunday night (it never arrived and last word was that it would not be received for several days). Every time we needed to get back into our rooms, we had to get someone from the front desk to let us in.
Picture it...how many times have you left your hotel room and realized you forgot something? We got into our cars at 7:45 AM Sunday (first game at 8:45, 1/2 hour drive), and DD asks "do you have my pills?" NOPE! Run into the hotel, announce I need to get into my room, they radio the "door opener"
, I go up to my 4th floor room, wait outside for someone to come, go in, get the pills. I leave the room, door closes, I realize I don't have MY pills! Take elevator downstairs, door opens, I call to the front desk "I need to get back into my room!", back up the elevator, wait...and wait...for someone to come, go in, get MY pills, look all over the room to see if there's anything else I need , and leave. Realize I forgot the camera...decided not to take pictures. Now, I may sound ditzy as far as getting out in the morning, but hey, that's me and I certainly should be able to get into my room on my own! Can you imagine not having a backup for this machine??
On top of that, some hotel staff checked our room number (written on the envelope that should have had a room key in it) and some didn't. My DD (12) and her friend got into the friend's room by asking a maid to let them in...with no proof it was her room.
Some hotel staff (esp Mike and Jordan
) were VERY nice about the repeated need to get into our rooms...as well they should be!...some not so pleasant. All of us were returning at basically the same time, so we all needed to get into our rooms near the same time, not to mention the rest of the suites for other soccer groups and other general guests as well!"No key" also meant no access to the pool/exercise/game rooms without someone letting us in (they did lend out a limited number of keys for those rooms).
And just to top things off...Sunday afternoon...after sitting outside in the rain, while the soccer players slipped and slid on wet, muddy fields, we get back to the hotel to find that there was [size=large]no hot water.[/size]
Luckily, DS and I managed to shower while it was still lukewarm...others weren't so lucky.Also...the laundry detergent machine was out of order...and we had 9 filthy soccer uniforms that we needed for the next day's games.
Thank goodness I found Tide tablets from my last trip in the side pocket of my suitcase...which was in my room so I needed to get someone to open the door again. (The laundry room was on the other side of the hotel, and we had to walk through a wedding reception to get there. ??)Despite discussing the situation on several occasions with management, and this line on the room key envelope...[size=large]Our goal at Radisson is 100% guest satisfaction. If you are not satisfied with something please let us know and we'll make it right or you won't pay[/size]...they refused to give ANY compensation whatsoever. Another soccer group from our town stayed at a Holiday Inn...one of the families arrived and their room wasn't ready for 3 PM checkin (ready at 4:30)...the HI gave them dinner vouchers! (And at the Radisson, our rooms were all over the place, even tho the coach had put aside a block of rooms; at the HI, all the families' rooms were together, as it was when we stayed at a Best Western for a soccer tournament in Maine last summer.)
I've had an occasional issue with a hotel/hotel room...never anything I couldn't deal with or management didn't accomodate, and I've never expected compensation for anything before. But this was the most pain-in-the-*** situation I've ever had to deal with at a hotel.
So...what do you think??
