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Tawnya of Willow Spring NC (06/15/08)
My father gifted my husband and I hotel points from Choice Hotels to stay at the Econolodge in Hicksville, NY. We checked in an hour after check-in and was told by the clerk, Dennis, that there were NO King bed rooms available. All that was available was a double-bed room. We did sign for the room, but contacted my father to see if this was customary with the hotel chain. When my father returned home and called Choice Hotels customer service line, he was assured that the room we initially reserved was to be guaranteed until the next day. After talking to the Choice Hotels representatives, I proceeded to go to the desk and ask Dennis why we were not given the room we reserved. This was a few hours after check-in, but felt that we were treated unfairly because we were customers on Choice Rewards points and not paying customers.
At this very point in time, another couple checks in and is given a King bed room in front of my husband and myself. We were told that there were not any King rooms available when we checked in a couple hours earlier. When we asked Dennis why he was able to give them a King room, he responded by saying, Do you expect me to do the same thing to them that I did to you? I was appauled and disgusted with the quality of customer service in her establishment. We filed a complaint with Choice Hotels and the Manager Amy Sharkey, intially sent a letter expressing her apologies. However, in the letter she wrote, If you had decided at check in tha the room assigned to you was unacceptable, there would have been options.
When I asked her to return my phone call, she conveyed that there was another couple that decided to stay longer in the room we had reserved. I thought reservations were for a particular style of room, not one room in particular. From her conversation there were not any options at the time of check in and they were using every excuse to cover up the poor handling of this situation. It seems that in every direction there is another person that is trying to cover up this horrible ordeal.
In Consequence to this horrible ordeal, my father lost 24,000 hotel points. We found another hotel to stay at after feeling humiliated and mistreated that cost approximately 394.00 and the first day of our trip was completely ruined. The restitution I am seeking is my father's account credited back the points used for the nights we did not use and for Choice Hotels to eliminate the Econolodge chain from there affliated hotels.
Carlos of Salem MA (05/28/08)
20 minutes after my arrival with my family +-10pm a man was forcing his way into my room screaming that it was his room and he just got the key from front desk I called the front desk a woman hung up the phone (twice) I went running to the front desk, the front desk attendant told me @%^& happens and if I did not like it he will give me my money back and to get that #$%@ out of the hotel
at that point I left and he kept on yelling in the parking lot to get out. I called the police and they went to my room, I explained what was going on and they said to stay the night and they understand why I was so upset. my Kid spend all night crying saying that the bad man was going to break in
I called main office and told them what happened they said will get back to me, I was given a claim number same as the police, I am contemplating filling a suit against the Hotel
Margaret of Coshocton OH (10/23/07)
On June 16, 2007 we stayed at EconoLodge. We were quoted $69.00 on arrival and with a AAA discount, cost would be $59.00 plus tax. At check out the charge was $76.25. When I questioned the difference, was told we were quoted wrong price. I asked for a credit to my Visa as the wrong price quote was not my error. Was told unable to issue credit as only manager could. He was unavailable. Spoke with him (was rude) on phone and said he would issue credit next day. Received Visa statement with no credit. Fifteen phone calls later (plus 2 to Visa) credit did come through. Next billing cycle for Visa showed 2 charges of $86.25 for 6/17/07 stay at the motel. (We stayed only one night!) Contacted Visa and they removed the charges. Also, at 4:30 AM on 6/17 while at the motel, a man tried to get into our room with a passcard that had been issued by Front Desk. Had we not had the deadbolt on, he would have been in our room! I have contacted Choice Hotels International about this situation. They informed me that Mr. Shah owned that franchise. After I made multiple requests to Choice Hotels, I received a letter (grammar, name and address incorrect) I was told that I could have a 50% discount on my next visit (subject to availability!). Do you think I would stay there again?
Darin of Dongola IL (07/23/07)
When we checked into the first room it had the unmistakable odor of a cat that has sprayed to mark territory. The TV did not work. We asked for another room because we have children. The lady who would not give a name and wore no name tag literally pushed us from one room to the next. The next room was flea infested and my kids legs were bitten severely. This is a hotel one mile from six flags St. Louis. They charge 90.00 for a night and put absolutely nothing into the hotel.
John of Phillipsburg NJ (04/25/07)
I asked for a non-smoking room. When I got in it was a smoking room. It was nasty out so I stayed. The TV did not work. I called the desk they said there was a switch on the wall. I tried every switch in the room. No TV! I decided to just go to bed. The room was in rough shape, rugs worn paint coming off the bathroom door. The pillows were useless. It was not pleasant.
Brandi of Bradford PA (03/17/07)
We stayed in this hotel that was dirty. The tub or room wasn't cleaned. We filled up the Jacuzzi and there was a ton of hair floating on top of the water and my husband called the front desk they asked us if we wanted to clean it so I called back and requested housekeeper. Then we filled the tub back up again and the Jacuzzi didn't even work. There were no housekeeper services the following day we were there. No towels, garbage wasn't emptied, beds weren't made, etc. We had to clean our own room then go to the front desk to request more towels, soaps, sheets, etc. They had no breakfast 45 minutes before breakfast should have been over.
We asked several times if we could get a refund and go somewhere else and the general manager was never there. The manager is very unprofessional for not returning our calls and they say she is the only person to contact. We even wrote to choicehotels.com and they said she would call us within 7 days and that was 10 days ago.
Edward of Louisburg NC (11/06/06)
In September 2006 I made reservations for 2 for 2 nights, November 3 and November 4, 2006. I telephoned on Friday, November 3, 2006 to confirm reservations (which the reservations were in my husband's name Edward Tharrington) and asked them if they had reservations for for Edward Tharrington for 11/3 - 11/4/2006 and was told by Nicole that we did.
We checked in on 11/3/06 and in going into the room we noticed that the dead bolt did not work properly. We reported it to Nicole and she said that she would try to get someone to fix it but if not, that no one could break into our room without a key. They did get the dead bolt fixed by the time we returned from dinner. We also noticed that there was a lot of chewing gum on the not so good carpet. We got some tissue and got that up. In taking showers as soon as we opened the soap, it crumbled into pieces. Heat didn't heat up the room till 4:00 a.m. on 11/4/06. One of the light bulbs was not working.
Walls were filthy behind exterior door as you come in. Shower curtian had mildew on it. On the morning of 11/4/06, Nicole had us checking out that morning. I spoke with her and told her that in September 2006 and when I called on Friday, 11/3/06, I was told that we did have the room for 2 nights and the rate was $89.10 plus tax. She told me that she could not let us have the room for that price and if we stayed we would have to pay $101.00 for Saturday night.
Thomas of Plainfield, NJ writes (10/17/02):
My family stayed at the Econolodge in South Hill VA on Labor Day weeekend. We were upset about the conditions of the room. The bathroom had mold on the celings and walls and the tub was dirty. We called to complain and were told the tub wasn`t dirty, it was glue. So I went to the local supermarket and cleaned the tub and walls myself. I used Tilex mildew remover to clean the mildew and ruined my shirt and shorts in the process.
We called later for extra towels, there were four of us but only 2 towels. They told us we could not get any towels till the next day. I sent a letter telling this to Choice hotels who sent it back to the Hotel manager, who sent me a nasty letter telling me to bring my own towels next time. And that his rooms were clean.
My wife has asthma and suffered with it for 3 weeks upon our return to NJ; she was even hospitalized. she was fine before she stayed in that mold infested room. We have 7 witnesses to the amount of mold in the room and the damage to my clothes.
The consequences were, ruined shirt, wife having a three week respiratory attack probably from the mold. Nasty customer service from the hotel general manager and inattention from Choice Hotels themselves.
Lisa of Plano TX (4/23/01):
After making a reservation via the internet I drove from Dallas, TX to Olathe, KS and when I arrived was told "pets" were not allowed. I told the man at the desk the dog was NOT a pet but a service animal. He called to the back and told someone that I claimed the dog was not a pet but a service animal and an Indian or Pakistani man came out of the back and informed me that there would be a pet charge of either $10.00 or $20.00 (I was so mad by that point I am not sure which he said now).
He said that pets were not allowed and that he had NEVER heard of ADA laws and then he demanded proof of my handicap. I told him that I didn't have proof and that he could not ask for proof of my handicap. He then informed me that I could not have the handicapped non-smoking room that I had requested. He had one room and I could take it or leave it.
When I went to look at the room, it stank like stale cigarettes and curry. I turned the room down and also cancelled the reservation I was holding for Thursday and Sunday as well. I was then stuck in a strange city in a strange state alone with no place to stay. I had to scramble to locate a place to stay or sleep in my car. I finally found with the help of a friend and his computer and a cell phone. This hotel advertises handicapped rooms but they are VERY handicapped-unfriendly and I will not stay in an Econolodge again and will tell all my handicapped friends of this problem also.
Linda of Somerset, NJ, writes:
Checked into Econolodge, Vineland, NJ, 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 named 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 you think I am going to refund your money, it's 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 hung 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 environmental exposure. Also, 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.
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