Howard Johnson - Service Complaints

Howard Johnson Appleton, not worth the price, first off we had to put a rock in the door closest to our room to bring things in, lock vandalized, then get in the room and go to the bathroom and the toilet had some sort of sludge running down the sides. Then the next day we went to check out and when I return the key, she says, "That's good."

Being in a hurry (my fault not to ask) did not get a receipt, after getting home checked my credit card and there is a $100.00 charge along with the room charge, when I called he said it's in our policy there may be a deposit required but that it would be put back on my card. Well, a week later and still on my card. No one said anything about this deposit and since they don't seem to give receipts you wouldn't know until you get your statement. Well maybe they have not cleaned the room yet to see everything was intact.

Denied our pre-booked room because of a vision service dog, refused a upgrade to honeymoon suite due to service dog. Offered a room on the pet floor. Informed we would be charged additional $20 a night for our pet. Had to produce registered papers proving he was a service dog. After discussing the $20 charge at three different times with five separate people, it was agreed not to charge us the extra fee. Our stay was Oct 22 and 23, 2011 in Niagara Falls, Canada. There are many laws in place here dealing with accessibility, not least being the blind man's act. Your legal department should be making it very plain to all your staff what will be in store for the staff and the hotels come Jan. 2012 in Canada. If your policy is to make a person with a handicap feel even more defeated then it worked. I waited these few weeks so my anger and hurt did not overtake what I had to say.

Regrettably, I will never stay at this hotel again. Any company that buys an existing hotel will make sure that everything is up to their standards--this place is not. My room's bathroom was clean, the Internet worked, the room cleaners were friendly and the hotel was close to the airport. However, the rest was not so good. In terms of the bed, I could feel that the springs and the pillows were just fiberfill wadded up to resemble pillows (too fluffy that it killed my neck). Also, there were alive mosquitoes and other bugs in the window. The chair in my room was whooped on and needs to be replaced. The bath tub didn't drain well, just like the toilet (everything didn't go down with one flush). In the beginning, the breakfast was stocked but by the end of the week, it was empty!

My husband and I spent the night of August 30 at the Howard Johnson hotel located in Saugerties, NY. This was simply a leisure trip of one night. Upon making the reservation, I personally spoke with the personnel at that location ensuring that the room we were reserving had a fridge, microwave, TV and that there was a pool on the premises. We were assured that all my necessities would be provided.

My overall impression of our room was positive. It was clean, amenities such as towels and soaps were plentiful, and the bed had enough pillows and a clean coverlet. The fridge and microwave were in working order. But upon retiring, we could not seem to get the TV to function.

My husband called the front desk and was told TV service had been interrupted due to the storm. The TV was an extremely important aspect of our stay. There is little nightlife if any in Saugerties. We had not brought reading material and fully intended to relax with the TV for several hours before retiring. I do not consider a functioning TV to be, in this day age, a special request. I believe we should have been informed of this fact. Either before ever leaving home, the office staff certainly had our contact numbers, or upon check-in when I specifically asked the young lady at the desk if our room was as requested. To which she replied, certainly.

I am requesting a refund of the amount we spent on the room. I have enclosed a copy of the billing statement. A free stay at a Howard Johnsons alternate location will not be acceptable, as we rarely get to spend time together away from our busy lifestyle.

The desk clerk was very rude and he hung up the phone on me. I just wanted to know the room rate being charged on my credit card for my son's stay there. He kept telling me that it was done on Priceline. When I told him that "it was not, my son was a walk-in," he basically told me that I was a liar and then disconnected me. Of course, I immediately called back and asked him if he hung up on me. He proudly said, "Yes." I told him that he was rude and had no business working the desk.

Actually, the hotel's such a pit it should be torn down. I wouldn't give my dog the food that's served, the coffee is like wet mud, the computer is broken, the TVs don't work, the room is filthy, and I would hope that my son protects his feet from diseases when showering. It's located right next door to a strip joint, which automatically disqualifies it from being the "family hotel" as advertised.

The only plus they have is the location to the airport. The street has more going for it than this dump. What happened to Howard Johnson's? It used to be good and now it's scum. I will never associate myself with any Howard Johnson's hotel, nor will I allow any of my five children to stay there! Apparently, there aren't any inspections done at these places. If there were, Howard Johnson's hotels would cease to exist. And that would be a blessing to all travelers.

We were given a non-smoking room at the Flagstaff, AZ, Howard Johnson, but it reeked of smoke. The tv was not working, The bar on the bathtub was very loose from the wall, there was garbage under the bed. The blankets were not changed because my night gown still smelled like smoke the next night. The toilet had an elongated seat on a toilet that was not. Overall the room was not clean, On our vacation it was the highest priced ($120) motel on the trip and the worst. We had suites in Mesa for a lot less. I always thought Howard Johnsons were nice motels but will never stay at another one. We had a lousy nights sleep in a dirty room. We should have got it for half price.

I waited two more weeks for the check. A check arrived for one-half of the verbally-agreed upon amount ($47.75). When I called to find out what happend to our agreement, I was stonewalled by the customer service rep, and told that "there will not be any further amount sent." I would like justice. If the Manager of Customer Service of a large chain like HOJO can make a verbal declaration that a check will be cut and sent for a specific amount and then change it (by half), and then just ignore the customer there after, can't something be done? What would you do?

The manager was not on duty at the time of the incident and the front desk agent was not very helpful at all. We spoke with the manager the first thing the next morning and he wasn't much help either. We were not offered any type of compensation or anything. We filed a police report with the Ft. Lauderdale police and filed an incident report with the hotel. We were told that the insurance claims adjustor for Howard Johnson would be contacting us within 10 days to discuss the claim.

Was asked by housekeeping if we wanted to make our own bed, did not pick up dirty towels, no bags in trash cans. Never entered room to clean during my stay there. No damage done. I do feel that this employee should be trained to do his job in the right manner or be let go. I found him to be rude and uncaring in his job and of the fact that I was a quest there.

Upon returning home on May 7th I emailed Howard Johnson customer service and told them this same story, I got a form email letter back stating that this particular hotel was franchise owned and that the owner would be contacted. On May 13th I still had not heard anything and I again emailed Howard Johnson cust. service who propmtly told me to give the owner 14 days not including weekends to reply to my complaint. On May 29th still no reply from the hotel owner I again emailed Howard Johnson who sent me the same form letter only this time stating I would be compensated for my complaint.

I hosted my family's bi-annual family reunion at the Howard Johnson in St. Augustine FL from 6/22-6/25. During our stay the following situations occurred:

The hotel changed management and was under construction.

The ironic part is that I sat outside the following two nights at the same time and the sprinklers did not come on.