Complain about a product or service

Sierra Nevada Rodeway Inn

164 Old Mammoth Road, Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546

Diane of San Francisco writes (9/26/01):
On August 6, 2001, I booked a room online at Orbitz.com for a weekend stay for my business partner and his friend. Both men are well-known, fine artists represented by galleries throughout the United States. The purpose of the trip was to paint en plein air in the beautiful Mammoth and June Lake areas.

The artists checked into the Rodeway Inn on Friday, August 24th. They presented the prepaid Orbitz confirmation to the manager, but the hotel insisted upon charging the credit card again.

On Friday, August 24th at 11 pm, the artists were awakened by children screaming and running in the hotel hallways. Seems the Mammoth Youth Football League was playing the RIM League and over one hundred 8 – 14 year old boys and girls and their parents were staying at the Rodeway Inn for the weekend. The kids persisted in screaming and running through the halls until 1 am.

On the night of Saturday, August 25th, the kids continued to run and scream throughout the entire Rodeway property -- hallways, pool, hot tub, grounds, etc. Many parents of the children were openly drinking alcoholic beverages and smoking cigars in the hotel halls (illegal in California). The kids were racing razor scooters down the corridors, running, screaming and banging on the guest’s doors.

At approximately 10:30 pm, my partner called the management and asked “Doug” and “Bruce” to quiet the guests. My partner stood in the hallway and waited for management to arrive. They never responded. At 11 pm, my partner telephoned me in San Francisco. I could hear the children screaming and pounding on the door in the background.

My partner and his friend decided to check out of the Rodeway Inn because the hotel was out of control, the management would not respond and it was impossible to sleep. I immediately telephoned Doug at the front desk. He stated they “let their guests have a party” and he had just shut down the hot tub. My partner stopped by the lobby to check out and demand a refund while I was speaking to Doug on the phone. I could hear Bruce screaming at them and ordering the men to get out. Bruce grabbed the telephone and shouted at me! Irrational, Bruce concluded the call by barking, “Thank you. Please complain to Choice. Goodbye.” Then he abruptly hung up.

The artists had no alternative at 11:30 pm, but to sleep in their car. Not easy for a 6’7” and a 6’5” man. Mammoth Lakes is very remote and other accommodations were impossible to find at this late hour during the busy season.

I have since spoken with Choice Hotels International. They were kind enough to send me a refund check, as goodwill, in a very timely manner. They immediately contacted Rodeway Inn. Management at Rodeway failed to contact or compensate us, although Choice Hotels International dictates that the hotel must contact the customer within 10 working days.

The 100 minor children at the hotel were placed in a very precarious situation that could easily have resulted in injury or perhaps death. Many of the irresponsible parents were intoxicated and incapable of caring for young children. Some of the parents were so inebriated, they were literally bouncing off the walls! The hotel management should have contacted the local police department to stabilize the volatile situation.

The painting trip was adversely affected by the inappropriate behavior of the management of the Sierra Nevada Rodeway Inn. The artists were unable to get adequate sleep on the first night and were forced to sleep in the car, unprepared, in the wilderness on the second night. Bruce’s behavior to me and to the artists was reprehensible. Management’s lack of concern for the welfare of their many young guests was negligent and unprofessional. Finally, the refusal of the owner to comply with Choice International’s request to contact us is a sad commentary on customer service and the inconsiderate people that run the Sierra Nevada Rodeway Inn.

Although they routinely fail to do so, hotels have an obligation to provide a safe and peaceful atmosphere for their guests. In this case, the artists would have been well within their rights to call the police themselves.

The hotel responds

We recently received the following from Mr. Paul Payne, President, Sierra Nevada Rodeway Inn:

Please remove from Internet. Ms. B's letter is slanderous and hearsay as she was not a guest of the property. I will formalize my complaint with Choice Hotels' legal department and forward our actions if not removed immediately.

Besides his blustering threats, Mr. Payne included a copy of a much less hysterical letter to the Automobile Club of Southern California:

Ms. B. seems bent on discussing what she was told. It is the policy of the hotel to check out guest and end our relationship if our employees are subjected to verbal abuse from what appeared to be "Intoxicated Guest", however famous they may be in the minds of others. I spent over 20 years in the Art Business too.

My manager required a "physical" copy of a Credit Card for payment at check in, as the reservation was a confirmation only and did not offer a proper payment guarantee. It was downhill from there. As you know, we require an imprint of a Credit Card at check in or we get dinged by the Credit Card holder for an unauthorized transaction. Ms. Burket was not charged on her card, as her guarantee was not sufficient.

We have graciously refunded the guest fully and like AAA, some customers you value and some you do not. We apologized for the disturbance from others and concluded our business. It is unfortunate that the behavior of others causes so much unnecessary grieve.

The hotel was occupied by a very large School Sports Team and are valuable repeat customers and have been for many years. They were not out of control as described.

I have chosen not to get into a letter writing exchange with Ms. B. We concluded our business and discussions upon the departure of the guest. I do not respond to letters that attack the integrity of my employees or management that are malicious and maligning. We have a very good reputation in the Hotel industry, both as a property and as an ownership group.

As Choice Hotels "Inn of the Year" nominee in 2000, we are proud of our accomplishments. We value our relationship with AAA and the business provided by you and our benefits and services offered to its membership. We have enjoyed our AAA relationship since the mid 80's and look forward to our continuing mutual benefit.

P. Wayne Payne, CHA

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