Not much of a Holiday
29th May 2009 |
Mr. Andrew Coslett
Chief Executive Officer
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC
Broadwater Park
Denham
Buckinghamshire UB9 5HR
United Kingdom
Dear Mr. Coslett:
On Friday, 22 May 2009, my uncle passed away unexpectedly. As you might expect, many of my family members traveled to his funeral, in Newark, NJ.
My cousin and I both decided to stay overnight nearby, since we would have to drive in excess of an hour to go home between the wake and the funeral. We selected the Holiday Inn Newark International Airport, a mere 1.4 miles from my aunt’s home, since my cousin and his wife had stayed there previously.
I booked two rooms, described online and in the email confirmation (copy enclosed) as “1 KING BED W SOFABED NONSMOKING,” at a rate of $59 plus tax each, for the night of 26 May 2009.
On 26 May 2009, my cousin called and spoke with the front desk staff to confirm our rooms, since we knew we would be checking in rather late. In fact, we ended up checking in after 11 PM, and that’s when the problems began.
We were given adjoining rooms, which was wonderful! Unfortunately, they were both configured with two double beds, which don’t accommodate my cousin and his wife well, since they are both quite tall. Additionally, they are not what I reserved, and not what Holiday Inn confirmed.
I spoke with Freddie at the front desk, who told me there was nothing he could or would do. I asked to speak with the manager, and he told me he wasn’t available but that he would have him call me when he came back. When I pressed the issue, he told me if I had a problem, I should just deal with Holiday Inn’s corporate offices.
On my way back to my room, I encountered another hotel employee. I asked him if he was the manager, and he told me he was not, but offered to call him for me. He immediately called him on his mobile phone, and asked me to wait at the front desk for him.
I waited about ten minutes for Shakespeare, the manager on duty. (He later shared that he’d been in the bathroom, which was really more information than I needed. But I digress.) He told me that there were no king bed rooms available because of the holiday weekend, despite the fact that I had reserved and confirmed two of them. He finally offered to discount the rate by $5 per room, or to move me to the Crowne Plaza Hotel for the same rate. Due to the late hour (it was nearly midnight by this time), I declined to move at that time, since we needed to check out by 7:30 AM in order to arrive on time for the funeral. Shakespeare did not discount the room rate or make any further accommodation for my inconvenience.
Moreover, upon checking out, we discovered that we had been charged an additional $30 plus tax for overnight parking; this fee was not disclosed at any time during the reservation or check-in processes. The front desk “validated” the parking tickets, which would lead me to believe that the parking would be free or at least reduced in cost.
I feel that InterContinental Hotels Group and Holiday Inn have failed to meet two of their own “promises” and guarantees. Specifically:
Holiday Inn Hospitality Promise
Making your stay a complete success is our goal. Just let our Manager on Duty or front desk staff know if any part of your stay isn’t satisfactory. We promise to make it right or you won’t pay for that part of your stay.
Based on your Hospitality Promise, because I wasn’t satisfied with the room I was given, I should not have had to pay for it.
Online Reservation Guarantee
By securing your online reservation with a credit card, you are eligible for our Reservations Guarantee. If your reservation cannot be honored, the host hotel will provide a room at, and transportation to, another convenient and comparable hotel, and pay for telephone calls to notify family of the lodging change. The host hotel will also pay the full cost of the first night’s lodging rate, plus tax. Any advance deposit will be refunded.
Moreover, because I booked my reservation online and secured it with a credit card, I believe I am eligible for the provisions of the Online Reservation Guarantee. Shakespeare did not offer to transport me and my family at no cost, and did not offer to pay the full cost of the lodging at the Crowne Plaza. He should have done that, and his failure to do so must be remedied by InterContinental Hotels Group PLC.
My cousin paid the final bill with his credit card. Please contact me at your earliest convenience to arrange for the full reimbursement of our bill, or we will pursue a chargeback and file complaints with the appropriate government agencies.