***This review is also being posted at the Embassy Suites Hotel Austin North.
We reserved a king, non-smoking room for 3 nights in Austin due to the soccer tournament for the labor weekend. We were booked as a group going with our league at the Embassy.
When arriving at the hotel, we were told there are no more rooms available and that we had to stay in a smoking room.
Due to the fact that my children are allergic to smoking (I think all of us non-smokings are), I refused to have a smoking room. After going back and forth, they told us we have to go to another hotel because they are 15 rooms overbooked.
They tricked us into believe that if we agree to change to another hotel, considering all the trouble that we will have being apart of the team, they would pay for everything.
Since we have no other choice and it was 2 am in the morning, we left to go to Double Tree which they claimed is the same chain, same room type. They told us they would call us as soon as they have a room available which they doubted that would happen...
We were at Double tree hotel the next morning sleeping in due to the late night arrival, no phone calls whatsoever. Our coach from the Embassy Suites has to go over to Double Tree to pick up our son due to the fact that one of my other son is being sick and has an eye infection.
At 1:30pm, I went down to the lobby to take our son to the emergency room, I even asked the front desk person name Marcos (sp) to make sure we have our room reserved for another 2 nights because I overheard the maid said that our room was only for 1 night.
After we came back from the hospital at 5pm, Jennifer, who claimed to be the manager told us we have to go back to Embassy suites and that they will not pay for any of our stays if we stay here. I was very surprised and tried to call Embassy Suites, I talked to Gina who claimed she is from Tampa Florida, and they also I have to talk to the manager name Marcel. For over an hour , I have been waiting for Mr. Marcel from Embassy to call me back and also calling Jennifer, from Double Tree Hotel Manager to call me to let me know what is going on...NOONE returned my call. I even called the Customer Service Assistance line but they said they can not help me because their office is closed.
Then at around 6:30pm, I finally got a hold of Mr. Marcel. I asked him why he did not call me to let me know what's going on...he was very rude and told me he had been trying to call me ALL MORNING....to what number I wasn't sure but for sure I was in the room the ENTIRE MORNING and NOONE ever called me. Even the HOUSEKEEPING people could not clean my room until 1:30 pm because we wanted to be in our room and rest.
Mr. MARCEL also claimed that they had called to let us know they have a room nonsmoking for us at the Embassy Suites but since I refused to go back there, they had to canceled my reservation. That it is now the responsibility of Double Tree hotel to accommodate our stays and not Embassy anymore.
I told him I want my son to be with his team and is there anyway for us to move back there and he said NO then hung up the phone.
While back at the Double Tree, I have a hard time getting hold of MS. JENNIFER. I tried to call her many times from my room, I even asked the front desk person to page her because it is URGENT. But to no prevail...for about two hours.
Then at around 7:30pm, I couldn't wait for JENNIFER to call me anymore, I went down to the front desk and there she was. She told me I have to give them my credit card no. to pay for my stays.
I told her I can't because I should have been back to Embassy and asked her to call the Embassy for me. She then told me in front of all the guests that she can not do that and that I have to wait for her to help the other guests who just came in. I was very upset at her and I told her I want her to call Embassy now but she refused to do so. I told her I am refusing to pay for the room since she doesn't think that I am as important as her other guests.
After I came back to my room, Ms. JENNIFER called me and said she had just contacted the Embassy Suites and they have no room for us since I told her I don't want to go there. She had twisted the story around and my conclusion was that they wanted me to stay here to fill their vacancies room instead of trying to help the customers. She said I have to give her the credit card no. now or I would have to go somewhere else.
I then went down to their front desk, she told me I can talk to her manager (another manager) and since he is not at the hotel, she had to call him. His name is JAMES.
Another manager from Hilton, the Honors hotel chain, who claimed to be the world top class in service...they even have a hotel management school at the University of Houston and yet, another RUDE manager...I have ever talked to.
Without listening to my explanation of what has been going on, he jumped to the conclusion right away: "Mam, it is your problem with the Embassy Suites and NOT us...you have to pay or I will have to call the police to come and do whatever they have to do to make sure you are not returning to this property anymore."
I then told him: "You can't because I am not paying if I am not staying!" Unbelievable right???
Being a paralegal and also a restaurant owner, I know all the law and to think that a person can threaten me that way, I don't think so...I am so glad that I am a woman but still able to stand up for myself and not being afraid in a situation like this.
But after going back to my room, seeing my children are so exhausted and it is already 8:45 pm, I have to give up. I called down to give them my credit card no.
At 9:30pm, my son's coach came with my son, all of my trouble were gone because they came back with a winning game. ( His whole team now knows the kind of problem that I have been through. But before that, I did not want any of them to know my problem at the hotel since I do not my son to be interfered with his game. I had kept all this to myself.)
I thought I can find some sleep after being exhausted for the whole day, but my son's question struck me: "Mom, what did you and everyone have for dinner?" That was when I realized that none of us had anything to eat since we came back from 5:30 at the hospital.
I finally sit back and remember the whole situation and finally think clearly what has been going on and why it is that I was so upset at both hotels...
I came down to the front desk at 11:30PM. Ms. Jennifer was there. I asked if Mr. James , if another manager is here tonight and she said no. I told her this: "Now that my children are asleep, I finally have a time to come and talk to you about what happened today." She cut me off....and I was so mad I had to yell at her "STOP, let me talk."
"Look, you don't judge me from the way I look, because of me having 4 children. I am not a crooked or someone who tried to get some free nights. I currently own a restaurant and I have over 10 employees working for me. I taught each one of my employees that no matter where the customers are coming from, what nationality they are, what kind of clothes they wear, good looking or bad,...everyone has to be treated the same. Therefore, Ms. JENNIFER, for you to ignore my phone calls, for Mr. James to threatened me like that, it is just UNBELIEVABLE! "
She then went on and on and I told her the whole ordeal I have to put up with her, back and forth with the Embassy, I even have proof of all of the outgoing calls being made to the Embassy from my room, how can she claims that I do not want to move back to the Embassy where all of my son's team is there?
I was so upset and I almost cried in front of her...my children had nothing to eat this evening because of you.
Instead of a word: "SORRY, we will try to make things better for your stay....", she said "I don't want to talk to you anymore and left..."
At last, my stomach is roaring right now from not having anything to eat tonight. I am glad the children are sound asleep otherwise I don't know where or what to feed them...(since this hotel does not have a refrigerator as I thought they would be at the Embassy Suites).
For all of you out there, Be aware of the fact that there are many hotels out there now will OVERBOOKED you and you are in no GUARANTY that you have a non-smoking room upon your arrival.
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