I attach a copy of a letter I sent to the 'customers service' manager 12 days ago - by email and by post. I never received a reply. The letter speaks for itself. I paid $364 dollars for 9/10 December night (one night) in which I underwent the experiences I describe below. Judge for yourself.
Mr. ****
Director of Guest Services
Fairfax at Embassy Row
Complaint re noise, disruption, poor service at the Fairfax at Embassy Row
11 December 2008
Dear Mr. ****
I stayed stayed with my husband at the Fairfax for 2 nights 5-7 December 2008 and the night of Tuesday 9 December.
First I want to say that the individual staff we met were, without exception, courteous and helpful. Despite this we had several problems at the hotel to the extent that I regret staying there, especially on 9 December. I am very unlikely to stay there again or to recommend it to anyone.
9 December/ 10 December
We came in from New York at about 10pm that night. We immediately went out to Dupont Circle to eat and were back in the room around midnight. We had to be up at 05.45 to get to Dulles to fly to the UK. In other words we were paying $365 to have a good night’s sleep before we travelled. The issue was that the boiler was unbelievably noisy and the noise could not be stopped. The noise went on and on even after we had turned off the heating (Washington was then in a cold snap so the temperature was below freezing outside). After about an hour trying to sleep we phone your house manager who could only suggest that we moved room as there was nothing he could do about the boiler noise. So at 01.30 we had to get dressed, get repacked and move to another room after one had been found. We had then (by 02.00) less than 3 and a half hours left to get some sleep. Given the serious disruption, of course we both ended up with no sleep at all. I have the following specific questions.
1. Why did you rent the room out knowing how noisy it was?
2. Your staff had on record the previous problems we had had at your hotel on 5-7 December. Why did you then put us in a room where the problems were even worse?
3. I do not think that you can be said to offer anywhere near what would be expected from even a basic bed and breakfast i.e. an uninterrupted night’s sleep. I do not think we should be charged for this night. Could you please assure me that you are not going to charge – or if you have already done so, that you refund my credit card.
5-7 December/ 10 December
1. On both days we were there, we came back from a day out in the evening to find no turndown service. The room was not therefore replenished with towels and the bed not tidied up (or the room).
2. The first day I called your guest services and they told me there should be a turn down service, they apologized that it didn’t take place and it said it would take place the next day. It didn’t
3. There was an empty hanger left in the bathroom on the back of the door but no robes provided on either day.
4. On the first night we had to call the night manager as when we got into bed we found that the bed had been made with sheets far too small for the bed (they didn’t cover the mattress); a mattress cover too small; and the duvet had been put on the bed without a duvet cover. This meant that the sheets were riding up and coming off the bed and the mattress cover was bunching up in the middle of the bed under the too small bottom sheet. The night manager had to find sheets, a mattress cover, a duvet cover and make up the bed – around midnight. We had to get dressed (after both of us had had long flights) and wait while it was all sorted out- thus causing the first of the major disruptions we had at your hotel.
5. The second night the message light was flashing on both phones in the room and yet the phone message system repeatedly informed me there were no messages. I phoned down to the desk and they told me they couldn’t stop the lights flashing, even though there were no messages, short of sending up security. As we were both in bed and couldn’t face getting dressed and having yet another disruption, we pulled the telephone plug out of the socket to stop the flashing lights in the room. The next day I was told by Tony (the day manager) who was very helpful that in fact there had been a message. I presume this was from a work colleague but as I never received it, I will never know.
5. Throughout the whole of the stay in this room, the boiler was very noisy but intermittently so. We just put up with it.
You will now that the manager (Tony) gave us some compensation for the problems faced on 5-7 December which was appreciated. I probably wouldn’t even be writing this letter if it hadn’t been for the absolutely dreadful experience we had had on 9 December which indicates to me that there are real management issues here and that our experience the first time was not merely a ‘one off’. It seems to me that, despite your renovations, the structural problems (the extraordinarily noisy boiler system) and the housekeeping service (almost nonexistent) means that you should not be operating as a hotel at the moment.
I would appreciate your feedback on the above. As at present I cannot see any reason not to post the whole of the above on trip advisor, expedia, laterooms, lastminute.com, hotels.com, to warn potential visitors that they should not expect the basics at your hotel i.e. an uninterrupted night’s sleep and room and bed made up properly.
[No reply two weeks later not even an acknowldgement but $364 taken from my credit card for one night] - hence the posting
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