Travel Nightmare: Worst Hotel Hospitality EVER!

I WOULD NOT HAVE BELIEVED THAT THIS WOULD HAPPEN UNTIL IT HAPPENED TO ME!!

Ya'll...

First of all, I was in Atlanta. (Surprise, surprise)

Second, I pride myself in being optimistic and looking for the good in EVERY situation. If I have a poor experience, I usually keep it to myself, take a mental note, and never support an establishment in the future. But this...I have to share.

It's story time...

If you don't know already, I live in Gainesville, Florida. Me, my mom, and Kassidy decided to ride to Atlanta to meet up with family for a birthday dinner. It's approximately 4 hours away. With inevitable traffic, it took us 5 hours. I used a third-party site to book and pre-paid for the room. Check-in is at 3:00 p.m. We arrived at the hotel at 4:00 p.m, perfect timing, the usual check-in crowd should have died down by now right?!

Let's paint the picture.

There was a line from the front desk that overflowed into the lobby. One person checking people in. An angry woman standing at the counter. 10 people waiting with their families in tow. Naturally, I thought the woman at the desk was being difficult and heckling the staff. Until everyone appeared to be angry. After many people seceded from the line, we made it to the counter at 4:20. We discovered the problem. THE ROOMS THAT WE PRE-PAID FOR WERE NOT AVAILABLE. Now, I'd like to direct your attention to the lovely review I left before we continue.

Ok, now. Much of what occurred was left out of the review due to character limits and I wanted to speak privately with someone about my experience. But I will proceed with what happened next...

The young lady at the front desk explained that our room was not ready and she had no idea as to when it would be available. She went on to tell me that if I wanted a refund, I had to consult the third-party who facilitated the reservation. After asking for her supervisor, she acknowledged who the General Manager was I politely exited the line to allow her to possibly assist the next guest more than she was able to assist me.

I saw the General Manager and respectfully said "Excuse me, I would like to speak with you, their appears to be a problem with my reservation." SHE PUT HER HAND IN MY FACE (so close I could have kissed it) and told me "I can't deal with you right now."

I think my head spun around, but I kept calm. I followed her to the front desk and she kept calling "NEXT" as if I wasn't standing in front of her. I did not swear, I didn't raise my voice, I just wanted a room or to be reimbursed so I could go elsewhere. Fast forward an hour, I had to threaten her with law enforcement involvement and then she took it upon herself to clean a room for us. You would have thought I was some random person off of the street begging for a place to stay for the night.

What surprised me the most was the fact that someone so abrasive and who lacked basic communication skills was entrusted with the task of running a hotel. I was so disappointed. I maintained my composure [insert blushing emoji x 3] although an abrasive interaction with these hands had been rightfully earned. She tried to apologize the next morning, but her actions were inexcusable in my eyes, she also gave us a $50 gift card "for our trouble." She blamed the mishap on late check-outs (12 o'clock in the afternoon) which has absolutely nothing to do with me. I think her gesture was out of fear of me reporting her to corporate.

This is how InterContinental Hotels Group responded:

The private email was a link to a survey. I was also asked if I wanted to be contacted by a District Manager, I said yes. I'm still waiting on that phone call....

Moral of the story:

Book a room at the Holiday Inn at Camp Creek with extreme caution. I recommend just about anywhere but here. But if you stay here...their sundries are from Bath & Body Works, take them, you paid for them, and enjoy complimentary breakfast.

So far, this is definitely the WORST experience I've had. Never again. I still can't believe it. For the reasons stated above, I have not stayed at an IHG property since then. We're staying at a Kimpton boutique hotel in Salt Lake City, I'll let you guys know how that goes.

What was the worst travel experience you've ever had?

#hotelreview #travelnightmare #travelblog #2girls #2gatw