"Reservation wrong; staff inadquate."
Overall score2.0/ 5
I had made a reservation for a first floor, handicap room since my wife has an injured foot and has difficulty walking (confirmation# 17873928). Here is what happened. 1. We were given room 401, on the top floor, the room farthest from the elevator. When I explained that I had reserved a first floor handicap room because of my wife's injured foot, after much discussion with the desk clerk and manager (who had to be reached by phone), I was told that no handicap room on the first floor was available and further, the person on the reservation line has no knowledge of what rooms are available and therefore the hotel staff were not responsible. The desk clerk offered to put us into a non handicap room on the 2nd floor, but I did not see the benefit at that time, as I hoped the upper floor room would be a little bit quieter. 2. When we arrived at room 401, we found that the telephone did not work, the bathroom faucet was broken and the alarm clock would not plug into the wall receptacle, as there appeared to be something blocking the plug. 3. After two trips back down to the front desk (we couldn't call since the room phone would not work), one by my wife (limping painfully while I was in the shower) and another by me after my wife returned to the room, we were approved by the manager for a "suite" on the 2nd floor, room 221. Incidentally, I attempted to call from my cell phone to avoid another trip to the front desk, but I kept getting the reservation line. When the reservation person tried transferring me to the front desk, no one answered. When I arrived at the front desk, the desk clerk was no where to be found. After waiting about 10 minutes, she finally came in from outside, talking to someone on her cell phone. After a long discussion with her and finally getting the manager back on the phone, we were moved to room 221. 4. Room 221, it turns out, was farthest away from the elevator in the opposite direction, again causing a slow, painful walk by my wife. 5. While room 221, the suite, was spacious and well appointed, with a shower and garden tub, it had a few shortcomings the hot water in the sink ran at a slow trickle; the hot water in the shower took a long time to heat up and had low pressure and there was only one bedside lamp. 6. My wife called the front desk to ask whether another bedside lamp could be brought up and the desk clerk said she would see about finding one and bringing it up. About a half hour later, we heard a knock on the door. Expecting it to be the desk clerk with the lamp, I answered the door. To my surprise, standing before me were two City of Baxley police officers. 7. The police officers informed me that the desk clerk had called them and reported that we had a complaint. They asked if everything was Okay and wanted to know if they could do anything to help. I said we were fine and I was surprised that the desk clerk had called them. They wanted to know what had happened. I explained to them essentially what I have recounted here, but in a more summarized form and they said that this was not a criminal matter and that the hotel would have to make it right with us. They wished us a good night and went on their way. We never received the bedside table lamp. We have stayed at this Sleep Inn several times over the last year or two since it opened in Baxley. Our initial experiences were very positive the hotel was in great shape and the staff were helpful and knowledgeable. The last couple of experiences have been unsatisfactory. It seems the hotel is not being maintained as well; but more than anything, the staff does not seem to be competent or trained to handle issues that arise. In addition, if the reservation system does not allow the person taking the reservation to see what rooms are available, that is a major problem for people with special needs. Also, is it the hotel's policy to call the police on guests when the hotel system makes a mistake on the reservation and the guests complain? The young lady working at the desk especially seemed totally unprepared and incapable of handling the responsibilities. While she seemed to have a sweet demeanor, she was lost as to how to handle the incorrect reservation situation and could only repeat over and over, "I didn't make the reservation." It seems there are some significant shortcomings in the hotel booking system if the reservation taker cannot see the rooms available. In addition, the staff needs to be better trained for handling issues. In the future, before booking ANY Sleep Inn and especially this one in Baxley, we will explore every possible alternative.
James V. (Individual traveller, booked 1 room), from
10-May-2021 Verified review, stayed from Sat May 08 to Sun May 09 2021 at a $123.99 average nightly rate.