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Saturday, August 22

Open Letter to Sheraton Hotels

Dear Sheraton,

I would just like to thank you for a wonderful experience at one of your Four Points by Sheraton locations in Toronto. On the night of August ninth my husband, baby, and I missed a flight due to a medical emergency {which ended up being not so big of an emergency, but that doesn’t change the fact that we missed our plane}. After a long, hard day of traveling via plane and ambulance we needed a place to stay until we could fly to our destination. Our airline directed us to you.

The very helpful woman on the reservations line got us a room with a queen-sized bed and a crib at the Four Points hotel near the airport. And since she didn’t tell us that there are, in fact two Four Points hotels near the airport we went to the wrong one. But that’s OK. Even though we live on a student budget we love spending money on cab fare. Really. What’s more exciting than spending a paltry $50 to ride through some of the most inclement weather we’ve ever seen? It was almost like going to the amusement park and riding a roller coaster {except that people are a lot less likely to die on a roller coaster…so really we were getting more thrills for our money}!

Upon arrival at the correct hotel the gentleman checking us in informed us that there were no cribs available for us. But that’s probably a good thing. My baby really enjoys being free to crawl and stand in a safe place and frankly, I don’t want her to get spoiled. It’ll toughen her up if she has an opportunity to stick her fingers in electrical sockets or cut herself on the broken mirror you provided in our room.

Vacation plus 011a

When we got up to our room I was very impressed. I just love that “hotel style.” This room was especially nice. It wasn’t cluttered up with useless junk like a mini-fridge or microwave. And that bed! Wow! I’ve never seen a queen-sized bed that was the same size as a double. You must have them custom-made! Or, perhaps they’re a rare, vintage model? Either way, it was awesome. Typically I prefer lots of space for co-sleeping so it’s safer. But what the heck, let’s snuggle! Snuggling up was even more fun since the room was so warm and humid. It was like being on a jungle camp-out.

The helpful hotel information packet provided in our room indicated that room service is available daily until 11:00 pm. What a lifesaver! In all the hustle and bustle of going to the hospital we hadn’t had a chance to eat a meal since breakfast. But somebody must have switched out the information packets with fraudulent ones {I suspect a disgruntled maid} because room service isn’t really available every day until 11:00, except for people ordering drinks. And while I’d usually love to down an entire bottle of wine on an empty stomach when I’m not feeling well, since I’m a breastfeeding mom that might not be the best idea ever. But if I weren’t nursing I’d totally be all over that! And kudos to you for not flexing the rules. Just because a customer misses the kitchen closing time by 5 minutes is no reason to coddle them. You know what they say, “almost” only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. We ended up ordering a crappy, greasy pizza instead. Serves us right for being so presumptuous.

I was a wee bit disappointed that our $120 per night room didn’t include a free, continental breakfast. But paying $7 for a small bowl of oatmeal and a small glass of grapefruit juice doesn’t bother me when I get a free bottle of water in my room! I mean, I could just use the plastic cups and drink tap water but pfft! That’s not nearly as ritzy. Besides, I deserve to be pampered. The environmental impacts of bottled water be damned!

Vacation plus 012 Vacation plus 013

{It says “It’s water. Of course it’s free.”}

In closing I just want to again say “thank you.” You provided an excellent experience. While it’s true that I’ve paid less for hotel rooms with free breakfasts, larger beds, etc.and I even paid less for the bridal suite on my honeymoon {which included a big, jetted tub} your helpful employees and stellar accommodations are worth the extra strain on my already troubled wallet. You can rest assured that next time I have a freak medical incident that leaves me stuck in Toronto for the night and the Four Points hotel by Sheraton is the my only option I will so be staying there again! Keep up the good work!


{Sheraton Responds!}

siggy

16 Stubborn Stains:

Mommy Bear said...

I love this post! Very creative. I will have to keep this in mind the next time I am looking for a hotel.

Anonymous said...

This post ROCKS!!!!!!!!! You definitely got your moneys worth. If I ever plan on going to Canada, I'm going to need to stay there for sure!!

Nancy@ifevolutionworks.com said...

So negative stars for them, huh?

Amy said...

What a mess. I enjoyed reading this post. Happy Sharefest from SITS. Have a great day...

Sarah Brown said...

You had quite an experience!!!

Happy Saturday Sharefest!

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Please stop by and check out a few of my favorite things!!!

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P.S. I have a couple of great giveaways going on right now!=)

Rita Templeton said...

Wow - what a disaster! I hate paying an arm and a leg for a mediocre-at-best hotel ... and I would DEFINITELY expect more from a Sheraton!

Are you really gonna send this to them? Maybe you'd at least get a free (and hopefully less craptastic) night! :)

Crystal HW said...

LOL!! I would TOTALLY send this to them. It is rediculous what happened and how much they charged for that.

Holly @ Domestic Dork said...

Yeah, we're planning on sending them a copy. It'll be interesting to see what they do.

Chanda the Eco-Cheap Mom said...

I'd definitely send this to them. Perhaps you could get a refund...or another bottle of water. LOL!

Sorry you had such a bad experience, but thankfully you are okay!

Anonymous said...

I would NEVER pay that much at a hotel that didn't offer breakfast and didn't have a king-size bed. That sucks!

S3XinthePantry said...

Oh, sounds like everything went wrong! Sorry you missed your plane, but glad the emergency was okay!

Sara said...

Isn't it magical when big corporations like that still remember to go the extra mile for their customers? Mmm, just like Wal-Mart.

God bless us, every one!

boatbaby said...

You should start a business writing letters for people with bad corporate experiences - this rocks! Do post what they say if they respond!

Denise @ Sunflowers, Chocolate and Little Boys said...

So funny! but I am sorry that you had to experience all that crap.
BTW...I just found you and love love love the dust bunnies! So cute!!

Natalie Blais said...

Go to the next level. I wouldn't accept a paltry..."sorry we suck, better luck next time" I would be contacting Sheraton Corporate and asking for either a refund, free night at that specific hotel or a free night at any sheraton hotel. I would also advise them you have a large following on your blog and on your twitter and you will be posting the crap service, room and experience. Sometimes it takes a squeaky wheel...believe me...I am in Aviation.

PotatoChef said...

This story kind of reminds me of a "5 star" hotel my wife and I stayed at in Long Beach, CA while waiting for our cruise ship to set sail.

I think, actually I'm pretty sure, that they must have switched to a 25 star system. I'm saying that because if our hotel was a "5 star" hotel, I can't possibly imagine what a 3 star hotel must be like.

Just a short quip about the $950 a day balcony room on the cruise ship. WTF???? Cruise ships have given new meaning to promising the world and delivering as little as humanly possible.

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