I can't even think of a pithy title...
Written: Oct 03 '09 (Updated Dec 08 '09)
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| SLOW's Full Review: Best Western Biltmore Plaza, Belize City |
From an e-mail I sent to Best Western Customer Service:
Since the moment we arrived, we have been disappointed with the level of service at this hotel. First, our room was not ready (granted, we arrived before check-in), so we were asked to wait for "a while." We were not given a room until after regular check-in time. Then, we were given a room other than we had reserved (we reserved two queens, and got a king). We had to ask three times for a TV remote control. Our airconditioner does not work properly, and leaks all over the floor. Our Internet connectivity is intermittent at best (and the in-room wireless capability was one of the reasons we chose this facility). Each person we have spoken with about these problems has been surly and less than helpful ("Oh, that's just the way it is," we have been told, about three different complaints). This was supposed to be a special trip (a birthday celebration) for us, and it's turning out miserably thus far. I am amazed and truly disappointed in Best Western, a name we trust.
They responded promptly. The hotel management repsonded, as well, and tried to apologize. Then I had to send another e-mail:
I have not had the time, nor the inclination, to respond to this e-mail earlier, and for that I apologize. But we were NOT satisfied with the efforts the hotel took to resolve our dissatisfaction. Indeed, those efforts only exacerbated our opinion of the facility to a great extent. For instance, we were given a gratis credit for dinner for two in the hotel restaurant. We exercised that option the very evening it was offered...and we ordered the two most expensive entrees on the menu. Not that we wanted to do so-- it was not an effort to try to recoup some of the cost of the hotel room. No. In fact, we were forced to order those two entrees, because our first choice was not available. Our second choice was not available. In fact, a good 50% of the entrees were not available. Which brings to mind two things: 1) why the menu (a simple computer-printed sheet), might not be updated each with the fare that IS available and 2) why the waiter did not inform us which entrees were not available BEFORE we make our decisions and ordered.
Add to this my frustration on our final day, when, once again, our Internet service was not functioning. Once again, I called down to the front desk, and asked them when service would resume; I was told they did not know, but that I could come down and use the connection in the lobby. Then, a few minutes later, there was a knock on our door-- even though I had put the Do Not Disturb sign on the door...it was a member of the staff telling me I could use the Internet in the lobby. Twenty minutes later, another knock (the sign was STILL on the doorknob), and a member of the staff asked me if my connection was working (it wasn't). Twenty minutes later, ANOTHER KNOCK with the sign STILL on the door. This was the Internet contractor, telling me that they were working on the network, and the router that served our side of the hotel would not be working the rest of the day, but that I could go and use the one by the pool. Now, there was nobody at the pool. Nobody at the pool, so nobody was using the network there. They knew I wanted to use the connection. Why couldn't they have started upgrading the network by working on the router that served the pool area, THEN worked on the one that served our room? We were checking out that day-- I wanted the connection for another two hours, max. That should have been simple.
Look, the Internet connection is a specific reason I chose this hotel. If I had been told that its function was intermittent, or prone to difficulty, or that it was not available in the room (and only in the lobby), I could have made an informed decision. We don't usually go on vacation to use the Internet, but my girlfriend suffered some back pain from the day we arrived, which severely limited our mobility, so a great deal of our time was spent in the room. That shouldn't matter: if a service is advertised, it should be available.
We were really disappointed with our visit to that location, and it was something I spent a great deal of effort planning. I know that we will NOT be using Best Western for our next foreign travel...and we might not use it domestically, either; some of our recent experiences in Stateside Best Westerns were likewise disappointing. This is a shame: this used to a brand we trusted and respected, and used whenever possible. There is just far too much variance in the level of quality, the location, and the overall "feel" of your facilities for us to rely on the label any longer.
Thank you very much for your time,
- Ben Malisow
They responded again, this time with a gift certificate. I don't think it will change our new opinion of the Best Western brand, but we'll give them one more chance.
If you dug this review, you might like my books, which you can find on Amazon, by typing "Ben Malisow" into the search bar. Enjoy!
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Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
SLOW
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Member: Ben Malisow
Location: Vegas
Reviews written: 119
Trusted by: 124 members
About Me:
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