Welcome to the Remington Suites. Thank you for choosing first class. I think not.
Written: Jul 16 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Location
Cons: Cleanliness, Management Attentiveness, Price
The Bottom Line: Find someplace that cares about the customer.
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| kccolt's Full Review: Shreveport |
We have made a habit at staying at boutique/independent hotels for a number of years finding that the personalized services, unique rooms and the warmth and comfort that management shows for the lodgers is often worth the premium price paid to stay at these hotels. We found the Remington Suites via an internet search and upon visiting their web site and calling to make inquiries about rates and location to book a suite for March 14-16, 2004. We arrived early into Shreveport, around 12pm and located the hotel and inquired if there would be any chance to check in early. We were informed that would be impossible and that the room would not be ready prior to the set check-in time of 3pm. The check-in with Nancy was speedy and efficient.
When we found our room (Suite #20) we were pleased with the size of the room but from that moment on we began to find major flaws in cleanliness, lack of routine maintenance and poor amenities. We found mold on the ceiling of the bathroom, missing handles on the shower, a plastic cover over some water damage on the ceiling, but the most glaring problem was apparent when the mirror lights were turned on and incredible heat was emitted by the six 100 watt light bulbs placed above the mirror. The lights gave off enough heat to warm the entire room and had caused the paint to crack and peel above them and could best be described as a major fire hazard. Also, during our initial walk through of the suite we found the television in the sitting room armoire be too incredibly small (13 inches) for the room. Probably the most disappointing discovery was that what appeared to be a window in the bedroom looked directly into a wall a few feet away and into another room which we would later discover was the pool.
After some unpacking and freshening up I toured the rest of the hotel. It seemed that at nearly every corner I found maintenance equipment, i.e., ladders, buckets, etc. stashed away. During my unguided tour I found the fitness room and pool, both of which lacked basic cleanliness with the pool having what appeared to be a dusting of black dirt on the bottom. Locker rooms adjoined the fitness area and were odiferous to say the least. A large Jacuzzi tub was located in the corner of the room and had a few inches of water remaining in it that seemed to be the primary location for the smell that permeated the room. A closet door standing open held a juice machine and clothes still littered the area though most had likely not been worn in quite some time.
I inquired at the front desk about some of the room issues and was informed that housekeeping was gone for the day and I should address those matters in the morning and that only a couple of the rooms in the entire hotel had true windows that looked outside or were not frosted over to hide a poor view of an alley.
Later in the evening while in our room we heard a great deal of thumping and bumping that we assumed was another guest checking-in. When the noise continued for 10 or 15 minutes I looked outside room to see what could be causing the racket. I could find nothing on our floor so I used the stairs and found the floor above us had an open deck and four racquetball courts, one of which was currently in use. This noise continued until after 10 pm.
In the morning we came down for the continental breakfast and found it lacking in choices, quality and general appeal. It included a selection of wrapped Otis Spunkmeyer muffins and juice. The juice dispenser only had apple juice to dispense while the orange juice side was completely empty. No coffee was in the thermal dispenser nor was hot water available for tea. I inquired at the front desk and the gentleman working was able to provide us some orange juice of the variety used to stock the mini bar and did eventually find some hot water for tea.
At this point I had taken all that I could and made a list of problems and brought them to the gentleman’s attention. He was very apologetic and seemed genuinely concerned about our issues. I spent more than15 minutes discussing them with him. He said that the manager was not in yet but he would set up a meeting with her and that I should check back in with him later in the morning. I did this and he said that the manager would not be available until 4:30 and that I could come down and speak with her then.
We tailored our plans that day around making it back to the hotel for the aforementioned meeting and returned to the hotel by 4pm and were waiting at the front desk at 4:25 to speak to the manager. When I talked to the person at the front desk about meeting the manager he asked if I had made an appointment at which I replied I believe that I had even though I cannot believe that an appointment should be necessary to speak to the manager. At this time Tim, who identified himself as the bellman, can out of the office and asked also if I had made an appointment. Following the same reply as before, Tim entered the office and returned saying the manager was busy and had to leave soon. I then witnessed a woman that I can only assume was the manager leave the office and rush for the door and leave the hotel.
Tim made an effort to fix some of the problems, blaming most of the issues on not being able to find good help for the housekeeping part of the staff. He took shower handles from another room and replaced ours. He put 52 watt bulbs in above the mirror which greatly improved the safety, yet was still probably beyond the rated capacity. He suggested that I make an appointment with the manager for tomorrow afternoon. Everyone at the hotel seemed to have no understanding of the fact that as a paying customer the manager should make time in her schedule to see me at my convenience, not her convenience.
We attempted to call some of the other local hotels and found that they were booked and could not accommodate us for the days that we needed. Thus, we were resigned to spend two more nights in the hotel.
On the morning of our check out I once again toured the hotel and this timed armed with a camera and took pictures of the maintenance equipment and many of the glaring health and cleanliness issues in the dining area. Nancy, the woman who had checked us in and whose hospitality over the phone enticed to us stay at the Remington, was rightfully alarmed by my actions. She also suggested that I see the manager but stated that the manager would not be in the building prior to our leaving.
In closing I would say save your money, possibly save your health, stay some where cheap and clean quiet far away from the Remington Suites of Shreveport. I have never written a negative review of a hotel, but this hotel for $125.00 a night warranted it by being one of the worst lodging experiences I have ever encountered.
Recommended:
No
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Never
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Epinions.com ID:
kccolt
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Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 0 members
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