We had a paid-in-full reservation, for a late arrival after a cross-country flight. We got to hotel at around midnight and the guy manning the desk said “I can’t check you in. Our system is down.” Um. He gestures toward the tablet and says “I can’t access anything. I can‘t even see if you have a reservation.” Then adds the completely unneccessary: “Anyway, it’s after midnight. If you aren’t here by then we cancel your reservation.” Ummmm. I walk out, pull up my reservation, the Paid in Full, the note about late arrival and walk back in, show him, say, Room’s paid for and so? He says “I can’t do anything. Maybe in 30 minutes after this charges.” Uh, what?? This is a major chain and you have no other ideas how to handle this? No alternate solutions? Call corporate? He offered nothing. We left at 12:45 and went to another Motel 6, paid for another room and had an awful night’s sleep in a non-smoking room that absolutely REEKED of smoke (and now so do we), long line of cigarette burns along the edge of the bathtub.
I have been staying in budget motels for decades while driving long stretches across the country. I don’t expect amazing rooms or service. But do I expect a clean, available room, especially when I have paid for it in advance, no matter what time I get to the motel? Yeah. Yeah, I do. Bare minimum, folks. Never again. And now I have to spend more of my precious time trying to get the refund owed me.