I really wanted to write a fantastic review and recognize an employee for exceptional service, however, it just didn’t go that way. We were attending a family funeral in NH and needed to fly in to Logan very early in the morning. Our plan was to rent a car and drive to Nashua so that we could shower and change before the 10 am funeral. I was aware that normal check in hours would not accommodate this plan, so I started making calls. First hotel wouldn’t even consider helping us out and stated that they charge $50 for an early check in but cannot guarantee us a room. So that was a no-go. So I called Courtyard Marriot and spoke to Renee. Well, Renee was very understanding of our circumstances and said yes, we will have a room for you and there is no charge for an early check in. I was booking with credit card points so she said to call her back after I made the reservation. I did as she asked and gave her my reservation number. She said that she was putting a note in my reservation and not to worry, they’ll have a room for us. Fantastic! I was so relieved to know that this hotel would accommodate us at a very stressful time. As we were driving from the airport to Nashua, I decided to call and let them know we would be arriving soon and that time was limited for us to get ready. The woman who answered the phone on the morning of June 7, 2023 at 8:30 am was less than accommodating. She was short with me and stayed “we do not have a room for you”. What?? I explained our situation and my prior conversation with Renee and she stated “I know Renee, I work with her and we cannot guarantee a room for early check in, we are completely booked up. You can check back at 12:00. The funeral was at 10, and we were left to scramble to find a place to get ready. I was distraught. I was truly hoping that your establishment would deliver us excellent customer service and that is not what we got. We still planned to stay overnight that night but wouldn’t be arriving back at the hotel until late that evening after a day of family events related to the funeral service. So I called and spoke to confirm that we have a room and that we would be arriving late. The male I spoke with at 6 pm asked, “what time?” I stated that I did lot know the specific time but will this be a problem? He paused and said maybe. What?? We have a reservation! Will you have our room available for us? He asked me to hold on. What am I waiting for, as I hear him typing in the background? He said “I started the pre check in for you and we should have a room for you.” Should?? Can you just say “yes, your room will be waiting for your arrival”?? We did not appreciate this stress placed upon us on a very emotional day. We did have a room when we arrived late at night and the room was fine. I hope that in the future, customer service becomes a focus in the travel industry again, especially n extenuating circumstances. A little kindness and reassurance goes a long way.
