Consumer Alert-I'm done w/Quality Inn Hotels

[Spike]

Michelle and I took a room with this hotel on the 15th.

To make a long story short, the hotel said their housekeepers asserted we were smoking in the room and they have charged us over $100.00.  They were quite brand specific about the smoke too.  I don't know if that's what happens when the hotel fills up with Dead fans but they were dead wrong about us.  We never smoked in the room.  The charge was removed after our initial protest but "re-appeared" a week later.  How sleazy is THAT?

None of us need these headaches in our travel.  Next time you book a room, I suggest you stay the heck away from Quality Inn.

Apparently, these Quality Inn housekeepers don't know the difference between a burnt hair in a blowdryer and the sweet smell of cannabis.  Maybe they need better training.  The actions of the management here appear to be, in my exprience and opinion, more of a hustle than anything else.  Ask for a non-smoking room, sign for it, don't smoke then get charged for breaking the law???  Sherrif Taylor wouldn't do that.  In fact, after speeding out of Wenatchee the following day, the sherrif didn't write me a ticket after I recounted that part of our stay in The Evergreen State.  Nice guy.

I'm a huge fan of Comfort Inns.  Owned by the same company as Quality Inn, Choice Hotels International, I'm hoping the Quality experience is just inept management unique to Quality Inn.  I'll keep our readers posted.

[Sea Weed]

Lucky you most Californians get tickets in Pac northwest. Mabe we all should copy and paste your complaint to them and let them know how many of us there are .

[Spike]

I wouldn't want to instigate that Sea Weed but thanks for the support.   When I ask readers to dedicate time, it's going to be on The Fishery Issues Forum.

I feel that in this day and age, the online venue allows for honest, factual  communication.  My position in this outdoor section is pretty much about making referrals that are both yea and nay. 

We're all little guys so it makes me wonder...if this isn't an isolated incident, how many thousands of dollars are honest customers being charged by Quality Inns?  As an outdoor writer who travels a lot with a mate who wouldn't let me cut a doob in the room in this lifetime, we feel this is plain corporate thievery. 

With more experience publishing online than most, I feel that instead of calling for boycots of Quality Inn, posting on hotel review sites and other actions that I don't support (the way Michelle does), this type of venue is more responsible and online with my personal (online) credibility as a publisher.  My position is always the same...maybe something good will come of our referrals. 

[jscott]

I had a bad experience with Quality Inn as well.  I had set up some rooms for work for people traveling into town.  One person stayed in a room and forgot to check out.  I explained I needed the receipt to pay through it with work, and she went back to the hotel.  The receipt had a towel charge....she asked about it and they said she had damaged some towels with stained makeup or something.  She said they were wrong-- and said if we had to pay for the towel, we wanted to see the towel.  They could not produce the towel.  I later complained to the corporate office, only to find that as this is a franchise operation, only the franchise mgmt could help me....and that they were not (any help, that is!).  Could not get money reimbursed, could not get proof of damaged towels....so I won't stay in the quality inn in laguna hills. 

[Spike]

I went to remove the topic and read through it again.  It really does boil down to the individual establishment.  There are lots of blogs for hotels I now read when making reservations to a new place.  I just found a well known place in San Fran that has a recent history of BEDBUGS.  Man, I hate hotels and I'm seriously considering an alternative when possible.  Like a motorhome.  I fished with a couple recently who sold their house (with 2 kids away in college, one at Camp Pendelton and one on his own) and they are touring in their Lance camper with a kayak/utility trailer eating lingcod and crab.  They were styling.  This really makes me appreciate a few hotels I frequent that have delivered consistantly for years.  Especially the Grande Vista in Simi Valley near my nephew.