Well, sorry I and my family missed all of you at the meets. Family and issues constrained us from doing so though we did get to Mythos, but just not when everyone else did.
Our visit to HRH this year was no better and maybe worse than last year. Housekeeping was as miserable if not worse than last year. It's very hard to understand how they can justify putting 3 bath towels and 2 washcloths in a Deluxe bathroom when 4 adults and 1 child are staying there. In the end, we ended up calling down every day after returning to our room for more towels and such. The other major problem is that vacuuming must be a foreign concept to them. With a child eating crackers and cookies in the room you tend to get crumbs everywhere plus feathers from pillows ends up on the floor. Some of those crumbs and feathers were on the floor for 2 to 3 days before housekeeping thought they might want to take care of it.
The worst was our fouth night there. I called down at 11:15pm one night to get two additional pillows for my wife. The operator said they would be right up. Well, 'right up' to me means 10 to 15 minutes. 30 minutes passed and nothing, so I called back down. The same operator answered and I inquired as to what the holdup on the 2 pillows were. She was surprised that I had not received them and was very apologetic and said they'd be up immediately. Well, once again, 'immediately' to me means less than 5 minutes.
Guess what, the pillows showed up another 45 minutes later. A grand total of 1 hour and 15 minutes after calling down for them.
As a result of this problem along with the others, I called down the next evening after returning from the parks and told the concierge I would like to speak to the manager on duty. She told me Derrick was on the phone and would I like to wait or have him return my call. I said we were going out to eat and I'd like the manager to come look at our room while we were out and tell me if he'd be happy with the level of housekeeping our room had received and then call me later that night with his thoughts no matter what time it was.
Well, low and behold he never showed up nor called. So at midnight I went downstairs to the check-in counter and was going to get this resolved. Bryan was the manager on duty as Derrick's shift apparently ends around 11pm. I told Bryan of the numerous problems we had to this point as well as now not having management respond to guest concerns.
He asked what I wanted from him. I told him one that housekeeping problems have not improved in one year and have actually gotten worse, so that needed to be corrected. Second, that I wanted a reimbursement of some kind in a monetary form and not wine or platters of any kind as my and my family's wasted time calling for towels, enduring dirty floors, and waiting for pillows was worth something. I told him I had no definite figure in mind, but that I ask him to put himself in my shoes and imagine from that perspective. I, also, indicated I wanted to talk to Mark Shugert in the morning about this. He ended up giving me $100 off my room rate for that night and anymore would be in discussions with the GM.
The next morning I did talk to Mark as I did last year. He did remember me and was appalled about the lack of housekeeping and shocked when he heard about the pillow time wait. He said hotel standards are 15 minutes MAXIMUM and that there are always enough people working that this would never be a problem. He was also disconcerted that Derrick didn't call back and while offered some scenarios why he might not have done as I requested, there was no excuse.
He also asked why I hadn't booked directly through him this year as he had given me his card last year to call him if I needed anything. I told him I didn't view him as my personal travel planner there. He said I shouldn't view it that way and to call him next year and he'd 'set me up' whatever that means.
In the end, he said he'd take this all up with the involved parties and the GM and decide how to deal with it. As for further reimbursement, he said that would be under discussion and would let me know.
This all has soured me on HRH. Yes, it is a beautiful hotel, some very good and friendly people, specifically Lourdes at the front desk, nice rooms though the wear on the hotel is beginning to show as well as settling, and FOTL. Ultimately, I think this will be our last HRH stay barring some miraculous response from Mark and staff. I do plan on writing an additional lengthy letter to him regarding all this and that I think 2 years of bad housekeeping is enough.
If we do come down again next year, Royal Pacific will be our next attempt.
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