La Quinta Adventure-Savannah, Georgia

As most of you know, I went out to spend a little time with Will before he deployed. What you don’t know is the adventure to be had at the I-95 La Quinta Inn.

So, now we break from the adventures in Surrey to take you to the adventures in Savannah.

This is the email I just sent to the La Quinta customer service.

I’ve tried to discuss this with the manager, but her voice mail says she is out inspecting rooms to make sure I have a lovely stay or some such nonsense. I left my phone number and asked her to return my call, but I have received no contact so I’ll address my concerns to you.

I checked into the room on October 31 around 10:30 pm. I called three times to make sure I had a room and there wouldn’t be a problem with a late check in. Yes, I have prepaid and everything is fine.

My son was deploying from Savannah to Iraq so we booked rooms in the same motel near the airport to make it easy for us to spend more time together.

I had been up since 4:00 that morning and was exhausted. We went to get something to eat and returned to the motel where I planned on taking a shower and crashing.

I walked into the room and noticed some kind of overpowering air freshener, but figured it would go away after I turned on the air conditioner.

Imagine my surprise to find dirty towels in the vanity area, a sack of trash with Wendy’s food, toothpaste all over the mirror and water splashes, dirty soap stuck to the sink, black hair and toothpaste in the sink. There was an empty cigarette package in the trashcan even though this was a no smoking room.

The bathroom had pub!c hair in the bathtub and dirty towels, urine on the rim of the toilet and I assure you I don’t stand to pee and more pub!c hair on the toilet and hair on the floor.

I called the desk to ask why I was in a dirty room and she said there was nothing she could do since they didn’t have any more rooms available.

I asked her what she planned to do about that filthy room and she asked what did I want her to do?

I want a clean room.

She has a smoking room available. I told her since there was a cigarette package in the trash I guessed I was already in a smoking room, but I am allergic to it, staying in a room that gets smoked in all the time wasn’t going to work.

Nothing she can do and she hung up.

I turned down the sheets on the bed closest to the bathroom and noticed they were extremely wrinkled. On closer examination I notice they are also stained and have creases on the pillow cases. The sheets are used and the maid simply made the bed without changing the sheets.

I called the desk clerk again and told her the sheets were dirty. Nothing she can do unless I want the smoking room.

I turned down the sheets on the other bed and they looked relatively clean so I washed my face and went to bed.

I would take a shower in the morning after they had cleaned the room.

We had to be at the base at 5:30 so we went out there and got back to the rooms at 2:00. I’m going to take a shower and we’re going to spend a little more time together. I can’t get in my room. Someone has disabled my key card.

I go down to the desk to get it reactivated and wait in line behind three groups of elderly people.

One woman is probably in her 60’s and has her two elderly parents in the car waiting for her. She made reservations well in advanced for a handicapped room and had confirmation of her room. They not only don’t have a handicapped room, but they don’t have a room on the first floor. When she asks how she is going to get these disabled people up the stairs, the desk clerk, the black lady I got to deal with the night before, tells her, “Ma’am, you’re going to have to calm down.” She asks another man to come ahead of her and starts waiting on him. He also has a reservation for a handicapped room, but he got his.

The woman who was pushed aside goes out to talk to her parents. Since 3,500 soldiers are deploying and I assume every motel in town is booked, there isn’t much choice.

The woman comes back in and apologizes, which in my opinion, the desk clerk owed her an apology, but the old lady was desperate. She gets told pretty much this is what you have, take it or leave it and shut up.

The woman asks if she can get someone to help her get her parents up the stairs. She gets ignored.

Another elderly couple come in and they also have a handicap reservation. They too get told there aren’t any handicap rooms and their room is on the second floor and not only that but it’s near the pool.

Jessica, waved me in to take care of me while the other elderly couple was explaining they had reservations and a confirmation of their room. They get told reservations and confirmations are no guarantee they will have a room.

Excuse me? Why bother to make reservations and get confirmation numbers?

Jessica apologizes for the key card being deactivated and asked me how my stay was. I started to tell her about my dirty room and the black lady kept interrupting me and telling her I was the one she told her about. She said she offered me the smoking room, but I declined so there was nothing she could do. Then she said, “Of course, she said she already had a smoking room with cigarette butts everywhere so I don’t know why she couldn’t move.”

I said, “No, I said the room had probably been smoked in anyway since there was a cigarette package in the trash.”

Every time I tried to say something, she interrupted me so I finally said, “Ma’am, Jessica asked me about my room and I am trying to tell her what happened, but since you know it all, just go ahead and tell her.”

You really have no idea how furious I was to be interrupted and basically be called a liar.

I then asked Jessica if the room had been cleaned this time. She assured me the manager knew about the problem and it had been dealt with. I also asked her if they would replace the bulbs in the vanity area since they were burned out.

Gee, imagine my surprise to return to my room later to find it still dirty. I had wasted so much time by then I didn’t bother to take a shower as we wanted to go out and see some of Savannah together.

The same pub!c hair is still in the tub, the toilet and the floor. The toothpaste is gone off the mirror, but it is still filthy. The sink has been rinsed out and the toothpaste and hair are gone. The trash and dirty towels have been picked up.

The beds are made.

I later turn down the sheets on the bed closest to the bathroom and it still has the same dirty sheets on it. I’m sure the sheets on the other bed are dirty also, but at least it’s my dirt.

I call down to the desk and get Jessica. She is mortified the room is still dirty and offers to come up and change the sheets on the bed. I tell her no, I will sleep in the other bed and I will wash out the nasty bathtub so I can take a shower.

Neither my son, nor I have been able to use the internet unless we can pick up a signal from Ramada and he has been there four days.

He is equally disgusted with his room although it isn’t quite as bad as mine.

The alarm clock isn’t working so I ask for a wake up call. I’ve had very little sleep in three days and I know I won’t wake up at 4:00 on my own to catch my plane.

Jessica has arranged for a cab to pick me up at 4:45, bless her. I tell her I am not at all satisfied with my room and I will be asking for a refund. She assures me she understands and tells me I will be receiving a customer survey and to explain the problems. I’ve not received one yet, thus this email to you all.

The black desk clerk, Theresa or Tamara or something like that says she will send me a wake up call for 4:00 as requested. Great. It’s 12:30 am and that won’t be much sleep, but at least I will be able to sleep without worrying about oversleeping.

I get a wake up call at 2:00 a.m. Yes, I am serious. I call Miss T and ask her why I got a wake up call at 2:00 a.m. I’m sure I woke her up, but If I have to be awake, so does she.

She says she will reset it for 4:00.

Having little to no faith in La Quinta at this point, I can’t go to sleep. Good thing, too, because I never got another wake up call. I did call her as I was preparing to leave and thanked her for the call I never received and told her I would leave the key cards on the desk in the room.

I was seriously too furious to have to deal with her face-to-face.

Since I seem to be missing my customer service survey, I’ll send you one of my own. You’ll love it. You may like it so much you want to adopt it.

So, how was my stay, you ask?

Not so good.

1. Value for price paid.

If we’re dealing in Mexican pesos, I would rate it fair. Oh, we’re still in America? Well, that’s quite something else then, isn’t it.

2. Promptness of service.

Excellent. If service consists of telling you there’s nothing else available and take it or leave it, Miss T. has that speech down to a, well, a tee.

3. Quality of service.

How do I loathe thee, let me count the ways. Quality of service was non-existent aside from Miss Jessica who did at least offer to come down and change the sheets.

4. Overall, how would you rate our staff’s hospitality? (Friendliness, courtesy, responsiveness)

Hahahahahahaha. Oh, dear, let me catch my breath. Let me put it this way. Southern hospitality in Savannah, Georgia at the I-95 La Quinta Inn? Seriously, you need to tell them damned carpet baggers to go home. It’s been long enough.

5. Overall, how would you rate our resort’s public areas?

Pub!c areas? Well, there was quite a bit scattered around my room. Seriously, that guy needs some Rogroine.

Oh, public areas. Not sure. The only public area I really saw was the stairs I tripped on coming down and did a one point landing on my chest before skidding to a stop on the landing.

The little security window at night is exactly the right size, though. It’s just big enough to encourage you into thinking you can reach in and choke the night clerk if she gets just a little closer. She, of course, is accustomed to that crazed look in a guest’s eyes and remains safely out of arm’s reach.

6. Will I be recommending La Quinta to anyone?

Not in this lifetime

7. Was the room clean?

Not unless you are used to living in a third world country pig sty.

8. Was the service pleasant?

Yes, if you enjoy being interrupted and told to take it or leave it even though you have prepaid for your room. If you are accustomed to even the modicum of respect you get at the Bates place, not so much.

9. Were the rooms light and airy?

Only if you enjoy being overwhelmed with Eau De Cheap air freshener, cleaner, perfume or whatever that disgusting smell was.

10. Overall, how would you rate the resort’s ability to provide a relaxing atmosphere?

Wait, what does chloroform smell like? Is it a pungent, flowery smell? If so, the rooms might be very relaxing.

Most sincerely,

Julie Weathers