This was the single worst hotel experience I have had in my life and it continues to follow me nearly a week after checking out.
Three coworkers and I were booked at a local area hotel, but when we arrived there they told us that they had sustained flood damage and would be moving us to Hotel 31. So we went over to Hotel 31, letter in hand saying that our stay was to be charged to the other hotel (which we had already PAID IN FULL for our stay).
First, the actual hotel quality: This was literally the worst hotel that I have stayed at in my entire life. I travel a lot for work, so that is saying something significant. The hotel was nearly abandoned. The front desk was not at all helpful. The rooms were dingy and had a distinct mildew odor. The TVs in the rooms were about 10 years old. The fitness center was pathetic - by the time we checked out, there were no functioning treadmills. They did not even have full-size pillows on the beds. There was literally nothing to redeem this hotel in terms of its amenities. I assume it was a former Holiday Inn (based on the fact that Holiday Inn was printed on my room phone and notepad) that has since gone independent. All that that means is that it was a down-graded Holiday Inn.
Then, the icing on the cake of horribleness: I was charged the full amount for the stay. They were supposed to charge the original hotel - we have the letters to prove it - but they charged us for the full stay. When I called them, they told me that the other hotel had authorized only one night to be charged to them (mind you, even if this was true, they still charged me for every night of my stay) and refused to deal with it from their end. There is literally no amount of money I would pay to stay at this hotel. So I am now forced to go ten rounds with: Hotel 31, the other hotel, and my credit card company in order to remedy this problem. This is the hotel stay from hell that will not end.
- Holiday Inn Houston
