Prior to my recent contacts with Katie, the general manager of the Best Western Plus in Erie, PA, my dealings with Best Western hotels had been very good. My wife and I have stayed at other Best Westerns in Pennsylvania and various locations in the eastern U.S. over the past few years, and we are Platinum Rewards Members. Unlike other friendly and courteous Best Western personnel we have interacted with, Katie consistently demonstrated an aloof, brusque, argumentative and un-accommodating manner throughout my telephone communications with her. Unfortunately, her final act was even worse than her telephone behavior.
After calling the Best Western 800 # and reserving two rooms for two nights at her location on July 3, 2020, I spoke to Katie on July 6 about the possibility of receiving a better breakfast beyond the spartan brown bag fare that she and her hotel were offering. (Other Best Western locations do provide much better brown bag breakfasts.) She obstinately refused to consider other options that I suggested. I gave her my direct, verbal review that she was on the “low rung” of the ladder of people I had previously dealt with at Best Western, whereupon she repeatedly, defiantly asked me if I wanted to cancel the reservations. I said I would think about it and ended the conversation. Over the next few days, I chose not to cancel and continued planning for my family’s scheduled arrival on Monday, July 13. Unexpectedly, I received a telephone call from Katie at 12:56 p.m. on Friday, July 10, the last business day before my family was to arrive, and, in an apparently vindictive snit, she informed me that she had unilaterally cancelled our reservations. I was not happy about her call, and I told her so, but I was not going to argue with her any further. The call lasted less than a minute.
I wholeheartedly agree with the numerous “terrible” and “poor” ratings given the Best Western plus Erie on Tripadvisor.com by other guests, many of which emphasized deficient customer service. I really do not want to have “one rotten apple spoil the bunch,” and I am wrestling with whether I should simply cancel my Rewards membership with Best Western and never again go to their hotels. Regrettably, it does not appear that the corporate offices of Best Western care that much about the behavior of staff at their independently-owned locations or in protecting the Best Western brand. I was told that the only thing they would do was prepare a “customer care ticket” and forward it on to the ownership of the Erie location. I have heard nothing else since then. SMH.
Richard L less