Came out for a long weekend visit, and thought the proximity to the trains would make this a good stay.
Upon arrival, we were placed in a very noisy room, sounded like a helicopter was hovering above the room, constantly. I asked if something could be done, and the receptionist was kind enough to change our room to a larger room on the floor below, she was great at her job, friendly, and accommodating.
The new room was better, but still not very clean. The bed was just ok, and I felt itchy the whole night, which resulted in almost no sleep at all. To make matters worse, construction right outside our window woke us extremely early in the morning. Trying to get some rest was impossible, so after a few attempts of resting, we decided to go shower and get on with our day, not rested, and not happy.
There was no running water!
I called the front desk to inquire about the issue, and they placed me on hold to ask the technicians about the issue. She came back to me and let me know it would be fixed in the next 15 minutes. 30 minutes later, still no water. I call back, ask to speak with a manager, and I was informed that the manager would call me back, she never did. After another 30 minutes of waiting, I go to the front desk to speak with the manager, who was apologetic, but not very helpful. At this moment I was upset and anxious to leave this hotel, even though this was a Friday and we were staying till Sunday. I asked if I could get out of my reservation because I could simply not stay at a place like this for any longer. She informs me that I would have to contact booking.com, due to the fact that I booked through them, and have them make the decision of whether I can cancel my reservation after staying there for a night.
Booking.com were amazing, called up the hotel and asked them to cancel my reservation so that I could go elsewhere. The Best Western Plus Rockville then called my room and let me know that they spoke with booking and had refunded me the amount paid, and asked whether I could leave the room ASAP so that they could send housekeeping up. The water came back and ran brown for a VERY LONG time, pictures attached. Oh, and our tub was not draining properly either, so the water just sat for ages in the tub.
At this point, the hotel staff and I were both eager to get us out of the hotel.
I was told that I would get a full refund, but I am still waiting for the money to be returned to my card. The lady at the reception let me know that they had released the money, but my bank says the hotel needs to release the reserved amount, and they have yet to do so. Hopefully, that will be sorted swiftly.
I am grateful for the front desk staff at this hotel, they were kind, friendly, and helpful. I was disappointed in the manager on duty, as I felt as though she could learn from the ladies I spoke with at the front desk on how to better treat frustrated and unhappy guests. Unfortunately, the front desk ladies were the only redeeming qualities of this hotel, and I hope they take the time out to make this place better for future guests, their prices are the same as other, much more comfortable hotels in the area, so they should strive to be better. less
HNegash, Manager at Best Western Plus Rockville Hotel & Suites, responded to this review
Thank you for staying with us. We truly apologize for any inconvenience. We had an emergency water shut off which was supposed to last for 15 minutes.
We are so sorry about any miscommunication or misunderstanding regarding the check out procedure. You were advised to contact Booking.com only because that is the due process that they set in place. The guest has to contact them for an early departure, then they will contact the hotel.
After we spoke with Booking.com, we placed a courtesy call to your room to give you an update. It was not and was not meant to be disrespectful in any way. We apologize if you took it that way. When we said that Housekeeping would be informed that you are not staying over, we did not know that you would interpret it to mean "leave the room ASAP". We apologize for that too. It was meant to convey that they will not be cleaning the room while you were there.
Please know that the full refund was authorized and processed while you were still in-house. It normally takes a few day to reflect on your bank statement. We believe that you should have the updated statement at this time. Please let us know how we can further assist you.
We hope that you will stay with us again.