Fairfield Inn and Suites By Marriott

Revdex.com
Marriott customer service
Subject: Distraught beauty pageant winner traumatized by a horrific Marriott experience
This year, I won the Miss Akwa Ibom USA pageant sponsored by the Akwa Ibom St[redacted] Association of Nigeria, USA (AKISAN). As the emerging beauty queen winner, I was awarded many prizes. One of those prizes was a complimentary 2 night stay at a Marriott hotel, valid until July 2016.
On Wednesday, November 4th 2015, I made my reservation through the 1-800-Marriott reservation calling center as I was traveling to Delaware for my aunty's funeral. As I'm not from the area, I asked the representative which Marriott hotel will be closest to the funeral location and ensure that the selected hotel would honor my gift certific[redacted]. Before completing the process of finalizing my reservation, I informed the representative that I would like to use my gift certific[redacted] for a 2 night stay. I also went as far as to read her the gift certific[redacted] verbatim with the mindset that if there was something wrong with using it, I would have been informed prior to check in. I wanted to hear the reservation center verbally confirm to me that my gift would be honored without any problems or incident. The booking representative clearly st[redacted]d to me that my gift certific[redacted] will be accepted as long as I hand it in upon check in. The representative went ahead and booked my reservation for me, reassuring me that I will not have any complications as long as I bring my gift certific[redacted] in and show it to the front desk representative.
Last week, Friday, November 6th, 2015, I checked into Fairfield Inn and Suites Wilmington New Castle well past 11pm. The first thing I did upon arrival was hand the front desk representative my gift certific[redacted]. While she reviewed the document, I proceeded to inform her about how I received it, and I ended with clearly asking her if this would be fully honored. She told me, yes, and that she was going to fold it and put it on her manager's desk. She then requested for a debit or credit card. I asked why if I'm not being charged, and she said that it is only being taken in order to put a hold on the room. She checked me in and notified me that everything seems fine, so I went upstairs to rest for my aunt's funeral in the morning. She never told me that she would have to get back to me l[redacted]r nor did she ever clearly inform me that I would be charged anything. The representative then called and woke me up to inform me that she realized that the gift certific[redacted] was not for their exact hotel but her manager will work everything out.
But upon checkout I was told by the manager, Mr. P[redacted], that he would not be able to take the gift certific[redacted] and there was nothing he could do for me. He then slid the gift certific[redacted] in my direction in a demeaning manner so I informed him of the reason for my stay and how I got the certific[redacted]. When I told him about my aunt's funeral he laughed, twice. I will never forget that! The first time he laughed with a slight laugh, but a laugh nonetheless, and I asked him, "do you think my aunts funeral is a funny matter?" At the end of the conversation, when I mentioned the word funeral again, he smirked and laughed again. Those two laughs from a Marriott general manager about my beloved family member dying, I will never ever forget.
From my arrival until my departure, my experience at the Marriott was horrific and unorthodox due to the circumstances at hand. To start with upon walk in, I had to knock on the door and wait for the front desk lady to walk over to the door in order to unlock it. When questioned as to why the door was locked, she st[redacted]d very nonchalantly that when it is l[redacted] at night they lock the door because "people from Philly try to come in here, hoodlums." I was having a rough Friday due to the fact that I travel to Delaware solely for my Aunty's funeral events so I didn't question her and just tried to check in. And with me leaving, my experience ended with the knowledge that I had to miss my aunt's funeral because of a mistake. A mistake on the front desk's side for allowed me to check in without letting me know that I would be charged. The mistake also committed by the Marriott reservation center for going through and making my reservation when I specifically and clearly ask them if my gift certific[redacted] would be honored. All parties replied back to me with a yes.
The worst part of the situation was that I had to miss my aunty's funeral on Saturday, November 7th, because Mr. P[redacted] and I were going back-and-forth for over an hour with me trying to rectify the situation. He eventually told me that if I called the reservation center and they approved my stay, then he would honor it. So I called the reservation center and two different representatives tried to talk to him, on my behalf. One of them was a supervisor who contacted Mr. P[redacted] and he told the supervisor that he was not going to accept or honor my Marriott gift certific[redacted]. I know that to be a fact because the supervisor got back on the phone with me, after placing me on hold, and st[redacted]d that he adamantly refused to honor my stay. She then went on to tell me there was nothing she could do because she did not have the power to make a general manager do anything that he does not want to do. She closed with apologizing to me that I missed my aunty's funeral and for the way the general manager at Fairfield Inn and Suites tre[redacted]d me. I feel as though Mr. P[redacted] intentionally refused to support my gift certific[redacted]. He kept repeating if somebody promises to reimburse him, then he will let me get the free night. Mr P[redacted]l came off as evil and extremely insensitive to my distress with no intentions of really trying to help me. I feel as though I was tre[redacted]d that way because I'm not only young but because I am African American. The way he made me feel was horrible and unacceptable. He made me feel need him and stupid. I didn't deserve any of the trouble that I endured.
The untimely death of my aunt is a tragedy that affected me deeply, so I dropped everything I had in order to travel to Delaware for her wake on Friday and funeral on Saturday. Missing my aunt's funeral affected not only me, but my entire family. Instead of my family solely worrying about laying my aunt down to rest, they were panicked worrying where I was and wondering if something tragic happened to me. My family couldn't even focus on the task at hand due to my absence. Not only that, but my family needed me during the funeral ceremony to assist with the event and as a source of support and strength. I will never be a part of that memory, and I did not have the opportunity to say my final goodbye to my aunt.
I am now emailing you because when I asked the general manager, Mr. P[redacted]l, at the hotel who his manager was so that I could get his director's business card he looked me straight in my face and said, "no I cannot do that for you." When I asked him "why not," he told me because he doesn't have one. I said "that is not true" and I requested that he did not continue to insult my intelligence because the way he was speaking to me was as if I was a stupid young black undeserving female. I continued to ask for this information and Mr. P[redacted] replied, "I cannot do that for you." He went on to st[redacted] that "the only thing you can do as a customer is to place a complaint and contact law-enforcement." So I'm taking take Mr. P[redacted]l's advice and contacting every single person I could think of involving this situation, from social media to my pageant organization. I need someone's assistance in rectifying this situation of my horrific experience that caused me to miss my aunt's funeral while being tre[redacted]d so indecently, insensitively and harshly by a Marriott general manager, Mr. P[redacted].
I am horrified by the way that I was tre[redacted]d at that exact Marriott hotel to the point where I would never step foot there again.
Mr. P[redacted]l had no intentions of really trying to help me. I feel as tho I was tre[redacted]d so poorly because I'm not only young but because I am African American. The way he made me feel was horrible and unacceptable.