Radisson Hotel Fargo

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/05/22) */
The complaint by Ms. [redacted] is one the Radisson Hotel Fargo takes very seriously. The Radisson Hotel Fargo's mission statement is "to exceed all guest and team member expectations while delivering 100% guest satisfaction by using our "Yes...

I Can!" commitment to superior customer service everyday." We are troubled by Ms. [redacted]' complaint and after extensive investigation have deemed her complaint unfounded.
Ms. [redacted] was a guest in our hotel on May 8th, checking out the morning of May 9th. Ms. [redacted] did not share her complaint with us the night of May 8th, the morning of May 9th, or before she checked out on May 9th. The first time Ms. [redacted] notified us of her complaint was on Sunday, May 10th at approximately 7:45 a.m. She spoke with [redacted], our Reservations Manager. Ms. [redacted] complained to [redacted] that she was "bitten by a bug" in the early morning hours of May 9th. Ms. [redacted] stated that the hotel must have bed bugs because she was bitten. She stated that she did not see the bug but was bitten by something. [redacted] explained to Ms. [redacted] that we have never had a bug problem and take bug allegations very seriously. Additionally, [redacted] stated that we have an extensive investigation process that needed to be conducted and someone from the hotel would call her with our findings as soon as possible.
Before hanging up, however, Ms. [redacted] proceeded to tell [redacted] that she "has experience in the hotel industry and knows a lot of high end hotels have bed bug problems." Inclosing she stated she "wanted to contact us first before heading to social media and the Revdex.com."
[redacted] immediately spoke with [redacted], our Housekeeping Manager. The room was immediately taken off-line and a thorough investigation of the room commenced. [redacted] completely stripped the room of all linens and searched the entire room for any traces of bugs. No bugs were found nor any indication of the past presence of bugs. Another patron occupied the room on Saturday, May 9th and no complaints were received.
On Monday, May 11th Ms. [redacted] contacted us at approximately 11:30 a.m. and spoke with [redacted], our Director of Guest Services. Ms. [redacted]' told [redacted] that she found a bed bug on her during her stay and that she wanted a discount. [redacted] explained to Ms. [redacted] that an extensive investigation into her complaint resulted in no evidence of bugs in her room. Ms. [redacted] in a terse way responded stating she "worked in the hotel industry so she knows what we can and can't do for guests." [redacted] reiterated that the hotel has never had a bug problem because of the care and diligence of our housekeepers. And her request for a discount was not going to be issued because her complaint was not substantiated. In response, Ms. [redacted] demanded a discount for the night or she was going to "go on every social media and travel site she could." [redacted] took Ms. [redacted]' response as a threat.
At approximately 1:00 p.m. on Monday, May 11th, our General Counsel, [redacted], Esq. contacted Ms. [redacted] regarding her allegations and her threat to "go on every social media and travel site she could." [redacted] asked her to tell him what her issue was. She responded by stay that she was bitten by a bed bug. He asked her how she new it was a bed bug to which she replied that she "googled" bed bug bites and it looked similar. [redacted] simply repeated what she said and she recanted saying that she "was not sure if it was a bed bug that bit her or not but that something bit her." [redacted] asked if she saw the bug and she did not provide an affirmative answer.
[redacted] assured her that the results of our investigation was negative and no evidence of bed bugs or any other bugs were found in her room. [redacted] reiterated how seriously we take these types of allegations, as the cleanliness and comfort of our hotel is of the utmost importance to our staff; especially to our housekeepers.
Ms. [redacted]' allegations were deemed unfounded by us for the following reasons: First, Ms. [redacted] had three different conversations with three different employees and told three different stories. Confirming our belief that Ms. [redacted] is simply looking to receive a discount by any means necessary is the fact that her story continues to grow. Ms. [redacted] posted on trip advisor stating that there were bugs in her hotel room and that we did not offer her a discount when she told us that she found a bug on her when she was sleeping. Further, she erroneously states that our hotel has had this problem before. That is simply false. She embellishes even further here, reverting back to calling the "bug" a "bed bug" and saying that she found it crawling on her and took it into the bathroom and flushed it.
Second, the vast majority of rooms at our hotel are Sleep Number beds, including the bed in Ms. [redacted]' room. One of the major benefits to having sleep number beds (outside of their comfort) is how easy and effective it is to clean in and around the beds, essentially eliminating the possibility of bed bugs or any other bugs in and around the bed. The mattress itself is an enclosed pocket of air that allows for nothing but air to go in and out. The remainder of the bed can be opened for vacuuming and cleaning; which is done as part of our regular cleaning.
Third, Ecolab was hired in February 2015 for a routine inspection. The results of that inspection were negative for bed bugs or any other insects throughout the hotel. Moreover, where there is one bed bug, there is many. There is never just one bed bug. Accordingly, during our investigation we would have found a bed bug if Ms. [redacted] complaint was credible, but we did not find any evidence of any bed bugs or insects in her room.
Fourth, Ms. [redacted] explicit threat, a full day after checkout, to go to social media and travel sites if she did not receive a discount seemed suspicious to our staff. A normal complaint, of any kind, is done immediately, not a day or two after the fact. This coupled with her ever changing story and no evidence of any bugs remnants in her room, left us with the distinct impression that Ms. [redacted]' was disingenuous and a simple rouse to have her room discounted. Therefore, based on the evidence or lack thereof, we found Ms. [redacted] complaint unfounded.
Finally, our Radisson Satisfaction Guarantee states that if a customer notifies us of a complaint and we are unable to correct a situation during the guests stay we will reimburse them for their stay. Ms. [redacted] did not notify us of her complaint while she was a guest in our hotel. She notified us a day after she checked out. Upon further investigations, as detailed above, Ms. [redacted]' complaint was unfounded and did not warrant a refund or discount.
In closing, the Radisson Hotel Fargo is a premier hotel in North Dakota. We take pride in our hotel and go above and beyond for our customers. We would like to thank you for your time and consideration in matter.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/05/27) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Again, I did not contact the hotel right away regarding my complaint because I had to get up early and get to the Dome at 5am. When I called the morning of the 10th. I never stated that I was "bitten" by a bug. I never said I Googled a bug bite either. I merely stated that I found a bug crawling on me that looked like a beg bug. When I later Googled what a bed bug looked like I thought it looked like one but I wasn't for certain. What I was and am certain of is I found a bug crawling on me when I was sleeping. I did not change my story and I was not trying to 'attack" them on social media. I am pleased that the hotel took the right steps to check to see if the room/beds were bug free after my complaint. I am very disappointed that nothing was done for me and that I am being questioned on what happened during my stay. I did ask for a discount for my stay which I do not find extreme. I think my integrity being questioned and for a hotel questioning a guest and to think they would lie about having a bug on them is disheartening. I am asking for acknowledgement and yes I am still asking for a discount for my stay. Thank you.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/06/06) */
Our Radisson Satisfaction Guarantee is a policy we standby. If a customer notifies us of a complaint and we are unable to correct the situation during the guests stay we will reimburse them for their stay. This is not the case when we are not notified during a guests stay.
When we received Ms. [redacted]' complaint, we thoroughly investigated her claim. We found her claim to be unfounded and did not award a refund. If we found Ms. [redacted]' complaint valid, a different course of action would have occurred, but that simply is not the case here.
The facts in this case are clear. As detailed in our first response, we were unable to find any trace evidence of bugs. Accordingly, no refund is going to be issued.