The Inn at Grist Iron

Please accept this as my final response regarding
this complaint.Unfortunately, this matter has escalated into continued
untruths and now simply an argumentative dispute from these guests. We realize there are always two sides to
every story, especially when multiple people are involved. The fact is damage was done to our property
and we have been fair in resolving this.
Being a business that thrives with guest satisfaction is utmost
important to us. We also do realize that
the measures a business must take to maintain daily operations will not always
result in agreement of owners and guests.Please see my responses to guest belowPlease refer to the attached policy/property
information that is posted on our website.
No promise was ever made regarding anyone under the age of staying,
only visitsPlease see attached welcome sheet given to all
guests at check-in, along with the in-room more elaborate welcome sheetHad
the guest called regardless of the hour, living right on the property I would
have come right over and made the bed after the laptop was removed. *** and *** could have taken a
moment to enjoy their in-room complimentary champagne and reflect on their
special day. Having been made aware
would have prevented this sour reflection the guests appear to have when
referring to their special honey moon night.
Had I been notified, all in all this merely would have taken about
minutesWhen an issue is brought to my attention and
staff is available to inquire with, the best outcome is a result when all
parties are present When ***
arrived, I was working with all of the staff on the first level rooms and it
was an opportune time to inquire with them.
My housekeeper is willing to get present a notarized affidavit to attest
to the laptop. Before *** left I
told him I had a few rooms left to inspect.
I inspected them all thoroughly and personally myself. The housekeeper that freshened *** and
*** room was not the same housekeeper who cleaned the room where the
damage occurred. Again, the housekeeper
who did is willing to present a notarized affidavit as well. I do detailed inspections of rooms because we
anticipate wear on furnishings throughout our property However, when damage is done, although unintentionally,
we must seek recovery in order to maintain the high standards we offer to
guests and keep the property in the best condition as possible. I never threatened to blacklist ***. In conversation with ***’s sister-in-law,
she threatened to have all the guests write a bad review and emphasized that businesses
can go under as a result, if we didn’t give her sister and brother-in-law their
deposit back I did respond to her that being
a respectful business owner I cannot operate successfully in fear of being
intimidated of bad reviews. I told her
this would be no different if businesses were to blacklist all customers when
they were unhappy with their behaviorThe guests could have made arrangements to obtain
a furniture restoration professional and I would have made arrangements for
them to do an inspection of the night stands.
I would have taken the additional estimate into consideration. There was no mold what so ever, nor noted on
my professional furniture estimate. If
there was I would expect the guests staying in that room to have brought it to
my or the staff’s attention or to the friends or group staying here. If *** had a furniture expert look at the
photos, he could have sent that information with me.Between my partners and I, we have experience in running
five very successful versatile businesses.
We have a strong integrity for respect and honesty. Our goal with all of them is to provide
outstanding customer service and make every attempt in doing so. As far as the lodging business, we are available
24/and encourage our guests to allow us to rectify a situation right then and
there. We also expect guests to treat
our property with care and if an accident happens and damage occurs, please
bring it to our immediate attention as well, so all parties involved can converse
and take the next necessary steps to a resolution.Sincerely,Darlene ***InnkeeperThe Inn at Grist Iron

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.I am very concerned by the response this business has provided.  The response provided a number of statements which are plainly untrue and I will do my best to address them.1. When we signed the initial contract we were promised that people under the age of 18 could stay since we had the whole place reserved.  This was then later withdrawn and we were "allowed" to have visits from those under the age of 18.2. There was most certainly NOT a laptop left on the bridal suite bed.  Before leaving, I cleaned the entire room and made a point to have all surfaces cleared.  This was an intentional action on my part to allow for cleaning so that when my bride and I returned we would have to worry about nothing but enjoying our evening.  We returned to an un-made bed, still with no laptop on the bed.  I was not going to call Darlene at 11:30pm when my wife and I were going to bed after our wedding.3. To clarify order of events after the wedding: I returned to the lodge an hour after checking out to retrieve a left item.  While there I told Darlene about our unmade bed.  She immediately took me outside, called the housekeeper who was responsible for cleaning our room, and created a very awkward situation by putting the housekeeper on the spot in front of me and asking about the room. NO MENTION of laptop was made in my presence.  The housekeeper said "no, I know I cleaned the room" and made no reference to a laptop, therefore putting my word against hers with the three of us standing there.  The was unprofessional and the housekeeper then returned immediately to the room she had already started cleaning, where the tables were damaged.  After I left, Darlene called about this damage.  It was rather suspicious to me that immediately after my very friendly, soft complaint about our bed not being made and after this awkward confrontation, the housekeeper then found damage to the table and reported it.  NONE of the rooms were spotless with impeccably-maintained furniture.  I had lots of work to do the day after the wedding, and I had my sister-in-law go back.  She took photos on my behalf.  She threatened to blacklist us as guests if we write bad reviews - not that we would ever want to return again.4. Damage was present on both tables.  Before our stay.  This is evidenced on the photos by peeling and mold.  Mold does not accumulate overnight.  It is very clear on the photos that there is one small area of finish warn away more acutely which is consistent with a damp cotton ball being placed on the table which we admit to.  The areas where the table laminate is peeling was not caused the weekend of our stay.  I have had a furniture expert look at the photos and this is how I have come to this conclusion.  However it is evident without any training in furniture restoration.  It is very disappointing that The Inn at Grist Iron is taking this sort of stance.  I am not sure if the root of this damage and room service issue was dishonesty on the part of the housekeeper or the supervisor.  In either case, it was a very sad way to end our stay.  It is not about the money, but rather about integrity.  We have accepted that we are at the losing end of the interaction since they already had our money.  We exchanged emails with the managing partner reference here and it was clear that our side of the story was not being listened to.  A phone call would not have made a difference after the extensive emails exchanged with Darlene with no sense of understanding on her part.  As I'm sure you can imagine, $250 is a drop in the bucket of a wedding budget.  We merely ask that we are treated fairly as customers that spent over $7k dollars for a weekend rather than as children or criminals.  We are both 30-something [redacted] in Baltimore and would have no reason to lie or exaggerate as implied by Darlene.  We hope nobody else suffers similar experiences on the most important weekend of their lives.Regards,[redacted]

Thank you for calling me directly.  As I mentioned we did not receive your mailings do to the change of ownership and address change.Our goal is to provide a beautiful, clean and fun atmosphere for our guests, along with striving to exceed their expectations.   We truly value all...

of our guests and never like having any of them unsatisfied, especially when it's a special day such as a wedding.  We do our best to accommodate all the extra details for the many wedding groups that book with us throughout the year.I corresponded with the bride and groom with several emails to do my best to meet all their needs. We have a published policy on our website that includes an age restriction policy of 18 years of age an older that is implemented for individual or group bookings.  Although children under the age of 18 were not permitted to lodge, we did make the exception we them that children could visit on the premises.  This was never withdrawn.  I spoke directly with the bride and groom at check in regarding freshening of rooms for the day of their wedding and handed them a "Welcome Sheet", which included Daily Room Freshen information, which is given to all our of guests.  The room was freshened except the bed was not made.  It is clearly stated that staff will make beds provided all personal items are removed. Unfortunately, there was a laptop on the bed and hence it was not touched.  We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  If I was contacted when the bride and groom discovered this, I would have gladly had their bed made.  The groom brought this to my attention after they had already checked out, left the premises and then came back later to pick up some items that he knew were left behind.  Having staff immediately at hand, I inquired with them in his presence.  The housekeeper made note of the laptop.  I also mentioned that if I had been contacted, I would have personally came over and made it.Our standard procedure is to do a thorough room inspection for damage when guests check out, especially for group reservation contracts.  Unfortunately, there was damage to two nightstands in one room.  Upon discovery, I called the groom immediately and asked if he wanted to come back over to personally look at the damage.  He declined.  I told him I would take photos, get an estimate and email them.  He called me back and told me they contacted the guest who stayed in that room and they admitted to setting a cotton ball on the nightstand with acetone on it and disputed the other nightstand regarding damage.   His sister-in-law and a friend came over and I showed them the damage and welcomed them to take photos as well.  I followed up with photos through email to the groom.  There was no prior damage done to either nightstand.After getting a professional estimate for each nightstand.  The furniture repair estimates included noting a solvent of some sort such as nail polish or nail polish remover was spilled on the one nightstand and liquid of some sort on the other.  There were several empty beer bottles in the room, which may have been spilled or condensation from setting the beer bottle directly on the nightstand and not using the provided coasters to protect the wood.  In an attempt to not have hard feelings and resolve this issue as fair as possible, I had another professional take a look at the nightstands and he confirmed the same findings.  Included with the estimates, I offered to completely forgo any restitution for the second nightstand and only seek repair for the one with the acetone damage. I emailed the bride and groom to notify them the repair estimate would be deducted from the damage deposit and the difference would be mailed.  Our senior partner also emailed them personally to tell them the check was being mailed out by him, since he takes care of our accounting, and if they wanted to speak to him further about this issue they could contact call him directly.  They never did.  A business cannot operate successfully without measures in place to seek restitution for damages caused as a result of a guest's negligence. Our suggestion is for them to seek restitution from their friends that caused the damage.  We take pride in the services that we provide for our guests.Our staff works very hard on a daily basis.  They have a lot of extra cleaning when large groups occupy the property, such as wedding parties.  Unfortunately in this matter, we'll have to agree to disagree.  We wish the newlyweds many years of happiness.