Hyatt Regency Disaster!

(written 5/9)

The closer I get to my trip to Minnesota, the more I find myself thinking about my experience at the hotel in Chicago.  Actually, I have no idea why one has anything to do with the other but the closer I get to traveling, the more I think about the awful Hyatt Regency experience.  I don't like to hang on to cranky feelings--they do nothing but pull me down--so I do my best to let those thoughts go.  It's not working with this one! 

I've decided to get it all out and then I can just let it go and I don't have to think about it at all any more.  Is this lying to myself?  I don't know.  I wouldn't do it if I thought it was but I'm not very rational about this because I felt totally cheated.  OH, WAIT!  I just got an ah ha--actually a HUGE AH HA!!!.  It's the money!!! 

First I'll tell you the highlights of the disappointing aspects of the stay there (just the highlights, not all of it by any means).

• I had been told I was getting a 450 square foot, non-smoking room with 2 double beds.  They originally had me in a smoking room but they switched me to a non-smoking room that barely held a king-sized bed, desk, and dresser--no dining table, no occasional chair, miniature bathroom with a small shower and pedestal sink.
• I ordered the clam chowder from room service and when they brought it the clam chowder was full of tomatoes--Manhattan clam chowder.  I called them to complain that they didn't say it was that style and rather than saying they were sorry I misunderstood what the soup was, the woman on the other end of the phone said, "Well, that's what you ordered." 
• There was no free high speed Internet, either wired or wireless.  When I paid for the connection I discovered the connection worked in my room but not down where the conference was.
• There was a charge for the business center.
• There wasn't a single table in the lobby that I could use between the time I had to check out of my room and a reasonable time to take the shuttle to the airport.
• The website said there were several restaurants to choose from--that has been changed since I returned from Chicago--apparently it was out of date.  What they actually have is one over-priced cafe and a noisy bar that serves food.
• The conference center served an overpriced breakfast, lunch, and dinner for those of us who didn't want to try to get service in an undersized restaurant.  Fruit (a banana, an orange, or an apple) was $2.25.  A lukewarm, half-cooked, processed hamburger patty on a cold bun was $6.  The little bag of chips that went with it were $2.50.  A bottle of water was $2.75.  All of this was served on a paper plate and we got to stand in line to pay for it and for the first entire day we could go back into the conference room to eat in the same place we had been listening to speakers for the last 4 hours or stand.   After that they set up enough tables for 100 people (there were 1000 at the conference).
• The bed wasn't fully made the entire time I was there.  The first time I got into bed I removed the decorative pillows and a throw at the foot of the bed.  It was never put back the whole time I was there.  No, not a big thing but this is one of the things that got me thinking it was about the money.  More on that later.
• No DVD player in the TV and relatively limited television channels for viewing (I think there were about 10 channels available that didn't include sports, news, or shopping).  I was afraid to find out what it would cost to rent a movie.
• Oh, I should feel fortunate I flew in and didn't rent a car--the sign outside the entrances that parking was $28 a day!

Initially I was just upset that a hotel with such a giant reputation would nickel and dime their guests.  What finally hit me was that I thought that when I paid $200 a night for a room (that didn't include the 13% tax rate).  Actually, some of the nights the room was $239, some of them it was $199, and the few nights I was able to get at the conference rate were $179.  That's a lot of money no matter how you look at it. 

When I contrast this stay with the stay at the lovely hotel my daughter and I stayed at in Nashville, I think that may have been part of what had me upset.  In Nashville we stayed in a suite that had a huge bedroom and a living room with a sofa bed (actually, it was a very comfortable sofa bed).  There was an enormous bathroom with double sinks a big tub and a very generous closet.  There were dressers in both the living room and the bedroom with a television in each of the rooms.  The high speed wireless internet was free, there was a mini-fridge, microwave, and bar sink.  Actually, the atrium-style architecture was the same as the Hyatt with identical glass elevators.  The parking was free.  The staff was incredibly responsive and helpful.  For that we paid $100 a night!  I know Nashville isn't Chicago, that there may be a difference in the cost of hotel rates.  I am having a hard time imagining that much of a difference. 

Now, here's the dilemma.  What do I do now?  Do I tell myself that shoddy accommodations are just a fact of life and I shouldn't be upset that I paid so much for such poor service?  Is this because I am living in scarcity mode and I feel cheated because it cost so much for the room?  Hmmmm, interesting--I think many people would be comfortable knowing whether or not it makes sense to feel upset by what I experienced so I'm not sure why I don't.  This could be a good clue to some of my big issues--I just don't know what it's a clue to.  I'm going to have to keep all this in mind as I go through my growth process--no clue what it means but I'm glad I couldn't get it out of my head.  It was there for a reason other than feeling whiny about it.

Comments

[Lynne Morrell]

Sometimes a room is just a room:)