I stayed at the Marriott Downtown NYC from last Friday until this morning. At first, everything seemed great. The staff were helpful, the room was decent, and although the limited number of elevators sometimes caused small lines, it was a minor inconvenience. Up until checkout, I genuinely felt the hotel deserved 4.5 out of 5 for the value and comfort.
Unfortunately, my experience on the last day completely changed my impression.
After having breakfast at Bill’s Burger, the restaurant inside the hotel, my wife and I returned to the room and then headed down to check out. As I approached the lobby, a staff member ran toward me accusing me of leaving without paying for breakfast and, shockingly, said this was considered “stealing.” I was genuinely stunned. I had assumed the breakfast would be charged to my room, which is standard in many hotels, and the way the situation was handled, essentially implying I was a thief, was completely unacceptable and unprofessional.
I chose not to respond to the accusation, settled the bill, and left. A few hours later, I noticed multiple unexpected charges on my card. Two small amounts appeared, presumably for the breakfast and tip, followed by a large charge for the full cost of my stay, even though I had already paid the full amount at check-in.
This forced me to make an international call to the hotel’s accounting department. I was kept on hold for over nine minutes while they tried to figure out what happened. When I mentioned that the call was becoming too long and costly, I was told they would try to remove the hold, which may take up to five business days. As a result, I am now traveling with almost a thousand dollars less available because of their mistake.
Between being publicly accused of theft and the significant billing error that immediately affected my trip, I cannot overlook these issues. Despite the good start, the checkout experience was unacceptable.
I am rating this hotel 1 out of 5.
