Before you make a reservation with Best Western anywhere, read this complaint letter that I'm sending to the President of B.W. I will never stay at B.W. again, b/c although I had experienced a bad stay at in the Palazzo dei Priori...B.W corp could careless about their customers. This corporation is a fraud and is trying to appear like a Marriott which they are not even close. So becareful. If you do stay B.W make sure you make reservations with their C.S res. agents through your entire stay.

Thank you for you taking the time to read my letter regarding file#04032#####. This is my complaint file number that Best Western has on file. To make a long story short, I think it would be your benefit and the person who is in charge of global strategy development to read my file and try to comprehend why I have so many problems with Best Western. I would like to point out my experience with Best Western’s corporate and onsite staff is that a lot of words (fluff) is being said and no actions taken.
During my stay at Palazzo Dei Priori Hotel in Siena, Italy, on March 20-26, I received no apology for the leaky pipes that broke causing filthy and unsanitary water on the night of March 25, 2004. The hotel management even tried to deny that the water was polluted yellow and brown. They even had the nerve to tell me that it was nutrional to drink since it contained “Siena cultures”. I had contacted Milan and Arizona Best Western offices and they suggested that I speak to the manager of the hotel. On March 26, 2004, I went down to the front desk at 7:30a.m. , 9:00a.m. and stayed in the lounge from 10:00a.m to 11:40a.m waiting for the manager to return my messages. At the same time, the Milan office (Sebastian) had been trying to contact the hotel manager and he had no luck until 11:45a.m. I specifically told the ladies at the front desk that I wanted to see the manager all morning since Best Western Corp told me that it was in my best interest to speak to the manager. As a result, the hotel manager cowardly avoided me all morning, and even left before I checked out at 12:00pm. So I essentially wasted a half day on my honeymoon to speak with hotel management that did not want to deal with a customer complaint. So I check out one day before my scheduled stay because the hotel manager did not comply with fixing the dirty water. Please remember that I had been staying at this hotel for six nights and the water did not look yellow and brown when I bathed in the tub. What I am concerned about is how long was that pipe leaking to allow water to be polluted?

I spoke to Sebastian one more time and said that someone would contact me when I returned to the US after April 8, 2004. To my surprise no one contacted me, I made the initial call when I returned. I spoke with numerous people while I was in Italy and they all assured me that this problem would be dealt with. Here are the names in your Arizona office that I spoke to: Debra (Italy), Karen, and Marilyn in customer relations. Debra offered to pay for the night on March 25, 2004, I told her that I wanted March 26, 2004 paid for too since I have to find another hotel in a foreign country at short notice. In the file it states that Best Western tried to find me accommodations but they did not at the rate I was paying, and even did not have any rooms available in Siena. So how does that help me? If I’m going to pay for a $250 euros for a room I am going to stay at the Boscolo Hotels, Intercontinental Hotels or Hilton Hotels (5stars) which I had been staying during my trip.

A week after I returned to the US I spoke to a Mr. Paul Albin Mgr. in Customer Relations. After a somewhat long discussion of trying to negotiate why I deserved two nights to paid for by Best Western he replied no deal. He felt that hotel management did their best to resolve my complaint. For example, I was suppose to receive flowers as gesture to the dirty water found in my tub. However, I checked out on March 26, 2004 and I never received them how convenient for the management of that hotel to make that gesture. And still I received not one apology. I even tried to communicate with a “crying” Isolda (the front desk lady who lied to me about the water problem) that the reason this hotel has these problems is because #1 the water technicians not doing his job and lying to her, and #2 the hotel manager needs more than one person at night to assist in managing the hotel. I can excuse Isolda lying to me because she knows nothing about plumbing, but Mr. Paul Albin’s actions infuriated me even more.He told me that Karen in customer relations was still trying to contact management at the hotel Palazzo Dei Priori about my complaint and this is almost three weeks after my stay there. After I told him that I was going to write to corporate headquarters. He said that the offer of one night paid on March 25, 2004 was not valid if I decided to write to PO BOX 10203, Phoenix, 85064. I think that is so petty of Best Western to renege on an offer that they offered twice to me once through Debra and Mr. Paul Albin just because I insisted that Best Western pay for a second night (March 26,2004). Is that the type of “ branding on the move or performance building” this corporate board is referring to? Sounds like indian giving, lying, and concealing many problems of staying at a Best Western Hotel that is independently owned and operated. I will be sure to do some of my own branding o f Best Western Hotels and warn my friends who ask me about staying at Best Western Hotels. What is ironic is that you may have fooled my parents who used to speak highly of Best Western, but this generation is non forgiving. Enclosed is a sample of the water taken from my hotel. I will trust you that you will take the necessary actions to prevent any more Americans who stay at this hotel with my experience.