Dear Valued Guest,

I want to thank you for taking the time to share your experience with the TripAdvisor community, my staff, and myself. I want to assure you that I have passed along your kind words with all departments as I know they will act as a positive encouragement. We here at the Best Western Baraboo Inn have been blessed with a team that truly shares a collective heart for hospitality, and I am so glad to hear this passion was imparted to you during your stay.

Our management team consists primarily of our General Manager, Melissa Lentz, and me, the Sales Manager. Melissa has been here at the hotel for going on 13 years and I have for 5 years. We have both worked full and part time in every department throughout the years, but we both primarily started as front desk clerks. You are correct that there have been recent changes at the hotel- our ownership/upper management changed in February when Mars Hospitality took over. Melissa Lentz has maintained her position of General Manager, and I moved into a dual position of Front Desk and Sales Manager.

Thank you for pointing out the change as it is a significant one, and thank you again for sharing your observations of staff and operation. I hope we will see you again soon in the Baraboo area and I also hope you will enjoy the rest of your summer wherever it takes you!

Christine Hutchens
Front Desk and Sales Manager
chutchens@mars-llc.com

Dear Valued Guest,

I want to thank you for taking the time to share your comments on TripAdvisor. We find particular value in the feedback we receive from our repeat guests, and I want to thank you for having stayed with us on multiple occasions.
I want to follow this particular appreciation with particular regret. I am very sorry that your most recent stay with us fell below mutual expectations. Thankfully, with the information you provided on your TripAdvisor account I was able to look up the date and information from your stay.
I want to assure you that our front desk staff did document the noise issues your neighbors inflicted on you. Noise complaints are always the most aggravating issues we, as front desk clerks, encounter. It is dreadful to know one guest is affecting another in a negative way, and to know the line we have to walk in accommodating both guests. That being said, our night auditor did document that he called and visited the room that was creating the noise, and he also walked the halls every half hour for 2 hours after your complaint was made to monitor the situation. We had also written a note about possible room-move if the issue persisted.
I have spoken to the heads of each department at the hotel about your comments relating to the staff attitude. I have always taken pride in the warm, friendly atmosphere most of our guests comment on- and I want you to know how very sorry I am that this was not also your experience.
I really hope that as you look back on your stays with us over the past ten years you will see your negative experiences as having been an exception rather than the rule and I hope you will allow the many reasons that have brought you back to us year after year bring you back again. We would all love another chance to serve you next year when you are back in the Baraboo area.
If you have any further comments or concerns I would love to answer them personally. Please feel free to contact me directly at the hotel to further any conversation, and also please know that both our general manager and myself would love to talk with you anytime you are in Baraboo. Please stop in!

I hope you enjoy the colors fall brings to Wisconsin as we head into another wonderful season,
Christine Hutchens
Sales Manager
608.356.1100
chutchens@mars-llc.com

Dear Recent Guest,

I want to thank you for taking the time to share your experience here on the TripAdvisor forum. My favorite thing about TripAdvisor, as a manager in the hospitality industry, is that it gives me access to guest interaction and suggestions.

This fall, the week after Labor Day, we are going to be changing our breakfast to be served in Bonzos cooked-to-order. We have compiled a complete breakfast menu and guests will have the option of having breakfast included in their rate or opting for a discount with no breakfast. I am very excited to be offering this option to some of our more economic travelers. I am also anxious to see how it improves the breakfast experience of our guests. I hope you will be back this fall or winter to try the new breakfast.

I am also very glad that you enjoyed the bed you slept on. I know I have shared with other guests in previous replies, but they are Simmons Beautyrest Pillowtop mattresses.

Lastly, I want to thank you for the compliment to our front desk. I will be sure to share with them your appreciation for their prompt service. It is always so nice to have guests share the positive aspects of their experience with us!

Have a wonderful rest of your summer. Please feel free to contact me at the hotel anytime,

Christine Hutchens
Sales Manager
608.356.1100
chutchens@mars-llc.com

Dear Guest,

I want to thank you for your honest review of your experience at our hotel. I want to apologize for not meeting mutual expectation while with us. One of the things I appreciate about TripAdvisor is the trust it builds between hotel and guest by way of accountability. There is no incentive for anything other than honesty- and I appreciate that you value that as I do.

I want to thank you for the kind words you shared about our staff. They truly have hearts for hospitality, and I have found kind people with genuine desires to serve a key part of hospitality. Also- always nice in a place where you are looking for a good night’s sleep is a comfy bed. I am glad you found the beds comfortable, and in case you are interested they are Simmons BeautyRest Pillowtop mattresses.

I want to share with you that I agree with the suggestion you have made about replacing our carpeting. I have shared in previous responses about our current plans and timelines to do so. Unfortunately summer is the season we see the most wear-and-tear, and it is also the hardest season to tear apart the hallways without inconveniencing many guests. The carpet is like the skin of a hotel- the largest part of any room. I agree that the age of the carpets currently leave a negative impression, and I hope to have this remedied as soon as possible.

I also want to apologize for the housekeeping issues you encountered while at our hotel. I have spoken with Tina, our head of housekeeping, and the young woman responsible for cleaning your room. I also want to assure you that I’ve spoken to Steve, our head of maintenance, and he has re-caulked and treated the bathroom in the room you stayed in. Our front desk took detailed enough notes about the bedding issue I was able to figure out which room. Thank you for communicating with the desk and myself during and after your stay.

I would very much appreciate if you would contact me at the hotel directly to further discuss your stay with us. I would like to see what I can do to bring you back and give us another opportunity to serve you.
Please feel free to contact me at the hotel anytime,

Christine Hutchens
Sales Manager
608.356.1100
chutchens@mars-llc.com