It all began by my having to pay $140 (on Hotline, no less) on a fall Saturday night because it was a Notre Dame football weekend (the rate usually hovers around $70). I was told by the young girls at the front desk that jacking up the price on a crappy hotel by 100% is standard procedure. Even at the $70 rate, I would not stay here again, but adding insult to injury - I was asked to stay in a smoking room because that's all they had. Now in 2011 the fact that some hotels (and they are not alone) still have a full floor of smoking rooms baffles me. I can't even come close to cigarette smoking without getting headaches and I was not going to spend $140 to get one. She informed me that's the only room availability they had - something I viewed as preposterous as at 7 P.M. there were about three cars in the parking lot. So I told her I wanted to cancel because I couldn't stay in a smoking room. The desk clerk gave me a key and told me to check it out to see if it "was too bad for me to stay in." I did. It was awful.
When I told her I had to cancel she told me that it would be $70 to do that. I told her that wasn't happening and I persisted and she SUDDENLY REMEMBERED a room at the end of the smoking hall that they never rent and because of this, "shouldn't have too much smoke." When we went there to check it out, the door read "NON SMOKING." And it was. Why she didn't offer this to begin with, is beyond me.
Once in the room, it was fine but soon found out the response to any problem for this girl was "thanks for letting us know." No means of fixing anything, but a polite "thanks." The phone in my room didn't work, so I had to call on my cell to ask about the internet which wasn't working "Thanks for letting us know, but try one of the neighboring hotel wireless signals, that should work." Really? And the phone not working? "Thanks for letting us know." I later realized the clock wasn't working either, but at this time had given up.
I went down stairs later to make a food run with my son and while I was passing by the desk, a man came out of the pool and told the front desk clerk "that room is freezing and so is the water." Her response? You guessed it. "Thanks for letting us know." Unbelievable.
Needless to say we skipped the "free" breakfast the next morning and headed out of there as soon as we could. In fairness, the rooms are okay and fairly clean but the place is located behind a gas station and not in a very good area at all. The hotel is dark, cold and drabby. There are much better options in Elkhart. I won't be using Hotwire again to find them.
Be warned.
- Best Western Elkhart
- Elkhart Best Western
