“My sister is getting married in Reading, PA on October the 27th and we booked approximately 30 hotel rooms at the Sheraton Hotel in Wyomissing, PA for out-of-town guests. The groom is from Washington state, so there are a significant number of people traveling across the country. The block of rooms was reserved well over a year in advance and all of the individual reservations were made with months to spare. There is a large figure skating competition in the area (Skate America) that same weekend, and hotel rooms are nearly impossible to come by at this point within a 45 minute drive. Late last week my mom called the Sheraton to check in on the reservations (as she had done multiple times prior given the aforementioned dearth of hotel rooms in the area for that weekend to ensure that nothing like this would occur) and was told they had canceled all of the hotel rooms in the block including the bridal suite.”

When pressed on the issue the manager on duty (Manager 1) stated that there was a mold problem and the rooms needed to be cleaned, etc. which was to be done that weekend. The manager offered no apology and offered to book reservations at a hotel 45 minutes away, which, in my opinion is not exactly a fair trade-off.

The next day my dad went to the hotel and attempted to reserve a room for the weekend of the 27th. The manager on duty (Manager 2) said that they were all booked. My dad pressed on for awhile, and upon getting nowhere inquired about the mold problem. Manager 2 stated that there was no mold problem that she was aware of and that all the rooms were simply booked for Skate America. At this point my dad let on and told her who he was and explained the full story.

Manager 2 stated that the block shouldn’t have been canceled and that Manager 1 had acted inappropriately. Both of my parents went to the hotel this morning and were told by Manager 1 that there was nothing he could do and he continually refused to even provide a room for the bride and groom, stating that the other customers were international guests and therefore had priority even though our block (and many of the actual rooms) had been reserved over a year in advance.

We have requested documentation of the mold problem and have yet to receive it or any indication that it is forthcoming. As of this writing none of the guests have been notified that their reservations no longer exist, in fact several of them have received emails saying that the Sheraton can’t wait to welcome them as guests in a few weeks! We’ve attempted to escalate the issue via national customer service to no avail and have seemingly exhausted our options at the specific hotel itself. Any thoughts on where to go from here?

Pseudonymously,
Calvin Rigatoni>

The Sheraton had no right to cancel these people’s reservation with their moldy lies. It sounds like these two managers are on the same hierarchy. Instead of escalating to Sheraton corporate, which sounds as hands-off to the franchises as a car-maker to a dealership, maybe find out who the owner is of this particular Sheraton. More than just the importance of keeping promises, a real wedding is more important than a fake sport.

UPDATE: Calvin writes:

My mom was able to get all the rooms she needed in another hotel nearby after a separate wedding party canceled their block. After much back and forth and discussions between the Sheraton and my parent’s lawyer, the Sheraton agreed to pay for all of these rooms as well as transportation from the hotel to the reception, etc. They’ve still offered very very little in the way of apology or further explanation, but at least they’ve attempted to make right (or cover their respective a**es depending on how you look at it.)

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.