I was at a conference on Friday at Sheraton Four Points (owned by Starwood).
At our lunch break, I asked the women running the registration booth if there was a place for me to pump. The women were very rude and told me to ask the hotel staff. (I sent an email to the conference company about this, too) I asked the hotel staff and was given the rudest look and told I could use a bathroom. I protested that I couldn't- needed a clean, private room and that furthermore the bathroom didn't have an outlet. I asked for any room- sleeping, office, conference room, etc. Staff still said no. And the looks I got were absolutely the worst part. It was humiliating.
So, I walked outside and see Aloft and notice that the sign says they are part of the W hotel chain (also Starwood owned.) I've stayed at the W a number of times and thought they were really nice, so I decided to try them. The woman at the front desk couldn't have been nicer. She secured a conference room for me right away, pulled the shades, asked if I needed anything, etc. I was able to pump in peace. Phew!! I thanked her profusely as I left, but she was busy, so I didn't catch her name.
So I was all fired up after the conference and decided to email Starwood about both experiences. I received an email back from them this morning. I know I can't post it here, but it was a great letter!! They apologized for the poor treatment, and said that they were sending my complaints directly to the Four Points management team so that they can *avoid similar incidents in the future.* They also were thankful of the nice things I said about Aloft and were forwarding those comments, too.
Anyway- I am pretty happy with the outcome. A sincere apology was all I could ask for and I got it. And the part about making sure it doesn't happen again really made me happy. No one should have to deal with this crap and hopefully my letter brought a little attention to the issue.
At our lunch break, I asked the women running the registration booth if there was a place for me to pump. The women were very rude and told me to ask the hotel staff. (I sent an email to the conference company about this, too) I asked the hotel staff and was given the rudest look and told I could use a bathroom. I protested that I couldn't- needed a clean, private room and that furthermore the bathroom didn't have an outlet. I asked for any room- sleeping, office, conference room, etc. Staff still said no. And the looks I got were absolutely the worst part. It was humiliating.
So, I walked outside and see Aloft and notice that the sign says they are part of the W hotel chain (also Starwood owned.) I've stayed at the W a number of times and thought they were really nice, so I decided to try them. The woman at the front desk couldn't have been nicer. She secured a conference room for me right away, pulled the shades, asked if I needed anything, etc. I was able to pump in peace. Phew!! I thanked her profusely as I left, but she was busy, so I didn't catch her name.
So I was all fired up after the conference and decided to email Starwood about both experiences. I received an email back from them this morning. I know I can't post it here, but it was a great letter!! They apologized for the poor treatment, and said that they were sending my complaints directly to the Four Points management team so that they can *avoid similar incidents in the future.* They also were thankful of the nice things I said about Aloft and were forwarding those comments, too.
Anyway- I am pretty happy with the outcome. A sincere apology was all I could ask for and I got it. And the part about making sure it doesn't happen again really made me happy. No one should have to deal with this crap and hopefully my letter brought a little attention to the issue.
