Welcome to the Hostility Inn. I was driving from Colorado to Phoenix. My final destination was San Diego. I was extremely tired. All the hotels in Phoenix were booked because of a NASCAR event. I went on-line to see what might be available. I used Hotel Tonight and found a room in Chandler. The only thing I knew about Chandler is most people that I know say "don't go." It was 45 minutes from Phoenix. I had never stayed in a Holiday and Inn and I assure that I never will again. Emma was the only person at the front desk. An older woman in suburban coordinates and an unfortunate choice of pedal pushers was babbling away telling Emma how great the coffee was. Blah, blah, blah. I was the only other person in line and it took Emma 10 minutes to finally say, "I'll be right with you." Emma told Ms Pusher that she could not find her reservation. Ms Pedal Pusher asked if she could book her reservation under a different name since whatever she was booking was several weeks away. My hunch is that she's a regular and drops by for a chit-chat and free coffee. A line was beginning to form. Under my breath I said, " Oh my." I had no idea I'd been heard and suddenly the Queen Pedal Pushed turns around and starts screaming at me. Telling me that I was rude and mean. Project much? I had no intention of engaging this whacko. She was clearly narcissistiacly nuts. Then came something that totally caught me off guard. She wanted Jesus to visit me and make me a better person. She warned me to be nice to Emma, and swished out with her delicious coffee. At a good hotel (I later learned this was a 2 star) that would never happen, and if it should, the receptionist would apologize. Not Emma. Emma is a tabula rasa. A few to bullets missing in the chamber. When I got to my room I ordered room service. Jose delivered the meal. My two little dogs greeted Jose who began screeching like a little girl. "You can't have a dog. I'm telling the front desk"!
The next morning I ran into the owner of the hotel. We were both walking our dogs. Because our dogs were getting along so well we let them play together for awhile. I asked him about the hotels pet policy and he said it had not been figured out, but if I keep my dogs out of the lobby it should be OK. Several weeks later I noticed an expense of $250 on my hotel bill that I could not explain. It was a pet fee! I was never billed, I never signed off on such a fee. Absolutely no notification. Essentially a stay at Holiday Inn (which is in and of itself is insulting) cost me $400. I called the manager several times. My calls were not returned. I filed a credit card dispute. The hotel manager submitted to the bank a fictitiously fraudulent report. My dispute was denied. I decided to escalate the dispute and within a week the $250 was refunded. Overall it took 4 months to resolve. Before I wrap this up, Jesus never did make it to my room.