Park Plaza Pirates?

[bobquasit.livejournal.com]

For reasons that I don't want to go into right now I basically missed the con, for the first time ever (I've been to every Arisia, and the first one was my first con experience). Words really cannot express how disappointed I am. Nonetheless, I did manage to be there for seven of the eight panels I was assigned - I drove in from Rhode Island each day for just long enough.

Okay, better not let myself whine too much. But there is one thing I have to ask: Did anyone else have wierd problems with the Park Plaza this year? When I went to check in, I had enough free on my debit card to pay for the two rooms I had reserved. But apparently they wanted a large amount more to be free on the card for security deposit purposes. So the guy behind the desk told me that in addition to paying for both rooms in full, I needed to give him $600 in cash immediately!

Now, the second of the two rooms was for a friend, and I didn't absolutely have to pay for it. She'd offered to pay for it herself, but I owed her from last year. Nonetheless, I asked if I could just put MY room on the card, and she could pay for her own room and security deposit when she came in. The clerk said that was acceptable, but I would still need to give him $600 in cash right away. I was kind of shocked, and showed it. Plese note, I remained polite! But the clerk started going on and on about the fine print in the Arisia contract.

As it happens, we'd brought $1,000 of emergency money just in case (like I said, I've been to every Arisia, so I know how things can go wrong), so I ran out to the car to get $600 from my spouse. Ran back to the desk, and the clerk I'd been speaking to was gone. So I checked in through a different clerk, and guess what? She never asked for $600 cash! I paid for one room on the card and the other with cash, but apart from an extra $150 or so that she took on on my card by accident (I'll be credited with the balance in 7 business days) there was no extra charge beyond room costs.

Now, I do think that I was still overcharged, because I think she charged me the same rate for both rooms even though they were supposed to be different. The whole check-in confused the hell out of me. But that $600 thing freaked me out.

Other than that, from what little I saw of it the Park Plaza continues its downward spiral. Pubic hairs on the towels in our room, a "bathroom" without a toilet (!) , another bathroom with a "shower" so small that you literally had to stand sideways (and set up so that the entire floor was inevitably swimming in water afterwards), incredible amounts of paint peeling off the walls in one of the stairwells (I only hope it wasn't lead paint)...on the plus side, apparently the creme brulee from room service was fantastic (it's the only dessert they actually make there).

Great job on the Green Room, those meatballs were great (grinder rolls would have been nice, though).

The con itself seemed wonderful, from what little I saw of it; thanks. Or rather, THANKS. I'd use the largest font possible (you guys deserve it), but then I'd have to LJ-cut. :-S

Comments

[fireheart.livejournal.com]

As a dealer, we were told in advance that we needed to give them a $600 deposit. They couldn't really explain why we had to pay a deposit but the parties did not, although maybe the parties did.

[azaz-al.livejournal.com]

We had a party room but did not have to pay a deposit. Our room was in respectable shape, not like what the poster described, but we have traditionally had other redtape types of problems with the hotel in the past, like havoing to wait an obnoxiously long time to get our room or to get a confirmed room number in spite of having reserved a room months in advance.

[mistypen.livejournal.com]

I had a lot of problems with the hotel as well, and I had a party, I did not have to put down a $600 deposit but they overcharged me on my credit card, i got the wrong room, with two people in my room having to sleep on uncomfortable cots, had 2 small bathrooms in room, where you can hardly move and a shower/tub you had to practically need a ladder to get into. Can Arisia please please please look for a new hotel, the Park Plaza's rooms arent so hot, and their customer service sucks.

[fuzcat.livejournal.com]

This is why we have a hotel liason stationed in the middle of the lobby. Did you by any chance get the name of the person who was trying to get an extra $600.00 cash out of you. Having to pay additioanl money in cash always rings bells in my head.

As for the state of the room, you are a paying guest. Definitly contact house keeping, they will come up an take care of things like that and well should of done so before the con. You should probably send a copy of your post to innkeeper@arisia.org