Disgusting and Dishonest

We needed a pet-friendly place to stay and found The Showboat, but in order to make a reservation for a pet room you have to call to make it. The person on the phone said that there is a $50 charge per pet (fine) and asked if we wanted to book a "nicer" room in the "new tower," which sounded good. I was given an "all in" price and was told I would receive an email confirmation. When one never arrived I called the next day and asked where it was, was told it was a "server issue" and a new one would be sent (which in hindsight should have been my cue to just cancel the room).

The next day I had to call and ask for it again, was told it was coming and still never got anything in writing. When we arrived nothing about this property was "new." At check in, which took forever because other guests were constantly jumping the lines to complain about issues with their rooms, I was told that the pet fee was actually $100. When I said that the person I made my reservation with had said it was $50, I was told "the rate changed in April and it's non-negotiable." Not really having any other options I figured I would call later to figure out what happened.

We got into the room and it was literally the most disgusting hotel room I had ever seen (or smelled). The room smelled like stale pee and cigarettes and the carpet was so horrifying we wouldn’t let our dog sit on it. Some kind of drink or food was spilled against the wall at some point in the past and never cleaned, the carpet was sticky and everything was stained, including the couch. The “pet relief area” was very far away from the rooms and consisted of a patch of astroturf that was covered in feces. Nobody staying here seemed to be picking up after their pets. The room was so gross that after a few hours we finally cut our losses and drove home. The room was that intolerable.

Upon checkout I asked for an itemized receipt because the rep on the phone lied about the costs, and was told "one could be emailed to me." When I explained that I needed one on paper because my confirmation emails never came through I was told that was "impossible" because "the system hasn't rolled over to the next day yet." I said that I needed something in writing after being lied to about the pet fee and since the room was so horrifying that we were leaving the same day, and was given the "previous" rate of $50 as a "make good (?)," though it was still not included the total cost of the room as the original phone representative said. Unsurprisingly, they were able to give me both a paper receipt and email one after that (very old-school hotel swindle games).

Aug. 06, 2023