Muncie Place Hotel & Suites

Friendly front desk & helpful

All went well

Today, I discovered a surprise $75 charge to my card, even though I had not authorized Holiday Inn to charge this amount for any reason. Upon calling the hotel, the desk employee argued with me about how my service animal had been seen by housekeeping staff, so they charged me a pet fee that they would not be refunding. I explained that the animal is a service animal, not a pet. The employee was thoroughly confused, which is ludicrous and unacceptable. Staff cannot be this ignorant about how to handle ADA issues, it is irresponsible. When I asked to speak with a supervisor, I was put on the phone with Yolanda, who was somehow even ruder and more ignorant than her subordinate. I explained the issue. Yolanda stated that I am required to disclose a service animal and that she would not be refunding the charge. I explained that this is illegal and was met with what can only be described as childish contempt. Yolanda became nastier and nastier, continuing to deny the reality of federal law. When I asked to speak her supervisor or be given contact info, Yolanda claimed that she had no idea who at corporate supervises her and has never been given contact information by corporate or contacted by corporate. This is an obvious and pathetic lie that Yolanda told to avoid further scrutiny by Holiday Inn Express Corporate, who is already investigating a claim against her. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), service animals cannot be subject to pet fees or required to be disclosed in advance. Despite this, I was charged a $75 pet fee because her staff assumed my service animal was a pet and are now refusing to refund the charge, stating that I was required to disclose the animal. This is a violation of federal law. Per the ADA (28 CFR § 36.302(c)): • A business cannot charge fees or deposits for a service animal. • A guest is not required to disclose a service animal before arrival. • Hotels can only ask if the animal is required due to a disability and what task it is trained to perform. I have already filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for ADA violations and have begun to explore my options for legal representation. If Yolanda is found to be in violation of ADA statutes or practices by the DOJ, she will be subject to negative consequences up to and including fines exceeding $96,000 and/or revocation of her franchise license. Right before Yolanda hung up on me, I stated I would submit formal complaints with the DOJ, the BBB, and the FTC. Yolanda stated proudly that this wouldn't be the first time and hung up on me.

staff was rude

The staff was excellent. They were all very nice and helpful. When we first went into our room, it smelled very strong of bleach. It was so overpowering that we had to open the window and leave the room. Once we came back several hours later, the smell had gone away. Then in the morning we went to breakfast and the coffee maker was broken, the juice machine was broken, the pancake machine was not working and the bottle water in the fridge was all warm. The food selection was very limited and was not being filled in a timely manner. The eating area is also very small. When we went back up to our room after breakfast, our key had been deactivated so we were locked out of our room. We then had to go back down to the front desk and have the key reactivated. The room seemed outdated and the carpet was very worn, broken tiles in the bathroom, holes in the wall that need repaired. Overall, the facility really needs some major updating and repairs. We believe this facility was not worth the $215 we had to pay for 1 night. I would not recommend this hotel unless you're in a desperate situation.

The front desk staff was super nice.