Guest User
June 2, 2023
The difference a day made! I have only positive things to say about my experience at this hotel. Check-in was welcoming and informative. Without prompting, I received a detailed orientation to the site and its amenities, and was encouraged to use them. The commitment to providing outstanding customer service at the Courtyard by Marriott Erie Ambassador Conference Center extends beyond the front desk. Literally every employee I encountered was helpful, gracious, or attentive. For example, one employee gave me recommended two local grocery stores. This morning's breakfast was bountiful and tasty. By contrast, yesterday's breakfast at the Home2 Suites Erie was basic and blah -- breakfast bowls heated by a lamp, plain bagels, and cereal with milk. No yogurt. Mainly for work, I spend approximately 60 nights per year at hotels. I recognize that hospitality is largely performative. Even if hotel employees are in a bad mood, they tend to meet the expectation to smile and provide useful information. My stay at the Courtyard by Marriott Erie Ambassador Conference Center was flawless. This was a sharp contrast to my previous night's stay at the Home2 Suites in Erie. Unlike at the Courtyard by Marriott Erie Ambassador Conference Center, where my stay was very pleasant, there were zero smiles at the Home2 Suites in Erie. At the Home2 Suites, I was not greeted by name, even after I introduced myself to three employees -- front desk; front desk manager; manager on duty. When I tried to ask questions about the location of the elevators and when breakfast was offered, the front desk manager stopped emptying the trash to butt in the conversation and threaten to cancel my reservation. I obtained that information from the manager on duty, but only after she looked it up. My room at the Courtyard by Marriott Erie Ambassador Conference Center was clean and comfortable. All the expected amenities were present. Nothing was untidy. By contrast, my room at the Home2 Suites by Erie was clean-ish. There was no lotion in the bathroom. There was no hair conditioner in the bathroom. In the shower, I noticed a VERY dirt place where one might place a bar of soap. While showering, I discovered that there was NO shower gel in the wall-hung dispenser. When I removed its cover, I confirmed the dispense was bone dry. Yet another letdown by the Home2 Suites by Erie. I mean, essentially an employee has to *never* check the dispenser for it to be empty. I had high hopes that my next stay at the Home2 Suites, for which I had pre-paid would be more pleasant. I confirmed my reservation with Hilton Honors on 5-31-23 and 6-1-23. I used the Hilton app to select my room and check-in on 6-1-23. As I approached the front desk at 3 p.m. to get my card keys, I saw the side profile of the front desk manager from the day before. She dashed into the office, closed the door, and canceled my reservation at 3:02 p.m. In my experience, that is an all-time low in customer service by a hotel employ