Complaint Review: WYNDHAM GARDEN HOTEL NEWARK AIRPORT

I brought my daughter to see New York, all the way from California,  for the first time in her young life, (a freshman in high school), for the week after Christmas 2012 and through New Years. 

From the beginning of my stay, I was disappointed with the condition of the room.  The bathroom was ,less than the clean standards I am used to in hotels.  As well, the bed was extremely hard, the  heater in the room was inconsistent throughout the trip....often VERY LOUD & blowing cold air(very unpleasant in December in New Jersey). 

I tried to address these issues with the front desk but was more often than not, unable to get anyone to answer the phone.  I was left with asking the hotel house cleaning staff in the halls to have management call me, they NEVER DID.  I made several attempts to deal directly with the front desk but again, there was often no one there.

The hotel "offers a 24 hour coffee/snack bar", but there was often NO ONE THERE, to service the counter.  When I was able to get help there, the staff was often less than friendly. 

During the stay, my daughter became ill to the point that I needed to take her to a local hospital.  I asked the hotel about local public taxi services to the hospital.  I was told they's call one for me.  The first trip to the hospital I noticed in the "taxi", that there was NO METER....the fee was a staggering $25.00 for the very short trip.   The trip back from the hospital in a public cab was approximately $8.00??? 

The very next day I had to take my daughter again to the hospital and again asked for a cab from the front desk.  Upon arrival, I asked the driver of the company the Wyndham called why the rate was so high going there, but so cheap returning.  The taxi service told me that they "had a deal with the hotel", and that they were the ONLY service the hotel called, (vs. the hotel disclosing to me that relationship or the option to call a more affordable public taxi service).  The trip home that day, in a public taxi again was much cheaper, only $11.00???  ***I immediately asked the front desk why it was not disclosed to me, the consumer,  that the cars/taxis they were calling for me were in fact under an agreement with the hotel(per that morning's taxi driver).  The hotel mgmt. on duty had no answer.  I informed her that I felt that the relationship they had with the car service should have been made public to me the consumer, giving me the choice to call a more reasonable priced service, in other words, MORE TRANSPARENT.  Again, no answer from the mgmt.

Finally, there was the so called free shuttle service to the airport, to catch either trains to the city of New York, or flights from Newark.  I was told that the service ran every 30 minutes.  It was RARE if ever that I found the service to be on time.  As well, the drivers were often very abrupt and less than friendly.  On one trip to the airport, the shuttle was so OVER FILLED, with passsengers, there were peoplel standing in the aisle with nothing overhead to hold on to....as well as standing in the shuttle stairwell, on a speeding freeway. *** I actually took photographs of what I deemed hazardous care of the customers.

After contacting the hotel corporate office for Wyndham Hotels, I was instructed to deal with the hotel directly about my complaints and about seeking some type of adjustment to my bill(almost $700.00) for 6 nights.  The hotel said that the best they could do was offer me a $68.00 credit back to my debit card($68.00 which barely covered the $50.00 taxi charges I incurred on my 2 trips to the hospital in the hotel's "private car service").

I contacted corporate customer service person named Allison on the 4th who said she'd see if the hotel could do better than the $68.00 adjustment.  All that did was get me a call from a man at the hotel who identified himself as the hotel general manager, and that I would under no circumstances receive ANY MORE compensation for my stay, which I considered horrible and at times dangerous(see the above shuttle service story).

I NEVER heard back from Allison at corporate to see if she could get me any more satisfaction for what I felt was a horrible stay.  I called today, Jan 10, and spoke with a Linda in customer service at corporate who said again, that the $68.00 credit I received was all I'd ever receive and that there was nothing more they were willing to do.

I am horribly disappointed with the Wyndham Garden Hotel Newark Airport.  Not only was the service HORRIBLE, but at times, my safety was placed in danger in the less than timely, rudely staffed over crowded shuttles.  I hope anyone reading this takes this seriously.  There are many other quality hotels to stay at near Newark Airport....I will stay there next time.  

The Wyndham Garden Hotel Newark Airport was the WORST experience I can remember at a hotel.  That was simply my own experience....but it is the unfortunate and disappointing truth!!!