Christian Day

Review of The Roosevelt New Orleans, A W...

After a hurricane on October 28th in New Orleans k...

After a hurricane on October 28th in New Orleans knocked out our power, my husband and I decided to treat ourselves to a stay at the Roosevelt. Mid-morning on the 29th, I called the hotel website number and was transferred to the Hilton reservations call center. I said that we had three small dogs and the rep said that this was ok but mentioned a $170 charge, which I was fine with. I asked if I'd be able to check in early and they said as early as 1pm. I asked if they had room service during Covid. They said no so I said I would check with my husband to see if that was amenable to him and call back.

I called back and spoke to another Hilton rep, deciding to book the King Astoria suite with separate living room, the second-most expensive room in the building. Again, I mentioned the three small dogs and was told, again, that this would be ok with a fee of $170. I asked if I'd be able to check in at 1pm and the rep said they'd check and put me on hold. After a few minutes on hold, I was transferred to a phone ringing for several minutes and hung up.

I called back and repeated everything to the third rep, including the three small dogs, and were told they were fine with a fee of $170. After checking with the hotel, the rep said that I was able to check in immediately. I asked about parking for my husband, who was coming later with the three small dogs and the rep said that I could pay a per-night parking fee per night upon check-in.

I got a car over to the Roosevelt. When I got to the check-in desk, I mentioned that my husband would be coming later in the jeep with the three small dogs and that I needed parking. The woman at the front desk replied that there was a two dog limit per room. I said that this was unacceptable as I had spoken to three phone reps that said three dogs were ok. She asked if I had booked third party and I told her I had booked via the phone number on the hotel website. She said that they don't book at the hotel and I replied that the number brought me to Hilton reservations. I insisted she get a manager because I was told by three different employees of the corporation she works for that this would be ok. She said her manager was on lunch break but would go ask. The manager refused to come out and sent the front desk clerk back with the message that no exceptions could be made.

I then let a few choice words fly. It wasn't my finest hour but what if we had driven from another state only to find out that the number of dogs we were told were ok were suddenly not? Thank heavens we were only driving from just over a mile away!

I went home and spent an hour with a customer care rep who wasn't very helpful at first, which only made me more irate. My husband told her from the background that he'd heard me on the call with the third rep and that I had mentioned three small dogs. The rep became helpful and called the hotel to say that I was told three dogs was ok. The rep told me that the hotel would not budge on their policy and had told her that they were not an evacuee hotel.

Evacuee hotel? Seriously? We were renting the second most expensive suite they had! If you're going to get nitpicky about two dogs per room, our room would be nearly three times the size of the smallest room they allow two dogs in, and they should have made an exception just due to their corporate mistake.

The customer care rep created case 76007240 to go to the general manager of the hotel and to that person's higher-up. She offered us another Hilton property, but it is comical to think that I would ever stay in their hotels again.

Today, I got a response by email and was told that I should call the hotel directly, as though I was going to get anywhere after their continued refusals!

We are utterly appalled that this has happened to us and that Hilton has done nothing to fix it.