The lady who works the graveyard shift gave me a look of annoyance when I walked in, looking exhausted from the drive. She was not at all polite and acted like I was inconveniencing her just by being there at the hotel. She inquired about whether or not I had made any reservations, to which I replied that I hadn't. However, the real reason behind this is that I'm actually a member of the Hilton Honors program, and I'm just feeling quite exhausted after driving or moving here to Florida. She explained that her system was currently down, which meant she wasn't able to make any room rentals (and that was actually correct). She offered me the option of waiting it out, or alternatively, she suggested I could check out the Embassy by Hilton hotel just up the street. This poor review isn't because she couldn't help me; it's the way she made me feel the entire time I waited. She made a few calls to other hotels to check if their systems were experiencing any downtime. During those calls, she was very pleasant and friendly with the hotel staff. However, when she spoke with me, her demeanor shifted to being quite rude and off-putting. I find myself consistently sticking with Hampton Inns whenever possible. In fact, during my recent two-week work trip, I ended up staying at a different Hampton Inn each night. I've genuinely never had a negative interaction with the staff at any of them. It's possible that this was a unique situation, perhaps I inadvertently interrupted her lunch break, or maybe she was simply having a difficult day or dealing with some personal issues. However, as a hospitality employee, I would expect them to handle their personal problems professionally and maintain a positive demeanor, without making me feel like I don't belong in the lobby. Lady, please be hospitable and avoid being rude.
After that, I went over to the Embassy Suites, and there was a really nice lady working there. She explained to me that she wouldn't be able to help until their computer system was back up and running again. It's worth noting that Embassy Suites is also a Hilton brand, and even though she couldn't directly assist me at that moment, she was incredibly kind and sweet about the situation.
What is the deal with not renting rooms because the computer is down? You need to have a backup plan in place. I'm at the Comfort Inn right now, and the lady there was really nice. The room is clean, and the staff made me feel welcome. I'm really not planning on staying at any Hilton hotel until I get over being treated poorly. It's not that I want to break up completely, but I think we need to take a break from each other.