I was initially happy with my stay at IHG in Clermont. The hotel has undergone recent renovations, and overall we found the property comfortable and pleasant except for bathtub flooding and slow drain. Unfortunately, what should have been a great stay was completely overshadowed by repeated and extremely upsetting interactions with a front desk employee named Ana Bautista, which her manager position seems to have gotten to her head without knowing how to properly treat people.
The first incident happened with my husband while I was at a work appointment and he was alone with our dog. When the issue of breakfast and our dog was raised, my husband simply asked Ana how he was supposed to get breakfast to eat it at the lobby if he’s alone with the dog. Instead of respectfully explaining the situation or trying to offer a reasonable solution, Ana turned her back on my husband and walked away. Never in my life have I seen a hospitality professional respond to a guest in such a dismissive manner and contradictory.
Ana eventually stated that he can sit in the hotel lobby directly in front of the front desk to eat it since luckily she came after he had served a plate. The following day, however, my husband and I chose to sit together quietly in a corner, away from everyone and away from the area where the food was actually being served. We specifically did this so that my dog could remain quietly beside me and would not even need to enter the area where the breakfast food was located.We were not bothering anyone in a half empty breakfast area. We were together, out of the way, and making every effort to be respectful of the hotel and other guests.
Despite that, Ana approached me the following day and again in a loud, authoritative, confrontational tone. It felt less like hospitality and more like being publicly reprimanded by authorities like a police officer. There is absolutely a way to communicate a hotel policy without embarrassing or humiliating a guest. A quiet, respectful conversation would have accomplished that.
What makes this even more troubling is that I did not see any notices online or signs and notices informing guests that disability-related animals would be restricted from the breakfast seating area or that single guest accompanied by emotional support dog would be not be allowed to get breakfast and eat separately in the lobby without the rule making much sense if you’re alone with your service animal. We booked and were permitted to stay at the hotel with my dog, only to encounter this treatment afterward. From a guest’s perspective, the entire situation felt discriminatory, humiliating, and completely inconsistent with the hospitality we expected.
My dog is extremely quiet, well-behaved, trained, and remains directly by my side. He accompanies me because of a disability-related need, including situations involving severe panic symptoms and difficulty breathing.
Hospitality is about how you treat people. You can enforce or explain any legitimate hotel policy while still treating a guest with dignity, discretion, professionalism, and compassion. Turning your back on a guest asking for help and then publicly confronting another guest the following day is the opposite of hospitality.
I had even become an IHG member because we initially enjoyed the property and I expected to continue staying with the brand. Unfortunately, this experience has left an extremely bad taste in my mouth. I have historically stayed with Hilton, and after this experience, I am seriously considering returning to a brand where I feel comfortable, respected, and welcomed.
I sincerely hope IHG management takes this seriously, reviews exactly what occurred, clarifies its policies regarding guests requiring disability-related accommodations, and ensures its employees understand that hospitality begins with treating every guest with dignity and respect showing kindness and empathy.