I have noticed that with the growing trend of Near Easterners grabbing at the American Dream, coming to the United States and buying franchise businesses. My recent experiences with the motel industry this week, July 8-13, have prompted me to seek out this website and make contact with the personnel who run this. As I vented my anger and frustration, I was grateful to hear that Mr. Magedson, the founder of this fantastic web site, feels the way I do about this situation that we joke about and is even the subject of TV sitcoms. Mr. Magedson told me that if I mention our conversation he would want to emphatically point out that he has no prejudice and that although stereotyping is unfair, it is nonetheless a reality. There are generalities which can be made about almost all ethnicities.
In my travels this last week I thought that I could be fairly well assured of getting a clean room, which is very important to me. My first experience was at a Best Western in Oklahoma City. It was run by Indians and the entire facility was filthy. I had no possiblity of getting another room as I checked and there were no rooms available anywhere, except for another run-down non-franchised flea bag, ironically run by Pakistanis. My room was filthy and when I complained and asked that someone come clean, the management refused using the excuse that no one was available, that the room was already cleaned. The bathroom was filthy and there was debris on the bottom of the toilet seat with pealing paint. There were dark hairs stuck to the shower walls and the mirrors were streaky. I just got the feeling that not only hookers, but also germs came there to breed, and neither cleaned up after themselves. I was so distressed, I ended up having to go buy cleaning supplies and cleaning it myself as the management would not even let me use their supplies.
I was married to a Foreign Service Officer and I was dragged all around the world and subjected to a myriad of living conditions. I always felt that those sacrifices were for my country. Well, we divorced and I came back to the US, hoping to put experiences behind me. I now see that those living conditions have followed me back here. I am an American consumer and demand value for my money based on my way of life, not those of the Near East. It appears to me that the regional political and economic instability, which plays itself out on the battlefields of the Siachen Glacier, and the like, have brought the war to the motel and quickie mart industry in the US. The only difference is that the American public is the loser.
I went on to Indianapolis and changed my reservation ahead of time to a Holiday Inn. When I arrived there, I had the same disturbing news. I knew as soon as I went into the lobby that it was also run by Near Easterners. The smell of curry is a dead give-away. It is also the calling card that my room would again be filthy. The bathroom was also filthy and the carpets were obviously only cleaned in the trafficked area. When I turned down the bed, I saw food on the blanket and suspected that the sheets and pillow cases were not fresh.
The next morning I talked with the cleaning team and they confirmed what I suspected. They all told me that their Indian managers were the worst and most frustrating to work for. They told me that I was right about my suspicions that the rooms were not thoroughly done, but they explained that it was not their fault. To save money on supplies, they are told not to change sheets and towels every day, even between patrons and they are to only vacuum the carpet where people walk, not even under the bed. When people complain the Indians blame their staff, but it is really at their direction. They also are not allowed to fix broken things.
I had this experience two years ago with a Comfort Inn. On top of the filth, the cable was also out for three days. When I travel, TV is very important to me. They refused to fix it and told me they would mail me a refund. They never did and I complained to Choice Hotels Chain. I was completely blown off. I dropped the issue until now. My motivation is not to get something for free, but I feel we are truly being taken advantage of by these Near Eastern "business people."
I am so distressed because I want to travel, in America, and have clean rooms. I feel like my only choice is to stay at Marriott hotels, but with my luck, Marriott will convert to Hinduism. Then when I have to kill myself, but I'll probably end up in Nirvana.
Harry
Chesterfield, Massachusetts
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