Arrogance and Misleading
Stayed in the extended stay rooms at Diamond Mills to attend a wedding. The rooms themselves are ok, but nothing special for an extended stay property. In fact, for about half the price you can get a nicer room at a Residence Inn. However, there where problems. First, the heating/cooling cannot be accurately regulated due to placement of the heating/cooling units and the thermostats. Any good HVAC installer would not have installed a comfort system in the manner in which these rooms were set up. The temperature would frequently cycle from extremely hot to extremely cold because the air from the system would blow across the ceiling directly on the thermostats on the opposite wall. Very stupid setup. When complaining to the general manager (Gina Hornbeck) she treated me as if I was too stupid to set a thermostat and said that the system is working properly. Obviously she has no clue what properly means with heating and cooling. When attempting to further explain the issue she ignored me. When I filed a complaint with the BBB her response to them was that the thermostat was programmable and that I essentially did not know how to use it. The fact is the thermostat was not programmable, further lending to the belief that she hasn't a clue about the property she manages or she was lying. I personally believe both to be the case.
The rooms are also very noisy due to the building being right on the street. Even with the windows closed you hear poorly muffled trucks and cars very clearly.
Next issue with the extended stay apartments is the location. The view from the room is one of run down houses with trash or other assorted junk in the yards. The parking area is cinders that gets messy when it rains. The area is not at all what you would expect for a property connected with Diamond Mills and all their claims of luxury, yet they charge premium prices for these rooms as if it's something special. Well, I guess it would be if they weren't located in the middle of what appears to be an obviously low income neighborhood.
The general manager tried to tell me that the location and condition of the extended stay apartments was explained in advanced. This is a total fabrication of the truth, as nothing was explained. The only explanation of anything is on the website saying this is a stand-alone building. Nothing else is stated speaking of the true nature of the building and the dump it sits in.
We had a dog with us and during the reservation process the question was asked as to whether or not there was an additional pet fee. The answer was no, yet when checking in a pet fee was charged. The general manager in an email told me the pet fee would be refunded, yet I had to do a charge-back to get this done because she stopped responding when I was asking about the status of the refund. My guess at this point is that she has reneged on this because they don't like people complaining. She seems to me to be a very vindictive woman.
Another very annoying issue is that you cannot go from the reception hall (Tavern part of the building) to the hotel and say inside the building(s). You have to go outside, so if it's raining or snowing you're getting wet. VERY stupid design 'feature'. Also, no bathrooms in the lobby of the hotel. If you don't have a room there and you are waiting for something you will have to make the hike to the tavern. Another very stupid design 'feature'. They claim this is because they are a 'luxury' hotel. I guess walking in the cold and rain is a luxury you should seek out while in Saugerties, NY.
In short we paid over $700 for a two night stay in a 'luxury' extended stay unit sitting among dumpy houses and aging buildings, while dealing with poor service and childish arrogance. I would have expected better from a property owned by someone like Thomas Struzzieri (HITS Inc.).
I should also add that Ms. Hornbeck stated that I was aggressive, taking my aggravation with the service and her attitude as aggressive. Well, I'd say that if you've paid $700+ for poor service and even the manager purposely chooses to ignore you, you would be a little aggressive also. Additionally, I have Ms. Hornbeck's home phone number. I would think that if I was as aggressive as she would like people to believe I would have been harassing her by calling her personal number. I did not make a single call to this number.
In summary it was a very unpleasant experience that could have easily been remedied by Ms. Hornbeck, yet she chose to let her arrogance and self-absorbed nature dictate her reaction to the problem. Her behavior has been completely unprofessional and in all my years of travel around the world I have never seen this type of behavior from anyone in a management capacity. I see Diamond Mills as nothing more than a case of putting lipstick on a pig.