It was only for one night, but it was important that it be just right. The rate was good. A late night call before my trip to the hotel reassured me of the things that were important to me. The young man with whom I spoke told me that I could add breakfast for $5 per person, and that there were handicap accessible non-smoking double-double rooms.

Imagine my distress, then, when I arrived, with my parents, nephew, and daughter, to discover that not only was none of the above true, but that the front desk personnel were inexperienced young people who chose to make humiliating comments about the rate I had, the need for my mother to be accommodated in a handicap accessible room, and the cost of breakfast which I had been told would be added to the rate.

They couldn't possibly add breakfast for $5 per person to the rate I had, the front desk clerk at the Radisson Hotel Houston Hobby sneered at me. I had booked on-line at a "Netsaver Rate" that was well below the rack rate offered by the hotel itself. The only handicap accommodation the hotel offers is a smoking king.

In this instance I had a choice of accommodation, and I chose badly. Radisson is a name I trust, a brand on which I assume I can rely. How was I to know that the night person with whom I spoke didn't have a clue, or that the front desk would be manned by personnel who enjoyed the power they could exercise over our party? I had no way of knowing, of course, and our stay was marred by the behavior of these poorly trained individuals. Not only was my request for a non-smoking accessible room not possible, but the young woman assigning the rooms chose to put my parents in a unit as far from the elevator as possible. My mother, with a full leg brace and walker, was clearly visible, and clearly in discomfort, as we discussed the rooming options, the clerk and I. Her behavior was thoughtless and humiliating.

I didn't have a choice when I attended a conference one summer at the beautiful, elegant Westin Fairfax Hotel, now called the Westin Embassy Row, in Washington D.C. This was the hotel chosen for the conference, and under most circumstances, I would have thought it was an excellent selection.

Elegant and stately, the hotel sits on a corner in Embassy Row, a few short blocks to DuPont Circle, my favorite area of D.C. Not only is Westin a brand that epitomizes elegance and refinement, this particular hotel had once been a Ritz-Carlton. I was looking forward to an unequalled experience and the enjoyment of Westin's "Heavenly Bed®," the promotion that sets the Westin brand apart from others in its class.

My room was dark when I entered it, but when I opened the drapes, I saw that, because the hotel is built at odd angles, and because I was at the juncture of an interior corner, my view was that of a brick wall maybe 8 yards away. Before I touched a thing, I called down to the front desk and asked, politely, of course, if I could possibly get a room with an outside view... this was a bit too claustrophobic for me. No, I was told by the young woman at the front desk. The hotel had no king rooms facing the street.

I thought that was odd, but began the process of unpacking. In the light, the room looked dirty to me. The upholstered chairs and carpet were badly stained, there was a patina of dust on the glass surfaces of the desk and side table, the lamp shades were dirty and askew, and the "Heavenly Bed" was poorly made up with a stained coverlet. On the windowsill was a pile of soot and a screw. The smoke alarm was hanging from wires above the door to the room. The bathroom, which was large and appealing, was also not properly cleaned.

After having driven for five long hours in the summer heat, I was grubby and exhausted. Westin features a coffeepot in all of its rooms, with Starbuck's® coffee. Now THAT was truly heavenly... it brewed while I showered. Unfortunately, the hairdryer came apart in my hands when I tried to use it.

To Page Two