Good old Ramada Plaza

I'm staying in SF for Potlatch this weekend; seemed easier than trying to get to SF by a reasonable hour Saturday and Sunday mornings (which would likely have resulted in my not getting there 'til midafternoon). The hotel is the Ramada Plaza, and I'm ~pleased~ to report that my customer-service demon seems to be friends with the reservations people. Or at least distant acquaintances; as these things go, this one wasn't that bad.

Reserved a room there last October; wasn't sure at the time whether Mary Anne was going to come to the con, so got a room for two people, with two beds, just in case. (I have a hard time sleeping in a bed with someone else.) Today it finally occurred to me that I ought to let them know it was just one person, so they could give their two-bed rooms to people who needed 'em. So I called their reservations desk, and had a conversation that went something like this:

Me: I'd like to change my reservation from a room with two beds to a room with one bed.

Her: So you're calling to tell me your credit card number?

Me: I could do that, but I'm actually calling to change my reservation from a room with two beds to a room with one bed. The other person who was going to be sharing my room isn't coming.

Her: Let me tell you what I've got listed for you: queen-sized room, non-smoking, two people, arriving March 4, leaving March 6, rate is $109 a night.

Me [noticing that the rate is higher than it's supposed to be]: Well, first of all, I'm there for Potlatch—

Her: Oh, you're here for Potlatch? There's a reduced rate, let me change that. [Changes it—and to her credit, does so quickly and easily.]

Me: And when I made the reservation, they told me it was a room with two beds. But now it sounds like you're saying there's just one bed, so that's fine.

Her: Oh, you want a room with two beds? Here, let me change it.

Me: No, wait! I want a room with just one bed! When I called before they said they were giving me two beds, but now I only want one!

Her: Oh, so should I change the reservation from two people to one?

I said yes, and it was fairly smooth sailing from that point on. Or so I think. We'll see what kind of room I end up with.

I ought to know by now that I really shouldn't try to make such phone calls before breakfast.

I should note, btw, that the Ramada Plaza has always been good to me in the past, so I'm willing to write this off as a fluke. And a minor one at that.

One Response to “Good old Ramada Plaza”

  1. Colin

    Jed-

    I don’t think it’s just you. We stayed at a Ramada in Carlsbad this summer that was awful. The person at the desk ignored us for 1.2 hour while talking on the phone to a friend, then the first room they gave us was trashed, they then assigned us to another room which had someone already in it, finally they gave us a 3rd room that was moderately OK, except for the fact that, when you pulled out the hideaway bed in the “living room” you couldn’t get to the front door.

    To top it off, Margaret also had problems with her Ramada reservation for Potlatch so Im wondering if it’s indicative of the chain.

    reply

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