Troy Kelly

I am currently staying in Perth after a “travel day” on tour. We leave for our next city on Tuesday and have a day off tomorrow. After my experience checking in to the hotel, I am going to need tomorrow to calm down.

Below is an excerpt of the email that I have sent their manager, in an effort to make them aware of a possible short coming in their procedures. I think it is all pretty self explanatory, the only details omitted from the email are the full detail of the hotel – which is:

Assured Ascot Quays Apartment Hotel
150 Great Eastern Hwy, Ascot, Perth, WA 6104

eMail: ascot@assured.net.au
Phone: +61 8 9479 0000
Fax +61 8 9477 2475

And now the email…

We had previously stayed with your hotel on our travel day last week,
without incident. I found both the staff and facilities at that time
to be fantastic. And no issues were raised with me on our departure -
so I can only assume that the hotel had no issue with either myself or
the group of professional performers that I am touring with.

On-route this afternoon, I called in advance as is standard procedure
to confirm our rooms approximately one hour out from Perth. I was
pleased to find that the same front desk person was on (Emma) and that
she had already confirmed our booking and everything was in order.

Once we arrived, I was greeted by Emma who went through the normal
check in procedure. She had graciously re-used the charge back form
from our previous stay as it was over looked by our Brisbane
production office for this second booking. At the end of my check-in
and after receiving room keys for all the cast, Emma asked me to sign
an additional form that we were not required to sign on our last stay
pertaining to extraordinary requirements that the hotel wanted to
place on myself and the cast during our stay.

At this time I informed Emma that I would not sign such a form, as I
see it as unnecessary and that if they absolutely required a signature
they could send it to our Brisbane production office, have them review
it and if necessary seek legal advice and that they would then provide
a response in writing.

It was at this point in time that Thomas who was identified as the
front desk manager then involved himself.

I was taken aside and Thomas asked to explain the form to me. I
re-iterated my stance on the additional “contract” to Thomas and again
offered for the form to be sent to our Brisbane production office for
the Producer to review and comment.

During my discussion with Thomas, there were several comments made by
him that further aggravated the situation. Some of these were:

“Are you just having a bad day, is that the problem?”; and
(after a prior comment about the appearance of the cast) “Well, they
are acting like they are underage”.

I strongly resent that based purely on the appearance of the cast your
hotel would require the signing of an additional form for any purpose
at all. I find it discriminatory and exceptionally insulting.

I expect a written apology from Thomas that can be either delivered to
my room, or faxed to our Brisbane production office. If this is
“standard procedure” I would suggest that in future you make the
parties aware of the additional paperwork when the booking is placed,
not at check in when it (rightly or wrongly) appears like it is a form
used only when your staff evaluate the guest as a risk.