The Premier Hotel, New York

In Mid September 2005 I booked two rooms at the Premier in New York City. Upon entering my room (#1019), I was shocked by a wall where the previous guest had scrawled, "wash me" in soot. I should have left then. If the housekeeping staff could overlook such obvious filth, what else in the room might have been overlooked and never properly cleaned? The room was cramped and unwelcoming. The carpeting and the room in general were dirty and unkempt. The uncomfortable sofa was a worn sectional in two pieces with wooden arms. There was no lap blanket. The magazines were piled carelessly on the table. There wasn�t even a pen in the room. A Zen garden with a broken rake rested on the desk. The ironing board was not properly attached to the door, so it banged loudly every time I opened the closet. There were no bathrobes and only three very small bath towels for two adults. The paint on the exposed ceiling pipe was peeling off. I cannot stress enough the disturbing effect of the hotel�s disappointing and dirty facilities had on me. We didn't book two rooms at a luxury hotel for nearly $900 a night to have such a shabby, careless and poorly maintained accommodation. On Sunday morning we never received an in room checkout or a hotel evaluation card, making me wonder if the staff suspected we would comment negatively about our stay. Prior to check out we called the desk for our car. We were told we had to go to the Millennium Hotel Bell Stand for information about it. We had to drag our luggage throughThe Premier to the Millennium lobby to the 45th Street entrance. The bellhop did not know how we would be able to get out of 6th Avenue. The parking attendant handed us our car keys and parking stub, left us facing a crowd of people and a wooden barricade, and told us to ask the police to let us drive through it. Only after we approached some NYC police officers did we get help. We had to turn our SUV around and the police officers guided us the wrong way down a one-way street. Finally we were on our way.When I am on a vacation I do not like to confront service personnel. I choose hotels and resorts with the highest ratings for service and accommodations. I do not want to voice complaints, have confrontations, or draw attention to myself. I try to choose recreation that is stress free. And mostly I do not want to be concerned about the sanitary conditions of my bed or bathroom. I looked at the hotel web site before I booked the Premier Hotel. I expected a relaxing stay at a luxury hotel. The advertisement clearly misrepresents the quality, service, facilities and attitude of the Premier. The customer service director is quoted in one press release as saying she wants consistently satisfied customers and that the Premier guarantees it will "meet and exceed the expectations of our guests." The Premier facilities are far from hitting that mark. My stay at the Premier last month was most unpleasant. I keep recalling the sooty writing on the wall and am unnerved by the unseen filth it may represent. I feel I have been grossly cheated, not only because of the high price I paid for a very bad experience but also because my weekend was so hurt by this situation. I can see no reason to stay at this hotel again. I have not heard a single word from the hotel about my copmplaints.