The Case

July 7, 2001

Choice Hotels International
ATTN: Corporate Customer Relations
10750 Columbia Pike
Silver Spring, MD 20901

RE: June 18 stay @ Econo Lodge, Malden, MA (MA080)
Reservation Confirmation #17870608

To Whom It May Concern:

I have stayed with your chain for a number of personal/business trips over the last 4-5 years, and I wish to formally notify you regarding my intense dissatisfaction with the quality of my recent stay at your Econo Lodge chain in Malden, Massachusetts on the evening of June 18. This hotel fell tremendously short of the quality to which I have been accustomed to at your facilities.

I have included photographs, which I took upon my arrival at the hotel, and have included forthwith to go along with my description of some of the numerous shortcomings of this locale.

· There were no less than four door locks cluttering the room door, two of which were not operational.
· Both nightstands on either side of the bed were missing drawer handles.
· There was no alarm clock and/or clock radio in the room.
· The TV set in the room did not have a remote control.
· The complimentary writing materials consisted of 4-5 small sheets of old scrap paper and a worn golf pencil.
· The shower nozzle originated from a roughly punched or sawed hole in the wall.
· The vanity cabinet in the bathroom was dilapidated, and the cheap particle board, which it was constructed from, was crumbling off.

Although your web site stated that this site had recently been renovated last summer, it was more than apparent to me that only a more modern, exterior façade facing the street had been added onto a seedy motor lodge, and that little or no work had been done to the interior rooms or common areas of this site.

I had a very restless night, and actually kept one of the room lights on all night because I honestly felt some fear for my personal safety, seeing the neighborhood that this hotel was in, and the type of hotel it was on the inside beyond its attractive front-facing exterior.

I do not think that the level of quality or service at an Econo Lodge should match that of a Marriott or Hilton, but I do most definitely expect a respectable level of comfort and hospitality, particularly at a rate of $90 a night during the week. I dare say that this stay was barely worth half that much.

I would appreciate you looking into this matter

Sincerely,
Michael W.