Comfort Inn

When I finally got to my room on Christmas Eve, the bed was completely unmade, with the mattress bare and the sheets and blankets on the floor. I went straight back to the desk, said I wasn't staying, and asked for a refund. I checked into the Quality Inn instead and got a lovely room at a great price, plus the breakfast I needed on Christmas morning. I travel to Bathurst regularly because of my mother's situation, and I won't stay at the Comfort Inn again. That was especially disappointing after the hotel's breakfast cancellation. At check-in, a sign said an executive decision had been made to cancel the “free breakfast” on Christmas morning. Since I expected no other food options to be open, I asked if the room rate would be reduced. The answer was simply no. I bought a few things at a grocery store, then called the Quality Inn and learned they were still serving breakfast. When I returned to the Comfort Inn around 5:45 p.m., staff wouldn't give me a voucher for breakfast there and suggested I might find something at A&W. I had booked the non-refundable room by mistake on November 23, for December 24, and immediately realized there'd been no chance to opt out before confirmation. I was hoping to spend Christmas Day with my 89-year-old mother. She'd been moved out of her care home in mid-September and was in hospital because of advanced memory care needs and the lack of nursing home placements for seniors in her situation. I called the Choice Hotels call centre right away because I knew things could prevent me from reaching Bathurst. The representative was pleasant, but couldn't confirm whether I'd get a refund if I couldn't travel. I asked about a snowstorm or the hospital shutting down during a COVID outbreak. Each time, I heard, “I'm sure they would take that into consideration,” but got no definite answer. After I asked several times if anything could be done, the representative agreed to contact the Bathurst hotel about its policy for circumstances outside a guest's control. About five minutes later, they said no one there was available to answer because of language barriers and advised me to call around 3 p.m., about six hours later. I never did, and hoped for the best. Luckily, the weather held on December 24 and I made the trip from Fredericton to Bathurst.