University Inn
$$ Hotels
950 N Stone Ave
Tucson, AZ
I REMEMBER when I was 18 years old and helping my dad pack up and move from New Jersey to Southern California. He was getting a camper hitch put onto the back of his car at a Uhaul dealer in a rural gas station town off of the turnpike while I was exploring the area. I entered a nearby diner with two big piercings in my lips and crimson/black hair; and the staff paused with a confrontational frown and after a beat, the closer of the two told me that they can’t serve me, they don’t have to-go and bye.
So lo and behold, some ten years later, after traveling the world, losing the face piercings, getting piercings below the face and getting tattoos, I find myself having the same exact prejudice-based-on-looks experience here by some asshat who owns or manages University Inn in not-so-rural Tucson. I booked this place on Priceline a few weeks before I came to Tucson and apparently if you accidentally put your credit card information wrong here, the owner or manager can decide that he can charge you higher than the quote that Priceline gives.
He said that it costs so much money to run a hotel and having to deal with the stress from people like me who leave wrong credit card numbers and not show up because it happens so often, and these Priceline discounts take so much money away from his business (why advertise on Priceline?), therefore I must pay $7/night more than what Priceline quoted. Not only that, I then was lectured about this being a quiet, clean hotel and emphasizing that I am not allowed to set the air conditioner below 74 degrees.
After paying more money than what was advertised on Priceline and being given a condescending lecture, I got the room and called Priceline about the incident and their accounting rep was surprised that he refused to honor the Priceline quote. She called the hotel and made them honor the deal listed on the website. She then came back on the line with me and told me that University Inn told her that it was a mistake and that they didn’t mean to make me pay more than the listed offer and told me to go back to the lobby to gladly get the difference refunded. I went back to the front and basically the guy walked quickly from the back area to the front of the lobby and I got lectured at again, he said that he is doing this as a courtesy and it was still my fault.
I am pretty sure if I was wearing a polo shirt or a suit and had a smiley demeanor like the other three Yelp reviewers to this place, I would not have been treated like I was going to be doing a lot of drugs, partying and recklessly turning up air conditioning. I actually hate too much air conditioning and only had sex once while there, so poor assumptions all around.
Useful: 5 Funny: 6 Cool: 2
8/25/2014