A LoyaltyLobby reader dropped me an email late May about unsatisfactory experience at the MGallery by Sofitel Burdigala hotel in Bordeaux.
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You can access MGallery Burdigala’s website here.
Here’s the email from the reader:
I had an issue during a stay at the MGallery Burdigala in Bordeaux last weekend. I contacted them on my return and they have already replied to me. Here are the two emails.
Reader’s email to hotel:
FAO General Manager and Front of Office manager
I stayed at your hotel for two nights, XX-XX May.
Let me say first that I found the staff at reception very pleasant, friendly and willing to help. I really appreciated the upgrade you gave me, as it did make me feel valued as a Platinum member.
However, as I reported at checkout, I wasn’t satisfied with my stay.
On our arrival we were taken to our room, 505. While the room per-se was nice, as soon as we came in we noticed a strong and pungent smell of sewage. I called reception and I was offered to be shown a superior room on the second floor. We liked the room, but unfortunately it had two twin beds. Being a romantic weekend, it was important for us to have a king bed. We therefore decided to stay in 505 as no other option was available. The smell, however, was so strong that prevented me from having a good night sleep. I am sure that housekeeping or someone else in the hotel knew about the smell, as there was also a very intense fragrance in the room (the same one used in the lobby), which I believe was an attempt to conceal the smell of sewage.
The following morning I asked to be moved to another room. We were very kindly offered room 550. The room was lovely, but the almost constant noise coming from the lift was unbearably loud. I did not report it to reception as I did not see the point (I had already been told that the hotel was fully booked), and at that stage I did not want to change room again. Unfortunately, the loud noise meant that we could not sleep well.
I believe the main purpose of a hotel room should be to offer a quiet environment where guests can rest and sleep properly. Unfortunately on this occasion the hotel was not able to provide this. I appreciate you were fully booked, however, I question whether either of those rooms should have been assigned to any guests in the first place. You must be aware of the loud noise that the elevator makes, and several reviews online mention it. The staff also did not seem surprised about the smell.
Lastly, even if less important, there was no wifi reception on the top floor of room 505.
Given the above circumstances, I believe that a refund of one night in Accor points would be adequate compensation. Considering I paid 196 euro per night, that would be equivalent to 10,000 Le Club points.
Here’s the response from the property:
We are really sorry for the issues encountered during your stay at the hotel Burdigala and really do apologize for the inconveniences you mention in your correspondence.
As compensation we will refund you the equivalence of one night (196.00 €) in Accor points today.
Conclusion
As I have pointed out earlier when writing a complaint, it is important to have few lines what the company/property/airline did right and what you liked.
It would have been better had the hotel been proactive at the time of checking out and done something to please the guest. Good that they decided to refund one night. In case on Le Club AccorHotels cash refund is actually better than points.
