Date: Thu, 17 Sep 92 01:08:27 CDT
From: Jim Thomas <tk0jut2@mvs.cso.niu.edu>
Subject: File 1--XmasCon Problems: HoHo's from HoJo's

For the past few years, a conference called "XmasCon" (or HoHoCon) has
been held in Texas in December. As reported previously (CuD #4.40), it
will be held again this year from 18-21 December. For those unfamiliar
with it, XmasCon is a national meeting of curious computer
afficianados, journalists, scholars, computer professionals, and
others, who meet for three days and do what people do at other
conferences: Discuss common interests and relax.

XmasCon is approaching in a few months, so I called down to the
Houston Airport Howard Johnson's where conference arrangements
apparently had been made to check out reservations.  I encountered the
most bizarre and crude interactions I have ever experienced with
reservation-making.  The bottom line, it seems, is that XmasCon will
not be at HoJos this December. It will be located elsewhere. But,
we're getting ahead of the story.

My call to the HoJo receptionist began routinely. I indicated that I
would like to make reservations for a December conference.  The
receptionist asked for some preliminary information, including my
name, phone number, dates, how long I would be staying, and what type
of room I wanted. I asked her what the conference rates were, and she
asked which conference I would be attending. I said, "XmasCon." Her
tone changed, and the mood dramatically shifted.  She paused for a few
seconds, and said:  "We don't take no reservations for XmasCon." Her
initially polite behavior (and attention to grammatical conventions)
had changed. Aha, I thought, what an odd response.  So, I mustered up
the only intelligent question I could think of to a double negative:
"What?" "That conference has been cancelled," she replied.

Her response surprised me, because I had heard nothing of a
cancellation. "Cancelled?" I asked? "Yes," she repeated, "That
conference has been cancelled." I asked if she meant that the
conference had been cancelled or whether it was being held elsewhere.
She said she didn't know, and she wasn't allowed to give out any
information about it.  A most unusual twist of phrase and a rather odd
turn of events, I thought. So, suspecting something was not quite
right, I thought it wise to obtain additional information.  So, I
asked if I could talk to a supervisor.  I was connected to "Gloria"
(who refused to provide a last name).  The encounter began politely. I
gave her my name and affiliation and explained that the receptionist
had informed me that XmasCon was cancelled, but would give out no
further information. Gloria said that the receptionist was correct,
the conference was cancelled.  I asked (the conversation was still
routine and polite) whether she knew if it was cancelled or simply
being held elsewhere.  She said it that it would not be held at Howard
Johnsons; it was cancelled. Now, there's a rather substantial
difference between cancelling a conference and holding it elsewhere.
The conversation was still polite and routine, and I asked whether she
meant that the conference itself was cancelled or simply that the
original arrangements with HoJos were cancelled. The fit hit the shan!
"WHY DO YOU  PEOPLE KEEP DOING THIS?!??" she screamed!

Uh oh.  This was no longer a normal routine conversation.  Either I
was dealing with a psychotic terrorist who had taken over the office,
or else something was going on that I didn't know about. I suspected
the former, so I thought tact the best approach. I asked "what people"
she thought I was, and what it was that "we people" kept doing.  She
never did explain what "we people" she thought I was. I explained that
if by "we people," she meant criminology professors, we normally to
"this" to reserve a room in exchange for our money.  She seemed to
care little who or what I was, and angrily explained that she was
instructed not to talk about XmasCon because "you people" had lawyers
calling. Uh, lawyers? What *is* going on, I began to wonder.  So I
asked. She repeated that she couldn't talk about it. Actually, I
wasn't given the opportunity to ask much, because she talked over me
and cut me off whenever I tried to ask a question.  Gloria tersely
informed me that if I wanted any information, I would have to obtain
it from the manager, James Marx, on Monday.  Thank you Gloria. <click>

Having seen no reports of psychotic terrorists in the Houston area on
the news, I can only conclude that Gloria was, sadly, a representative
of HoJos.  Normally, receptionists and supervisors don't freak-out on
callers, especially when no ostensible behavior triggered the assault.
In my substantial experience with conference hotels, the policy of
reputable sites when conference venue has been changed (especially by
the original hotel) is to inform an inquirer that the conference will
be held elsewhere and identify that location. If the original site
does not know the location, they so-state and suggest that the caller
inquire with the organizers.  In this case, however, I was informed
that the conference was cancelled. Even though Gloria ultimately
indicated that she did not know if the conference was cancelled or
not, and finally indicated that she only knew that it would not be
held there, it took the entire conversation to obtain this nugget of
information and only after considerable verbal abuse.

Now, I'm not one to fall back on professional status. But, even though
I *politely* explained that I was a criminal justice professor at
Northern Illinois University and was simply trying to obtain routine
information, she continued to subject me to discourtesy. Not even an
"I apologize" at the end.  Not even a softening. Odd. Very odd, I say
to myself.  Something, however, is going on, so my next step was
calling James Marx.

I again called the airport HoJos (713-644-1261) and asked to speak to
Mr. James Marx.  I was connected to his office.  The call to James
Marx was less than satisfactory.  The conversation began:

    JM: "This is James."

    JT: "Mr. Marx, my name is Jim Thomas, a criminal justice
    professor at Northern Illinois University. I'm calling in regards
    to XmasCon, about which I have a few questions and what I
    consider a serious complaint."

    JM: XmasCon will not be held here.

    JT: I understand that, sir, but I have several questions and I
    have a complaint about my treatment by one of your employees.

    JM:  What are your questions?

    JT: I understand the conference was cancelled....

    JM: They cancelled it.

    JT: *They* cancelled it?

    JM: Yes....

    JT: Voluntarily?

    JM: Uh, no.

    JT: May I ask, sir, the circumstances of the cancellation?

    JM: No, you may not.

The conversation was downhill from there. I **POLITELY** attempted
several times to inquire about the nature of the cancellation.  He
indicated that he would not give me any information, and that I would
have to ask the conference organizers. Although indicating that "the
hotel decided to cancel it," he offered nothing further.  He indicated
that the conference organizers did not inform him of the new site, so
HoJos could not direct callers elsewhere, and were therefore telling
callers that the conference was cancelled. I attempted to ask why they
used that choice of words, rather than indicate to callers that the
conference was not, in fact, cancelled. Why not say that it was
elsewhere and they simply didn't know where it was. I suggested that
the phrasing of the response was misleading to people like myself. He
said, "I told you. *No more questions*!"

Ok, fine. Now to voice my complaint about "Gloria." So: "I would also
like to discuss with you my complaint."  "What is it?" he grumbled. I
explained that, in the middle of a routine conversation, Gloria,
without provocation, screamed at me: "Why do you people keep doing
this?" Says he, interrupting, "I told you, I'm *not* going to answer
any questions!" He threatened to hangup. Uh, Mr. Marx, I tried to
explain, I'm not asking you a question, I'm describing an event.  You
just asked me a question, says he. Hmmm, this gets stranger.  "Sir," I
said, realizing that the normal conventions of communication had
disintegrated, "That's not *my* question. That's the question Gloria
screamed at me! I'm not really the type to tolerate this kind of
unprovoked rudeness, and I'm simply telling you what happened. I'm a
criminal justice professional, and not used to being treated so
shabbily without provocation when discussing reservations in good
faith."

Wrong thing to say. "Sounds like you're threatening me," says he.  Uh
oh. "Mr. Marx, what have I said to threaten you?" I was genuinely
surprised. "You people" (ah, that term again) "have threatened us with
law suits." Hmmm....attempting to describe the discourteous behavior
of an employee to the manager in polite, matter-of-fact discourse is
threatening a lawsuit?  Did I miss something somewhere? Before I could
respond, I was cut off with: "You'll have to talk with the conference
organizers. I told you! No more questions!" But, how could the
conference organizers tell me why Mr. Marx thought I was threatening
him? Ooops---that's a question. "You'll just have to talk to them, I
told you." Still curious about why he thought I was threatening him,
it turns out that the fact that I identified myself as a criminal
justice professor was the threat. Now, it's generally my habit to
identify myself so the people at the other end know who they're
talking to. This is the first time in 13 years as a crim justice type
that anybody ever was threatened by my occupation.  Why was that
threatening and how did he infer a lawsuit from my mentioning on
introduction that I was a CJ prof and a second time, during explaining
the complaint, making an off-handed reference that I was a CJ
professional who found rudeness unacceptable?  Turns out, it seems,
that "you people" (another reference to "us") keep calling and
identifying "yourselves" with the legal profession and threatening
suits.  In a rather nifty bit of paralogia, he explained that criminal
justice has something to do with law, right? "And you can't tell me
that it doesn't!" Uh, right. Guess he's got me there.  Criminals break
the law, I study criminals, so guess that means I'm threatening a law
suit.

He then indicated that I should put whatever complaints I had about
his employees in writing and send them to the owner, Mr. Henry Woo, at
the HoJo airport address, and that he was going to terminate the
conversation. Ok, 10 minutes of weirdness is about all I can take in a
day, so it seemed best to say, "Thank you for your time" and end it.
Click.

Had I been in set:  snippy mode, I could better understand the HoJo
response to me. However, I had donned my politest professional
persona.  I do not know what the background is to the cancellation,
but it is clear that the hotel "decided not to have it." But I do know
that something went awry at HoJos instigation, and I do know that
neither Gloria or Mr. James Marx are people to whom I want to give my
money.  I'm not sure what their problem is, but I'll sleep in my car
before I ever patronize another Howard Johnson's hotel, in Houston or
anywhere else.

If I could ask a few questions of Howard Johnson's in Houston, I would
be especially interested to learn:

1) Why did the hotel cancel arrangements after they were already made?

2) Why not have a standard and courteous reply to callers, rather than
put them through a ritual of abuse when they attempted to obtain
further information?

3) Why did Gloria "freak out" for no explicable reason?

4) What "people" am I, and what is it "we keep doing?" If they have a
thing against criminology professors, it would be useful to know for
future reference.

5) What possible rationale could justify abusive behavior to strangers
attempting routine inquiries?

6) Why could not James Marx listen to my original complaint of abusive
behavior without himself becoming abusive?

7) Why is it necessary for the hotel manager to belittle and criticize
my profession without cause or provocation?

8) What's with the Airport Howard Johnson's in Houston?

I am hoping that Mr. Henry Woo, the owner of the Airport Howard
Johnson's Lodge and the home office in Phoenix can provide some
answers.

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