A Disappointing and Disturbing Experience at Hyatt
I am deeply saddened and disturbed by the treatment my elderly parents received at Hyatt. My mother is 83 years old, a U.S. citizen, and speaks only broken English. Due to a simple misunderstanding about their departure date, they believed they had one more night at the hotel. At 9am on what turned out to be their actual check-out day, the hotel called and tried to communicate that they needed to leave. My mother couldn’t understand what was being said due to the language barrier, and instead of showing patience or seeking a solution, the staff threatened to call the police on her.
Threatening law enforcement against an elderly woman who simply did not understand the conversation—when there were still three full hours left before the standard check-out time, is appalling and inhumane.
When I called to try and understand what happened and explain the misunderstanding, I was shocked by the attitude of the manager on duty, who herself is an immigrant with a strong accent. I politely pointed out that, as someone who has likely faced language barriers herself, she should have had some compassion or at least perspective on what my mother experienced. Instead, she became defensive and dismissive. That lack of empathy, especially coming from someone who should understand what it feels like to be misunderstood in a new country, was both ironic and deeply disappointing.