I attempted to check into this hotel at 7am on July 11th. I booked a 3 night stay through Expedia. I finalized the booking after 11pm on July the 10th. I arrived at the hotel sleep-deprived & expecting to check into the room I booked less than 8 hours prior.

The person at the front desk initially ignored me, making zero effort to greet me or ask if I needed help. He nonchalantly told me that my room was canceled & I was considered a “no show.” Yet I was still charged the full amount for a night’s stay.

When I asked why they would cancel a reservation that I made less than 8 hours ago (I literally booked AFTER 11pm at night). He made no attempt to show empathy or help me find an alternative solution. He became weirdly hostile & defensive, saying “You should have called the hotel before.”

From my point of view, this is a pretty absurd request. Not only did I book my room after 11PM at night, but it had been less than 8 hours since I finalized the booking. The hotel was NOT fully booked & there were many available rooms (including the room I paid for!).

Honestly, if the staff were nicer & provided the option to pay an early check-in fee, I would have accepted the loss & just stayed at this location. However, I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a more defensive & uncaring hotel employee. He made zero effort to help or to provide alternative solutions, but was more interested in defending himself & vilifying me.

His only solution was for me was to rebook two nights & wait 8 HOURS in the hotel lobby to check-in at 3 PM. There were free rooms available (including the one I already paid for & booked after 11pm – a mere 8 hours prior), yet he did not even try & see if he could help me check-in early or let me stay in the room that I already PAID FOR.

From my perspective, if I pay for a night then I should have access until the check-out time at 12pm the following day. Especially if I book the room past 11pm at night. So if a guest books a room at 11:59 PM then they must have only 1 minute to arrive before you deem them a “no show” & take their full payment?

I am pretty disgusted by this entire experience. I do not think it is appropriate to treat people in such a nasty way. I’ve been traveling since I was a child & have stayed at hotels in different countries & all across the United States. I FREQUENTLY book rooms last minute at 10pm or 11pm, & I have NEVER had an issue checking in at 6am or 7am the following day. I have never had such a poor experience. I have previously stayed at another Archer Hotel location for over a week before! But I would never stay at this hotel chain again.

I feel like a modicum of kindness & empathy or effort could have resulted in an entirely different outcome. Thankfully, the staff at Expedia are more helpful & underst&ing. & they offered to reimburse me for the night that I PAID for (which Archer charged me the full amount for, & then denied me access to my room.) They also gave me an additional reimbursement for my troubles, considering that I wasted time traveling to the Archer Hotel & then taking another Uber to a different hotel.

I gathered my belongings & traveled to the Renaissance Capital Hotel. I was instantly greeted with warmth & kindness by the front desk. The staff were welcoming & accommodating, allowing me to pay a paltry 30 dollar fee to check-in at 10:00 AM. Perhaps my experience at the Archer Hotel was a blessing in disguise, because the Renaissance Hotel has been a wonderful experience so far. They have a lovely cafe & restaurant.

I was very calm about the situation & open to alternative solutions. But I feel that zero attempt was made to help, accommodate, or empathize with me. I was willing to pay an early-check in fee, since I really didn’t feel like finding another hotel & traveling in another Uber. But the Archer Hotel could not have been more unconcerned.

I guess they were just happy to charge someone an entire night’s stay for one hour of time.