Embassy Suites - Scary

What a terrifying experience. You wrote up what happened very clearly. I am so sorry this happened to you and so grateful your son was not more seriously injured.

I am not sure that I believe that an Embassy Suites would not have cameras. I would investigate that further. Even seedy hotels have cameras. If ES doesn't have cameras, I would ask why.

Please write a review of this ES hotel and put it on tripadvisor.com. That is the go-to site for many travelers and is a very trusted site for reviews. I would condense what you wrote here. The travel industry follows tripadvisor closely and you would get some attention there.

Continue to push and get this case out there. Even if you don't want money, you might consider talking to an attorney because that would get the hotel's attention.

SeEnd detailed information - just as you entered here - to your State Attorney General's office, Consumer Protection Division. On the letter, plainly mark cc to the hotel headquarters, the BBB, your attorney, and the media. Then send the original out, as well as a copy to the hotel - even if you don't actually send the other copies. (Though I would recommend you go ahead and send the other copies as well.) That will get their attention!

Thank goodness your son is ok! This is very scary! Exactly why I NEVER allow my children within 4 feet of balcony railing in any building we are in, and insist on holding their hands. You just never know.

Jennifer, that is so scary! I am glad your son is okay, but what a trauma to have happen!

I understand a hotel trying to protect itself from fraud and liability, but for all that is HOLY have some sort of decency and a way to handle situations that may be uncomfortable for them that isn't rude, insensitive and quite glib it seems.

I hope that they DO take this seriously as the have an obvious hazard.

And, as for child supervision, kids can go from in your site to badly hurt in 0.0000002 seconds sometimes.

• Bxr-Linda Said:

I'd be surprised if the Embassy Suites didn't have them in all the guest hallwasy, to be honest,,,

it's POSSIBLE of course,,,,,,but unlikely,,,,and there are many reasons for this, not the least of which is theft of items like televisions by the staff, injuries, crime,,,

Even the substandard hotel I work in has cameras,,,,

now, sometimes the camera can't catch any action, because it's almost impossible to get every nook and cranny,,,,,,but they often have cameras.

So glad your son is ok. Hope you can get something done about this.

That is so scary! I'm just so thankful your son wasn't seriously injured.

You should post a review on TripAdvisor's website - a lot of people post hotel reviews there and you can also upload photos of the hotel there. It might be helpful to others considering that hotel.

• CommaHolly Said:

I thought this too. Aren't cameras almost standard? And this isn't a mom-and-pop Bates Motel.

Perhaps in the lobby and elsewhere, but, may not be in guest room hallways?

i am sorry to hear that. i hope that they can fix the problem

I am so happy this little kid is okay. He may need to see someone about his near death experience in case he is struggling inside.

This is crazy and it is interesting to see two perspectives.

God Bless

and just so you know, most hotels today DO have video,,,if someone told you that they do not have video, the hotel MAY BE lying about that,,,,,they also might have cameras but the cameras are broken,,,,,something in your favor if you ever did decide to settle a lawsuit,,,,,

• Jennifer Priest Said:

if I unsulted you, I apologize,,,I really thought that I made it clear in my first post that I was in no way at all DEFENDING the actions of the hotel,,,,,I in fact,HATE THEM,,,,

I was simply explaining from the hotel's POV and was hoping that it would make you feel better to know that they are REQUIRED in many instances to do the things they do, which do not seeem reasonable to the general population,,,,

I also thought I made it clear that in no way did I think you were just out to get money,,,,I simply explained that THE HOTEL doesn't know you,,,,,and they deal with so many people who ARE trying to get money that that might contribute to their attitude,,,,

an attitude which, btw, I can not stand,,,

My apologies if you felt insulted, that was never my intention,,,,in fact, it was the opposite,,,,

I am glad your DS is ok,,,,really.

• Bxr-Linda Said:

The difference might be that this one is a franchise, not run by Hilton themselves. I have stayed in others that were nice as well in the past.

Believe I told everyone who would listen about what had happened.

I honestly thought the hotel was going to fix it that weekend since that is what they said they would do. By Sunday we were exhausted and drained and just wanted to go home. I never thought they would not fix it. I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt that they did not know there was a problem but now that they knew, they would fix it. There was no reason for it to even blow up this big except that they have taken no action and are treating my family as if we are criminals looking for a payday.

OMG - I would have been calling the media and I would have been making a scene with other hotel guests that had kids. I am so sorry for your experience and I am so glad your son didn't suffer any more harm.

And CommaHolly, let me lay out for you how my child fell:

He let go of my hand and ran around a column that was between me and the rails. My friend and I ran over to see where he went. In those few seconds, he fell through the rails and landed on the awning below. He tumbled. The witnesses screamed and we heard a crash but we weren't sure what that was about. He scrambled back up to the railings and climbed up through them. We found my son crawling back through the railings. This all happened in like 3 seconds. Luckily he had the wherewithall to not just lay there crying--he got scared and the witnesses said he scrambled really fast to get back to the railings. Hope that helps you understand.

Really, what do I have to gain from this? NOTHING. I straight up told the hotel MULTIPLE times that I DO NOT WANT money. It was traumatic enough without having someone be doubtful and siding with the hotel. I hope you never experience something like this and that you are never subjected to such treatment.

I don't give a rat's patootie if they have lawyers--I have witnesses and photos and if they want to go to court, then let's do it. I just want to be crystal clear that my first concern was that my son was okay. Once we were sure of that, my second concern is that the hotel be safe. I don't care about money AT ALL. And since the hotel won't do the right thing because of money, insurance, whatever, then people need to know.

I am sorry for your experience and so glad it wasn't worse.

Thank you all for your support.

My son is 3. He is okay --we took him for xrays and an exam and he is fine.

I am not looking for money or to sue. I just wanted the rails fixed. I don't really want to put in all the time and effort to sue. And the insurance company still has not contacted us so really, do they give a ********? I don't think so.

The hotel lost out on all of the retreat's business--she has cancelled all contracts and moved to a new location, with safer railings.

Since the hotel was built in 1984, the code then is for 6" railings but last I was updated, the Building & Safety inspector was looking into it closer just to make sure that the pans were not approved earlier under a different code.

So far we have contacted:

Embassy Suites/Hilton Corporate Customer Service
Hilton Corporate who further escalated the claim
The hotel itself with the nasty management -- I don't care if you are supposed to act unfeeling--that is lame lame lame. Hopefully they never suffer anything like this in their lives.
AAA since they are AAA rated - they are investigating
Consumer Affairs
City Building & Safety
2 newspapers
Will be talking with a local news anchor soon
Cal-OSHA
Mayor of the City of Palm Desert
County Code Enforcement
Written reviews on Google Travel, Yelp, and working on others
David Horowitz Fight Back
Better Business Bureau

and since this is a franchise I finally located who the owners were and will be calling them. If anything, the hotel staff is going to be spending ALOT of time addressing all of these investigations and reviews. And hopefully with all this info out on the internet, it will deter people from going there until they fix problem. Additionally, God forbid this happens, if a child dies because they fall through this railing. I want to be extremely easy to find so that when they sue, they can have me testify that yes, in June 2010, the hotel WAS aware that there was a problem with these railings.

• CommaHolly Said:

There at least 6 witnesses and I did hear them scream. Just the front desk was probably too busy ordering themselves pizza to hear the screams!
I understand about the temporary fix thing but then they should just block off the area so no one can get near there.

There are no cameras. If there were, they would show that my kid fell.

I praise God that your son didn't sustain severe injuries.

Glad your son's ok!

That is really scary. I am glad to hear he came away mostly unharmed.

Sorry for your experience, and glad your son is okay.

My husband and I have been staying at Embassy Suites for years and we love it!

Wow! How scary!! Thank God your son is safe and not badly injured!!

If a client walked into my office with that story, I'd be filing suit within the hour!

Oh my! Thank goodness your son is okay. I can't even imagine the scare you all had.

OK, I work at a hotel (front desk staff) and I have a few thoughts here. Please know that in no way am I defending this, because frankly it's the worst part of my job,,,,showing no emotion and admitting no guilt in a few situations where I KNOW we were at fault,,,it totally sucks!! However, I have an idea what's going on here,,,,and that is all that I am conveying,,,,,,what the hotel is thinking, what rules they have to follow, etc,,,,,

1) The hotel may NOT have put up any temporary fixes for a couple of reasons,temporary fixes do NOT meet any type of state code requirements,,,,,meaning someone could be hurt BADLY by a temporary fix, the temporary fix could actually be MORE DANGEROUS than the original (which at least probably met code at the time they were put up!) and they'd be in WORSE shape than they are right now,,,and 2, temporarily fixing something after someone has been injured is a sign of admitted guilt. This makes them look like jerks, I agree, but they may be ORDERED by their insurance company NOT to do a single thing,,,if they do, they could lose their insurance and this could be a disaster if someone else got hurt.

2) They are probably checking any cameras for film of the incident,,,,,,both to determine HOW he fell (helpful in fixing the situation) and also to defend themselves,,,Not to be rude, and PLEASE don't be offended,,,because I am NOT suggesting that you ARE,but people LIE like rugs at hotels all the time to cash in,,,,scams happen all the time,,,

3) I'm a bit confused as to how the child fell, WITH WITNESSES and NOBODY screamed like bloody murder bringing adults to help the child,seriously, I can't imagine HOW ON EARTH there weren't 200 people right there as soon as he fell, because why on earth didn't someone SCREAM??? Nobody wants to get involved these days I guess, sheesh,,,

4)Get a lawyer,,,,,,,you can bet your sweet bejeesus that the hotel has one.

5) If the railings were code, you may want to contact the media more about the BAD CODES than the hotel specifically.

6) And my apologies for hotel staff,but to a certain extent I understand their reaction,,,,Again, I am not saying you would to this (I know you well enough to know that's not true)but the hotel doesn't know you from Adam,I could curl your HAIR with stories of things people have done here on my property to try and sue us,,,,after story number 876, you become a bit immune to them,,,,

"oh really Sir, you found a rat a foot long in your room,,,,,I'll be happy to send the manager down,oh, you flushed him down the toilet,let me send maintenance because that would plug up the toilet,oh he actually FLUSHED down? A rat as big as a cat cleared the pipe???"

I'm so not kidding,,,,

7) However, it's likely you have a legitimate claim, and if I were you, I'd start hoping for video. Your lawyer needs to request copies of all videos that pertain to the incident.

and lastly, but most importantly,THANK GOD HE'S OK,,

how old is he???

Another option you have is to file a complaint to the local gov't agency in charge of building inspection. If the hotel is found out to be in violation then they would be fined and would have to rectify the situation. Also mentioned, get a lawyer and go to the media.

I am thankful and glad that your son is safe. Keep it that way. Be safe.

Jennifer - My husband is a structural welder (in Cali) and has info on the specifications for handrails. The maximum gap in railing is 4 inches. The minimum height of the railing has to be 42 inches. That is the commercial regulations. In order for the railing to pass state inspection, it has to meet those requirements.

I am glad your son is okay! That is scary!!!

WOW I can't believe this happened and I can't believe the response. Document everything it may come in handy later on. I am so glad your son is okay but that is unacceptable.

• Ohio4HMom Said:

Me, too!!! Here in KC we have Call For Action and Problem Solvers. I don't know what you have in your area, but I would definitely go above the hotel's heads to get some action.

I'm glad to hear your son is OK. How scary that must have been for you and for him...Poor little guy!
I agree with the others, go to the Media!
Another thing is go to TripAdvisor.com...It lists hotes/motels etc all over the place with descriptions, rates, and customer reviews. Go ahead and post your experience with them. I'm sure that would lower their rating. I use the site before I make any hotel reservations. If I don't like what I read, I won't book a room! I'm sure I'm not alone!

This momma woulda had every frickin news station reporter at that hotel within the first 8 hours of inaction!

So GLAD your son is ok!!!!!

Wow... I'm so glad your DS is healthy and unhurt!

I'm not sure how lawsuits and that work for you in the US since I am in Canada but I woud definately make the media aware. Anyone considering this chain should be well aware of the dangers to their children as well as themselves. If they are *so sure* the building is up to code and this can happen, what else are they hiding?

Just as an FYI, the code in my province (Alberta) is nothing more than 4" for a balcony/fence/railing.

I am glad your DS is ok.

How very scary Jennifer! I'm so glad that your little guy was alright afterall!

Holey Moley! How old is your child?

My family loves Embassy Suites, and have always had excellent service at the properties that we've stayed at. Having said that, I refused to stay there when the kids were little (after my first experience). All of the properties seem to have those wide open courtyards, with interior railings on each of the floors. I was afraid that one of my kids would just slip through the railing.

I would consult an attorney (most do a free half hour), and I would also contact the media.....maybe one of those consumer action groups. I would also follow up with the building code people.

I'm glad your son is OK.

Holy cr*p! OMG, I would have had a total meltdown.

The customer service was appaling. Especially since they did nothing to rememdy the danger.

But, I will say, that at first, they probably had no idea what to do cause the first thing that runs through their heads is "Lawsuit". By denying there was a problem, perhaps they're trying to protect themselves in case you bring suit.

And I am NOT a lawsuit type of person- but in your case , where your child could have DIED- yep. Heck yeah- I'd definetly consult with a lawyer.

This situation is beyond uncool and crosses right over into negligence.

Wow, I can not believe they are so laid back about a near death. That is craziness to me.

FIRST-- Thank God your son is okay!
SECOND-- It ALWAYS amazes me when businesses don't realize how IMPORTANT customer service is. There is ALWAYS another establishment who will listen and care about its customers.

that is just nuts! Thank God your son is ok. If I were you, I would send it to the media.

Oh my word! That is some scary stuff. I read some of this on the other thread. Then to top it off they didn't want to do anything? If I was the hotel, I would have been kissing some major tail!! I am so happy your baby is alright. How is he emotionally and mentally?

Thank goodness your son is alright! What an awful experience!

For those of you who don't want to read alot, here's the gist:

My son fell through unsafe railings.

He is okay but it could have been worse.

Hotel staff were snarky about it and took no action to make repairs. As of toda, 5 days later, no repairs have been made and they do not intend to make any repairs.

So please just research the hotels you are staying at cuz this was a crazy surprise for us.

I know this is not "scrapbooking" but I was at a Scrapbooking Retreat when this happened. The retreat owner is just as disgusted with the hotel as I am and has canceled her next retreat there and moved it to another hotel chain. But I wanted to share my experience in case any of you plan to go to an EMBASSY SUITES with your family for a retreat.

This occurred at Embassy Suites Palm Desert, CA.

On Friday June 11, 2010 at about 8pm my son fell between the stucco railing on the patio outside the salons (halls where the cropping was going on) on the 3rd floor of the south side of the hotel. He fell between the railings and tumbled onto the awning covering the patio of the Sonoma Grille restaurant located at the South side of the hotel. After he rolled several times, he was able to run back to the patio and hoist himself up between the railings to safety. At this point I was able to help him back through the railings to safety. If he had been a mere 2 feet over to the east of the portion of railings he fell through, he might have fallen the 2.5 floors to his death.

At this point, I was unaware he had actually fallen -- I thought he was trying to look through the railings and I pulled him back and scolded him for being too close to the edge of the patio. I noticed he was scratched and bleeding on his arms and legs but I thought it was from the stucco on the railing. As I took him along the 3rd floor walkway on the West side of the hotel towards the lobby elevators, I heard people calling my name. As I arrived on the first floor, event attendee D.T. approached me and said that she and her party were dining at the picnic tables next the fountain in the courtyard (south of the pool) and saw my son struggling to get up from the awning to the 3rd floor patio outside of the Salons after he fell. Event attendee N.J. witnessed my son actually falling from between the railings. Event attendee K.E. and her friend were sitting on the Sonoma Grille patio eating dinner when they heard my son fall and saw his feet running above them as he struggled to get back up to the 3rd floor patio. The event attendees who witnessed this were very shook up and witnessing this near tragedy really affected their experience with the hotel.

We examined my son and determined that he had no broken bones or injuries other than scrapes and bruises. He was also very scared and in shock.

As I was in shock and my family was ready to go to dinner, we decided to just try to calm down before I approached the hotel about what had happened. At dinner my son was nearly catatonic and did not talk or try to eat for 30-45 minutes until after the event. He was in shock and very shaken up and scared.

After we had calmed down, we returned to the hotel at about 9pm. I approached the front desk and spoke to Mr. Yoshimura behind the front desk. I don't remember his first name but I remember his last name because as I approached the desk he was checking in some event attendees and was remarking about how he and one of them had the same last name. After he finished with those guests, I told him that my son had fallen from the third floor balcony outside the salons and that I was from the Scrapbook Retreats party. He asked for my room number, 169, and then asked skeptically why were we up on the 3rd floor and I told him AGAIN that we were with Scrapbook Retreat and that is why I was up there with my son. My son and I had gone up to get my purse from the Salon so I could drive to the restaurant to take us to dinner. After Mr. Yoshimura treated me so rudely and skeptically, Tricia from the front desk stepped in and asked me what had happened. She expressed her sympathy and apologized profusely and said they would get the problem resolved. She sat with me in the lobby to get the details of the incident and fill out an Incident report. She called the General Manager and Hotel Engineer about how to remedy the problem and repair the railing and assured me that the problem would be taken care of. I had expressed to Tricia that I believed my son was okay, just bruised, scratched and scared, and that I really just wanted to see the railing repaired to avoid any further accidents or the death of a child falling through the railings. Tricia told me to expect a phone call from the General Manager on Saturday.

Tricia then followed me up to the Salons and interviewed the witnesses.. Tricia then talked with the event coordinator at length about the problem and our concerns about safety since there were other children staying at the hotel.

I expected that I would see some repair, whether permanent or temporary, to the railings on the morning of Saturday June 12, 2010. At 1pm on Saturday June 12, 2010 I exited the Salons to go the lunch that the Scrapbook Retreat was providing and saw that there STILL had been no repairs done and no signs to warn anyone of the dangers. There was nothing done and not even a sign warning people with children to stay away because of the falling hazard. I went to the lobby and asked for a Manager at the front desk. Erica came out to talk to me. I told her about my son falling and she said she was aware of it. She informed me that the insurance company would be calling me. I am not interested in the insurance company calling me. I am interested in the problem being fixed so that a child does not die or suffer serious injury!! How is the insurance company calling me going to fix anything?

I told her that and that I had been coming to this hotel ever since that retreat started using it for their events and I intended on coming to the hotel with my family for future events. I wanted at that point to still be a customer of the hotel. I asked her why nothing had been done, why no signs were there to let other people know of the danger at those railings. I was especially concerned because there were other children at the hotel that weekend who were smaller than my son and could more easily fall through the railings. She then asked if anyone was supervising the kids. This really upset me, her insinuation that we were just letting our kids run around willy nilly. We were right there when my son fell through the railings.

I told her that of course we were watching the kids but it just took a second for my son to fall and isn't the risk enough to warrant some action on the part of the hotel? I asked her what were the maintenance guys doing and why had no one put up a temporary fix, like stapling screening to the railings or something like that? She then said the maintenance man was not on site and she said she did not know what he was doing but he MAY be getting supplies for a fix, she did not know either way. I told her to at least put up caution tape or cones or block the area to help minimize the risk to the other guests. She shrugged me off. I then told her that I understand repairs take time but it was obvious by the speed they were moving that they did not care that my son could have died and that the hazard was dangerous and serious. I told her that if they did not do some kind of repair by Sunday morning, that I would be calling the media. She said, "Do what you feel you need to do," in response to that statement. I was livid at her cold, unapologetic, and uncaring attitude and could not believe that she did not care about the bad publicity the hotel would get from the media in this case. Erica again shrugged me off and did nothing.

I went to the room where lunch was being served and was so upset that I could not eat. I returned to my hotel room, walking through the lobby. Erica had ordered pizza and she and her staff were going to eat it instead of doing something about the problem. At this point I was livid with their inaction so I called the Hilton/Embassy Suites corporate office. They expressed their sympathy and assured me that something would be done to remedy the problem and that they would be calling Erica immediately. I talked with my husband about the incident and then returned to the Salons, about 30 minutes later. I saw that one string of caution tape had been strung across the top of the railings. About 3 hours later, at 4pm, I noticed a second string of caution tape. Still, no repairs had been done.

I was later informed by retreat attendee C.G. that she had overheard the staff talking in the lobby that night about how they were not sure what to do about the falling incident and doubted they should take it seriously. That they would just openly talk about this in front of guests, with such a cavalier attitude, is just appalling.

On Sunday morning (June 13, 2010), I entered the Salons at about 10am and still nothing had been done to remedy the problem. It was at this point that I took photos of the area and measured the distance between the railings; 7 inches. I could not believe the attitude of the hotel in dealing with this incident.

My husband had ordered breakfast for me at the free hotel breakfast area and called me to come to eat. When I tried to eat, I noticed my eggs, which my husband had ordered over hard for me, were burnt on the outside and raw and runny on the inside. I ate the tortilla form the huevos rancheros he ordered for me and left. As I was leaving the breakfast area, the Guest Services Supervisor asked me how my food was and I said awful. So I talked to her about my eggs and she offered to get me new ones--I declined the offer but talked to her about my experience and concerns about the railings not being repaired. She asked me to fill out a comment card so I asked my husband to do it as I had to go back to the Salons to pack. He gave it to her at about 10:30am and he talked to her about the incident and the other concerns with the Retreat attendees' experience at the hotel that weekend. She said she would tell the proper people to help get the issues resolved. About two hours later, we were packed and left the hotel. At the time we left the hotel, around noon on Sunday June 13, 2010, no repairs had been started on the railings.

Also, we were not offered any concessions or discounts for our bad experience. Not that I am looking for something but the failure of the hotel to offer ANYTHING further underscores their cavalier attitude about this entire incident. If I had dined at a restaurant I would have gotten a discount or portion of my meal free if I had a bad experience. If Starbuck's makes a mistake on my order, they give me a coupon for a free drink. But at Embassy Suites if your child falls through balcony railing and could quite possibly have died, you get snarky hotel staff and no repairs done. This failure of the staff to offer any kind of concession at all (nor repairs the dangerous railings) shows to me that Embassy Suites is certainly not the kind of business who values my patronage nor the safety or experience of their guests.

On Monday June 14, 2010 I again called Corporate Customer Service. I was told the hotel manager was to call me within 3 business days of the incident.

On Wednesday June 16, 2010 I called Corporate Customer Service again. I was told that the manager was supposed to call me to help resolve the issue. While I waited on hold, the representative called the hotel and spoke to Erica. I told her I did not want to talk to Erica and that they needed to get the GM on the phone to call me. I went ahead and called the General Manager Gina myself. She said that Code Enforcement had been out to look at the building (thanks to a call I made to report them) and that they were waiting for their report before they did anything. She said that she also replied to the BBB complaint I had filed and that it was confidential so she could not discuss it with me. However, I found out that the event organizer had met with her earlier in the day and she told the event organizer that she could not issue me a refund since the event organizer paid for my room and I had paid the event organizer. The organizer said she would sign a form stating that she would forward the refunds to me but the GM said that was not possible. If it was confidential, why could she tell the organizer and not me?

The GM also said she was not supposed to call me, that since I had brought Corporate into it, I was supposed to call corporate. She said the people at Corporate were mistaken when they said she was supposed to call me. The people at Corporate said I needed to deal with the hotel. She also said that they had not had anything like that happen in 25 years and that the hotel was up to code so they would not be making any repairs since there was no danger.

This is unbelievable. So please be aware, that if you stay at Embassy Suites Palm Desert your child may fall and die and you will be told that the building is up to code and they won’t be fixing it. This is so unbelievable it makes me sick.

I called Corporate AGAIN on June 16, 2010 after this phone call with the so-called General Manager and told them what the GM said. They again said I needed to deal with the hotel. The hotel was supposed to respond to them by today and if they did not hear back by tomorrow, then the hotel would get a call from Corporate and then I am supposed to call Corporate back on Friday to follow up. Why am I calling them? Are they not concerned about customer service? Goodness Gracious!

So just please research the hotels you are going to with retreats and check them out on sites like Yelp and Google Travel because now that I have been filing complaints, I can see that this hotel has LOTS of complaints about it. And now that the event organizer is aware of the issues, she is taking her business elsewhere. It is not her fault and now that I am more informed, I'll be doing my research as well. And I can only thank God that nothing serious happened to my son.