voco St. Augustine - Historic Area by IHG

Recent Google reviews

• Hilary Williams 1 · 3 months ago

  My stay at this hotel resulted in a serious breakdown in both guest experience and post-stay customer service. After checking out, I developed multiple bites consistent with bed bug exposure. While I did not observe bed bugs directly, the timing and pattern of the bites raised a legitimate concern that I promptly reported to the hotel. I also provided photographs of the bites to support my complaint. After submitting my initial complaint, I received no response for nearly a week. I ultimately had to contact the hotel again to follow up on my own. At that point, I was told by the front desk that the hotel was under new ownership, which was offered as the reason for the lack of communication. Regardless of ownership transitions, guest concerns—especially those involving potential health and sanitation issues—should not go unanswered. Business operations and customer service responsibilities do not simply pause during a change in ownership. Only after I followed up did I receive a response from the manager, April. The communication that followed felt procedural rather than genuinely investigative or guest-focused. There was little indication that my concerns were being taken seriously beyond completing internal protocol steps. To resolve the matter, 10,000 IHG points were added to my account, which is approximately a $60 value. Given the nature of the complaint, the discomfort I experienced, and the supporting photographs I provided, this felt disproportionate and more like a token gesture than a meaningful resolution. Unfortunately, communication effectively ended there. I have since sent two additional emails over the course of more than two weeks seeking clarification and follow-up, and neither has received a response. Aside from the single email from April, my attempts to communicate have been ignored. No detailed findings from the investigation were shared, no questions about the evidence I submitted were addressed, and no meaningful effort was made to restore confidence in the hotel’s handling of the situation. Problems can occur at any property. What distinguishes a quality hotel is how those problems are handled. In this case, the delayed response, lack of accountability, and poor post-stay communication left me feeling that my concerns did not receive the level of attention or professionalism they warranted. Based on my experience, I cannot recommend this hotel to guests who value responsive customer service, accountability, and a genuine commitment to guest care. While no hotel is immune from unexpected issues, I expect transparency, timely communication, and meaningful follow-through when legitimate concerns are raised. Unfortunately, this property fell well short of those expectations, and I would not choose to stay here again.