Mark Blevis

A few minutes before 10:00am today, there was a brief interruption in the power at the Westin Prince hotel as I sat in my room on the twelfth floor. The power-blip was followed by an audible clunk — possibly a backup generator kicking in.

I really didn’t think much of it at the time as I was preparing to leave for a family brunch; part of the celebrations surrounding my cousin’s wedding. I brushed my teeth, grabbed my things and put on my sandals. The clock was flashing 12:02.

As I walked into the hallway, the housekeeping attendant told me that there had apparently been a power failure leaving the elevator out of service and the stairways pitch black. The exit signs were also dark.

I was stunned. No emergency lighting?

I usually carry a flashlight with me and, for no apparent reason, had taken it out of my bag a few weeks prior to this trip. I asked if there was a flashlight in the utility room.

“No”, she said. “They’ll be along shortly to put candles in the stairway.” I sensed that this had happened before and that perhaps the absence of emergency lights came as no surprise to the attendant. [UPDATE at 11:55pm: I just learned that the hotel experienced a similar failure of its emergency power in May of this year during which candles were used in the staircases to compensate for failed emergency lighting.]

I returned to my room to see if I had anything that could be used as a flashlight. No luck. So, I tried calling the front desk. I should have known the phones would be dead. I tried calling the hotel from my cell phone. The number was busy. I suspected the phone system was dead. Nevertheless, I continued pressing the redial button. I also called my family to let them know I’d be late. Thank goodness I had a fully charged cell phone with me or I’d be completely incommunicado!

The clock was flashing 12:10.

I decided to give the hotel staff another ten minutes to reach our floor to check on the guests and inform us of what was going on. In the meantime, I checked with the housekeeping attendant to see if she had a way of communicating with the front desk; a walkie-talkie, perhaps. No luck.

When the clock started flashing 12:20, I picked up a hotel pen and called the 1-800 number printed on it. It was the direct number to reservations which could only reach the hotel through the main number, the same way I had been trying.

The clock was flashing 12:25. Twenty-five minutes since the power-blip and there was still no contact from the hotel, no use of the PA system, no way to reach the front desk, no elevators, no lighted stairwells and no flashlights. Time to call 9-1-1.

I was put through to the fire department. I told them that I didn’t figure it was a life threatening emergency, yet. They were concerned and brought the police on the line and both agreed it was time to dispatch emergency services. Apparently I was the only one to have made the call. I was shocked that the hotel had not contacted emergency services. In hindsight that may have been because they knew that having so many failed emergency systems would result in a size-able citation. (I later learned that they called hydro and an electrician and had never called 9-1-1.)

By now, some of the other guests on the floor were emerging from their rooms to get on with their day. I shared my knowledge of the situation with them. They weren’t too pleased. However, everyone was calm. One couple, on their way to check out, returned to their room. Another “older couple”, I’m guessing in their late sixties, and I started to talk. The wife was in a wheelchair and is diabetic. We had an energetic chat about all of the little pieces of this event that made it a disaster waiting to happen.

The clock was flashing 12:33 when I heard a noise in the staircase. Two hotel staff were making their way up the stairs and leaving a lit candle on each of the landings. One of the staff hustled up the next flight after lighting the candle. A second staff member looked exhausted. I suggested he come to my room and relax for a minute and have a glass of water. He refused and trudged up the stairs. Neither staff asked how many people were on the floor, what condition we were in and if anyone was in need of emergency assistance.

Since the staff didn’t seem too concerned, I figured I would stay with the “older couple” in case they needed assistance.

I’d guess that the clock was flashing 12:40 when four firefighters and a police officer arrived at my floor — putting out all of the candles as they went since they presented additional risks. The firefighters were on their way to the nineteenth floor where a housekeeping attendant was trapped in a dark elevator.

The police officer had to collect my information as I had made the call. I introduced the police officer to the “older couple” in order to reassure them that things were now under control. The officer took the woman’s information in case there was a need to evacuate her in an emergency.

“How would they do that with no elevators?” the woman asked.

“The firefighters would carry you down the stairs.”

The woman did not look too thrilled about the idea.

I jumped in with “I know a few women who would pay money to be carried down twelve flights of stairs by firefighters”.

The officer left to join the firefighters on the nineteenth floor. Before leaving, she offered to lead me out of the building. I suggested that I wait until she made her way back to the ground floor. She agreed and off she went to nineteen.

I continued to talk with the “older couple” about all of the things that the hotel was doing wrong and how terrible it would be if a medical emergency had come up, or if there had been a fire. We also talked about other hotel experiences and what made this one stand out.

Another guest emerged from his room, unaware of the situation. He was anxious to get downstairs for some food as he was “starving”. The couple I was speaking with offered him some bagels. He was flattered and politely declined.

By the time I had my flashlight escort down the twelve flights of stairs by the police officer, I had been stuck in the hotel for about an hour and fifteen minutes — around 11:15am. I would later learn that front desk staff did not actually arrive on the twelfth floor to check on the woman in the wheelchair until around 11:30am.

When I arrived at the family function many people had already left, some were saying their farewells. I had pretty much missed the entire gathering.

It’s hard to believe how many things the hotel did wrong in handling the situation. Equally shocking is how little they have done to proactively compensate and reassure guests of the hotel; thus sealing their fate among many of their guests, myself included. Sadly, the hotel’s continued mistakes have impacted the perception of the entire chain among those same guests.

And that’s why you always carry a flashlight!

UPDATE the day after: The hotel attempted to apply FULL charges on my bill this morning, failing to honour the paltry discount that they had originally offered — despite being assured after a long conversation yesterday afternoon that a larger discount would be investigated. When I followed up with the manager, he offered an even SMALLER-than-original discount. After a lengthy discussion in which I informed him of the event (something he seemed to know very little about) he offered up the original discount.

UPDATE three days later: The hotel has still failed to honour any discount. Click here to read more.

UPDATE one week later: The management of The Westin Prince hotel has given me a very acceptable discount on my bill.  They’ve also offerred to have their director of security contact me to follow up on my concerns.  I’ll keep you posted.