What do you do when you can't check in at a Marriott property? Why you gripe about in your personal blog....

I have been blogging often about how businesses monitor social media channels, so here's another test of this capability.  Last week, I blogged about a pair of new shoes that had the stitching break after I wore them twice.

I was hoping that someone from the DSW shoes or Giorgio Brutini would contact me.  It's been a week, and still there hasn't been a positive response.

So now, I am staying the night in Austin after a long day of business when I checked into the Marriot Residence Inn  at 3703 Tudor Avenue at 10 a.m.  Instead of someone at the reception desk, there was a sign that said the receptionist was not there and that I should call "zero" to find someone to help me.

After two attempts to call and a 10-minute wait to check in, I finally found my front gate person who said she had to go to a guest's room to give them a new key.

I would expect slow service at a Motel Six but not at a Marriott property.  That's why I like staying there, even if it was the result of one of the Priceline.com deals where hotel chains sell their remnant space.

I know from reading the saga of the Marriott family that Bill Marriott would not be happy to hear that I had this kind of service in Austin.     I know that the hospitality industry is tightening their belt to cut down on costs, but not having someone close to the reception desk or having a way to contact the person on duty is like a military base not have a security policeman at the front gate of a base with nuclear weapons.

So this blog is both a gripe about lousy service and a test of how well the folks at Marriott monitor the comments about them on social media channels.    If the folks at Marriott care about how a business guest like me perceives their performance, I am hoping that they will contact me and either refund my money or give me something else in compensation for their lousy performance.