Only a few months back in February 2023, the front desk staff at the Embassy Suites Bellevue was welcoming, warm, pleasant, and cheerful, and a not-so-early check-in before 1PM was not an issue even though I booked through a third-party website back then. Forward to November 2023, the front desk staff is cold, nonchalant, and lacking communication skills, and they charge $25 + tax for early check-in despite direct booking on the Hilton website. When I arrived for check-in at 12:30PM, Rosa did not waste time to point out that the hotel's check-in time is 4PM and an early check in fee of $25 applies (which she failed to disclose is also taxable and is not on the list of check-in/check-out charges on the hotel's website). After telling Rosa a short story of the stellar experience I had at the same hotel just a few months ago and the best practices of other hotels in the area, I thought I had convinced her to let me check in early without a fee especially considering, also according to Rosa, that early complimentary check in starts at 2PM anyway and that the same early check-in fee of $25 applies for check ins as early as 10AM (so I thought who in their right mind will pay or expect to be paid $25 for a relatively minimal wait). As soon as Rosa gave me the keys, off I went, without any explanation from her of the incidentals charge or hold on my credit card. If one cannot communicate effectively, one should not be in customer service, much more be a so-called front desk manager. Only after checking the pending charges on my credit card and checking later that night with Neil, another unhelpful front desk staff, did I realize that Rosa charged me an early check in fee without my express consent. Is this fraud or simply lack of effective communication by Rosa? I will certainly dispute this charge even with my credit card company if need be. And on to another entitled staff. Neil, the night front desk staff, kept claiming I was rude because I complained to him about the charge, insisted that email of managerial level personnel should be readily available to guests, and that he should try printing my folio first before reasoning out that he might not be able to print the folio because he is still on training. Neil even refused to print the folio for me at one point because, according to him, I was being rude and that I should not tell him how to do his job because he never told me how I should do my job. What Neil failed to realize is that I am the paying guest who expects a certain level of deliverables. Clearly I was upset about the whole situation, but I was not rude to him. He took my venting about Rosa too pesonal! Thank God, I started recording. If you have to record hotel staff just so we know who is telling the truth, it's really bad times we're living in. And to you dear GM, I have seen you respond to complaints about the early check-in fee and rudeness of your staff on this forum, how about try to rectify the situation rather than claiming to simply have an understanding of your guests' complaints? Ladies and gentlemen reading this, I am in Bellevue every couple of months and it's a shame that the Silver Cloud next door changed brands but the Hyatt House down the street is a very good bet - free parking ($15 at Embassy), staff strives to give you a wonderful experience all-around, and they won't nickel-and-dime you there for an early check-in. The Marriott brands are great also if they aren't so expensive. At Embassy Suites Bellevue, they would rather have guests waiting and snoozing at the lobby before the management's red line check-in time rather than let them have a relaxing time checked in their rooms after many of these guests had a long day of travel. Where is the hospitality? The Hilton in Downtown Bellevue has the same bad customer service mantra as Embassy Suites, both of them being Hilton brands. After learning of the $25 early check in fee at the Hilton, I never reconsidered staying there again. No wonder why the Hilton consistently sells their rooms at a deep discount on Priceline and Hotwire. I hope Embassy Suites suffer the same fate until management is treated to a rude awakening. I hope many of you guys who feel being shortchanged by these hotels and staff despite skyrocketing room rates alongside service cuts will continue to speak up. We are not rude, we are just fed up of being taken advantage of.…