The week before my Mexico trip in August, I traveled down to Mystic, Connecticut to run a medical education conference. I work for a national healthcare membership association that represents osteopathic physicians (DO’s). Every year, the southern New England states hold an annual 4 day conference where physicians earn continuing medical education credits (CME) in order to maintain their board certification for practicing medicine. At this conference, I work at the registration table, attend the board/membership meetings, and serve as the representative and support for the co-sponsoring state societies. A few co-workers join me to assist with other areas of the conference including working with the speakers, hotel/meeting logistics, setup, food and beverage orders, etc. I always look forward to coming here every August as I love the New England area and the physician volunteer leaders from here are truly a pleasure to work with.
Mystic, Connecticut is a little historic town right along the east coast. You probably are familiar with the Julia Roberts movie “Mystic Pizza.” It was filmed in Mystic, and the restaurant still exists here. And surely, what I remember most from visiting is the food! Below are some pictures of the seafood dishes I tried. The conference was held at the Hilton Mystic, which is right across the street from the Mystic Aquarium and Seaport Village, which has a variety of shops and restaurants. I also enjoyed the views of the Mystic river and seeing boats docked on the water.
My co-worker, Mandy, who was working directly with the Hilton Mystic on the setup of the conference requested a step stool for me to use in my hotel room. The request was made a couple of months prior to the conference when the staff hotel room reservations were made. Closer to the conference date, the hotel contacted Mandy saying that they would not provide a step stool because it was a liability issue. Mandy explained that I needed a stool to access the hotel room sink and bed, and that it was essential for me to have one. She also pointed out that hotels are obligated to provide these types of accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), but they still did not budge. Even after escalating the issue to the Hilton corporate office, they would not cooperate and refused to help us. We ended up ordering a stool online and shipping it to the hotel. I eventually got what I needed to ensure a comfortable stay, but there was absolutely no need to have endured all of this trouble. After the conference, I emailed Hilton corporate myself and gave them a recap of the problematic customer service received over the step stool request. They offered me a free night stay at any Hilton hotel for compensation, but I explained that it doesn’t solve the problem for the future if other people have these types of requests when staying at their properties. If you find yourself in the same situation and the hotel does not want to accommodate, click here for some tips on enforcing your rights and making sure you get what you need.
The conference was a big success; we had a great turnout and everything went smoothly. We received positive feedback about the presentations and the location. The hotel meetings and banquet staff were friendly and available whenever we needed them. Besides the step stool mishap, the only other downsides were that we had some phone connectivity trouble in our hotel rooms. It also took about an hour from the airport to the hotel making the cab rides easily cost $100 each way. The closest airport was T.F. Green Airport (PVD), which is in Providence, Rhode Island. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed my time here, and we’re already gearing up to start planning for next year’s New England conference!
Just a Little Traveling... 