A massive weather event left 650k people in the area without power the week before Thanksgiving. After four days without power and no ETA for return, my family booked a room for 3 nights to find warmth for the first time since losing power. I even remember saying I’ve never had a negative experience at a Hampton Inn. When checking in, the AM acknowledged that they were sheltering many families that had been displaced, understood we were in similar circumstances, and wished us luck with our power. The next morning, we were lucky to have power restored. We went to give the good news and cancel the reservation. On the way, we found dog excrement in the hallway and told the front desk (30 minutes later it was still there). We said our power was back, we’re checking out, and assumed a refund for the unused days. They informed us that we’d have to go through Expedia. Once home, Expedia said they would happily refund with the hotel’s permission. Unfortunately, Hampton refused. Even the general manager, who acknowledged the community impact and extenuating circumstances, refused any compensation. Hampton Inn‘s slogan is “Making you happy, makes us happy.” While businesses are not required to show empathy or basic human decency, the willingness to take advantage of people impacted by a natural disaster certainly doesn’t make us happy and demonstrates the true values of Hampton Inn.