I've rewritten my review many times to ensure it's accurate and fair. And after being "misled" by the front desk staff whom I encountered both in person and on the phone. And, hung up on [twice] in a single day by the hotel's poorly trained and unprofessional manager, Jack Willian LeBleu Frantzen, or is it Tracy Joiner, or Niraj Patel? My accounting of events accurately portrays the unprofessionalism, abysmal customer service, and substandard maintenance at the Aloft Hotel, located at 2909 Iola Avenue, Lubbock, Texas.
I've tried to comprehend the deplorable operating principles of this hotel and the nine others run by TAJ Hospitality Management, as well as the family of Henry Patel (founder, CEO & President), Aviraj Patel (Managing Director), Niraj Patel (Director), Pooja Patel (COO), and others. It's plain to see that honesty and transparency are not part of the Patel vocabulary. And deplorable customer service stems from a culture within the Patel company. It's a culture that doesn't hesitate to lie to customers.
I realize that "non procul proprio stipite poma cadunt," translated as "the apples fall not far from their tree," is the standard set by the Patel family and adopted by its employees. And likely the other nine hotels that TAJ Hospitality operates. Most at TAJ Hospitality will believe this review is a fabrication. That's likely due to the corporate culture that teaches the Patel way of dealing with customers.
From the moment we arrived on June 29 until we checked out early the next morning, everything about this "hotel-in-a-box" was substandard. The issues at the Aloft were: a rude receptionist, who became annoyed when my wife asked for our room number and an upgraded room (instructed by Marriott to request upon arrival), given the hotel's less than 50% occupancy. A person named Jackie, claiming to be an assistant manager, stated that HIPAA regulations prohibited hotel employees from disclosing room numbers. We didn't receive an upgrade after being told we did by Avery, and what kind of uneducated person quotes HIPAA regulations as a hotel regulation? One response was a lie, and the other was ridiculous. Upon arriving at our room, we discovered that the deadbolt was malfunctioning and tried to call downstairs, but no one answered. The explanation given by Jackie for the deadbolt was absolute nonsense.
Then there was the blackout. Yes, there was a power outage in the area. Although the power outage wasn't Aloft's fault, the hotel's unpreparedness caused issues. At approximately 0230 hours, I got up to use the bathroom and stumbled, bumping and banging into walls, door knobs, bed corners, and cabinets as I tried to find the facilities in 100% darkness. I take warfarin, which is a blood thinner that causes instant and severe bruising. By morning, after stumbling around a pitch black room without a single battery-powered or auxiliary light, you can imagine what my legs and arms looked like. I still bear the bruises that occurred that night.
Additionally, there was a lack of ice (or signage) on the floor, as well as the absence of an ice bucket in the room. I need to refrigerate medication, so the ice and bucket are necessary in case there is no refrigerator. That night, the minifridge stopped working, and my medication was warm to the touch in the morning. I had to discard it. As a result, I had to reorder and ship it via FedEx that same day to Austin, Texas. I informed Haley in the morning of this and all the other issues (too numerous to list), and she said that the manager had worked over the weekend and was off that day, another lie. And I should expect a call the next day. Three weeks later, there was no call from Jack Frantzen.
Jack William LeBleu Frantzen fits the Peter Principle to a T. His disregard for customer service is disturbing and dangerous. It is no surprise that Aloft registers an abysmal rating of 3.5. After waiting for Jack Frantzen to respond as promised the morning of July 1, 2025, I called Marriott Bonvoy. I submitted my complaints, which included not receiving an upgraded room, physical harm, the inoperable dead bolt, the lack of anyone to answer the phone, the lack of accessible parking spaces and luggage carts upon arrival, poor water pressure in the sink and shower, and the non-response from Jack Frantzen, among other issues.
My review only partially addresses the poor service provided by Frantzen, the Patel family, and TAJ Hospitality. A telephone message I received two days ago was from Naraj Patel, masquerading as Jack Frantzen, and it implied a vague threat involving hotel camera footage. I interpret this to mean that there are cameras in the guest rooms, where the more compelling issues occurred.
Amedment: I finally reached a supervisor with some compassion at Marriott. Tara resolved my issues with Marriott in one matter, but was unable to speak on behalf of Jack Frantzen on that matter. If this manchild should find the courage to call me, I will include his remarks.
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