mrjohnchimpo
07-23-2009, 03:16 PM
feel free to post this wherever you can think of (written by me describing the stupidity of a major portion of the Blackhawks convention weekend).
Hilton and The Chicago Blackhawks Hate the Elderly and the Handicapped
Imagine this scenario: you have spent over 500 dollars so you can celebrate a great season with your favorite hockey team, the Chicago Blackhawks, over the course of the weekend. To kick the weekend off, there is an opening ceremony in the ballroom at Hilton Chicago. Knowing that it will probably be crowded, you decide to get there with your family an hour early for the hour and fifteen minute long event. As you walk in, you see that it's standing room only ... no chairs in sight. Something that was not mentioned ANYWHERE on any site or information packet pertaining to the Blackhawks convention. So...OK, you are going to have to stand for a few hours, no big deal, right?
But wait...you can't stand for that long because you are either elderly or handicapped.
Well, that's too bad, because Hilton and the Chicago Blackhawks hate you and they want you to suffer.
This scenario happened this weekend to my family as we were trying to enjoy the Blackhawks Convention. A few years back, my father-in-law had a stroke and now has difficulty walking and standing for long periods of time. If there is a chair around though, or even some place to sit, all is well. However, we went into the ballroom not realizing that there was absolutely no accommodations for the handicapped or elderly because Hilton and the Chicago Blackhawks hate anyone that can't stand for hours and hours under their own power.
To get more specific about our situation: we arrive at the opening ceremony and realize there are no chairs anywhere. We politely asked one of the hotel personnel if there are any chairs for those that need it. They replied that they had no idea, but pointed out some stairs that we could sit on. OK, problem solved, we thought. Not so fast. About 20 minutes before the ceremony started, we were told that we had to get off the stairs because it was a "fire hazard" even though the stairs were not in front of A SINGLE fire exit (it wasn't a normal staircase, it was just a few carpeted steps leading up to a locked set of doors). After we said that we had someone in the group that could not stand for long periods of time, we were met with indifference by all the Hilton and Blackhawks personnel that we talked to...everyone was basically telling us, "that's too bad."
And what do we see next? Personnel dragging stacks and stacks of chairs into the room. SO, we went up to the guy obviously directing traffic (I wish I would have gotten his name, but I was too flustered. If you see a bald security guard running things at Hilton Chicago, avoid him, because he hates you. Especially if you need a wheelchair or have any other special needs of any kind.) We asked him if we could please have one of the chairs for my father-in-law. He said, with a raised voice, "NO. NO CHAIRS. THERE ARE NO CHAIRS." He then turned his back on us and ignored us despite us trying to engage him in conversation about why nothing had been provided for the handicapped or elderly.
We were not the only ones that had this issue as I saw many people arguing with the personnel with no success.
What if someone had passed out?
What if someone had hurt themselves badly or aggravated an injury?
Stop hating the elderly and the handicapped, Hilton and the Chicago Blackhawks. You want feedback? Accommodate the elderly and handicapped, because the opening ceremonies as they currently work are completely ridiculous.
Provide a handicapped section! Not having one is not only immoral, it's also possibly illegal! Yeesh.
Hilton and The Chicago Blackhawks Hate the Elderly and the Handicapped
Imagine this scenario: you have spent over 500 dollars so you can celebrate a great season with your favorite hockey team, the Chicago Blackhawks, over the course of the weekend. To kick the weekend off, there is an opening ceremony in the ballroom at Hilton Chicago. Knowing that it will probably be crowded, you decide to get there with your family an hour early for the hour and fifteen minute long event. As you walk in, you see that it's standing room only ... no chairs in sight. Something that was not mentioned ANYWHERE on any site or information packet pertaining to the Blackhawks convention. So...OK, you are going to have to stand for a few hours, no big deal, right?
But wait...you can't stand for that long because you are either elderly or handicapped.
Well, that's too bad, because Hilton and the Chicago Blackhawks hate you and they want you to suffer.
This scenario happened this weekend to my family as we were trying to enjoy the Blackhawks Convention. A few years back, my father-in-law had a stroke and now has difficulty walking and standing for long periods of time. If there is a chair around though, or even some place to sit, all is well. However, we went into the ballroom not realizing that there was absolutely no accommodations for the handicapped or elderly because Hilton and the Chicago Blackhawks hate anyone that can't stand for hours and hours under their own power.
To get more specific about our situation: we arrive at the opening ceremony and realize there are no chairs anywhere. We politely asked one of the hotel personnel if there are any chairs for those that need it. They replied that they had no idea, but pointed out some stairs that we could sit on. OK, problem solved, we thought. Not so fast. About 20 minutes before the ceremony started, we were told that we had to get off the stairs because it was a "fire hazard" even though the stairs were not in front of A SINGLE fire exit (it wasn't a normal staircase, it was just a few carpeted steps leading up to a locked set of doors). After we said that we had someone in the group that could not stand for long periods of time, we were met with indifference by all the Hilton and Blackhawks personnel that we talked to...everyone was basically telling us, "that's too bad."
And what do we see next? Personnel dragging stacks and stacks of chairs into the room. SO, we went up to the guy obviously directing traffic (I wish I would have gotten his name, but I was too flustered. If you see a bald security guard running things at Hilton Chicago, avoid him, because he hates you. Especially if you need a wheelchair or have any other special needs of any kind.) We asked him if we could please have one of the chairs for my father-in-law. He said, with a raised voice, "NO. NO CHAIRS. THERE ARE NO CHAIRS." He then turned his back on us and ignored us despite us trying to engage him in conversation about why nothing had been provided for the handicapped or elderly.
We were not the only ones that had this issue as I saw many people arguing with the personnel with no success.
What if someone had passed out?
What if someone had hurt themselves badly or aggravated an injury?
Stop hating the elderly and the handicapped, Hilton and the Chicago Blackhawks. You want feedback? Accommodate the elderly and handicapped, because the opening ceremonies as they currently work are completely ridiculous.
Provide a handicapped section! Not having one is not only immoral, it's also possibly illegal! Yeesh.