ron-val-ron
Aug 21, 00, 4:39 pm
We all (me included) spend a lot of time belly-aching on this site - mostly in a constructive manner. Still it can't be fun for the Starwood folks who have to read it.
And it turns out that there are a lot of Starwood folks who read these boards. For those of you who haven't been following the debate on the "free" gold status promotion, read the letter I've pasted in below that Jae Knowlton of SPG emailed to me today.
This is, hands down, the best customer service letter I've ever received from anyone anywhere. Jae Knowlton ought to be promoted. And thanks to Jae and Starwood for listening to what we're saying here and responding.
************
Mr. Lieber
I have read your postings on FlyerTalk concerning our referral promotion. I would like to take a few moments to address your comments.
The original email you sent us asked for three things:
1) an explanation of:.why are we doing this,.how we expect gold members to respond to it and why they should continue to use our hotels
2).gold status for the next 2 years
3) forward your comments to the "head of customer service for Starwood Preferred Guest" (among others)
In response to #2 I have.taken the liberty of extending your expiration date to June 30, 2002.
In response to #3 I have forwarded a link to that thread to the Director of Global Customer Service for Starwood Preferred Guest. I can also tell you that.the thread has been reviewed by to the department "responsible for dreaming up this promotion." I am unable to give you more specific information than that.
While I was not privy to the decision-making process I believe the answer to the first part of #1 is a simple one: Starwood Preferred Guest has very aggressive enrollment goals and.our existing members are en excellent resource for reaching new members. Using our employees and marketing partners to enroll new members has proven highly successful. However, because our members are already "referring" people to Starwood Preferred Guest by describing what the program has done for them and how they have benefited from membership, a logical next step would be to offer an additional incentive for this. Our Platinum members can give the applications to whomever they choose, but I'm sure it is the company's hope that a majority of these new members are frequent travelers themselves who will take advantage of the memberships. If they do not, you need not be concerned about.a "dilution" of the Gold level. If these new member are frequent travelers, and our hotels are suddenly filled with new Gold members, I believe that will encourage our hotels to establish a higher, more consistent level of service.
The concerns you raised were considered before the promotion was launched because some past promotions raised the same concerns. The truth is that no promotion can satisfy all of our members..Someone inevitably gets left out. Your feelings in this matter are certainly justified, though, which is why I have extended your expiration date. I hope this - coupled with "the heavenly beds, the hipness of the w, the choice of properties" - gives you reason enough to continue staying at our hotels.
I feel that I must also point out that not all members have had the good fortune to receive stay credit for non-qualifying stays (as you described on August 1 in the thread "Platinum Qualification"). Empress stated in that thread that he.believed it to be "unfair" that not all members were able to take advantage of what is nothing more than a.system glitch. Anyone who received these "bonus stays" (my term) did so by accident, but the perception is that some members were excluded because they didn't luck into it. When I read that comment I.thought to myself "we can't win." Are both situations identical?.Perhaps not, but the point I want to make.is that it's impossible for all members to benefit equally from a "bonus," whether that bonus was intended or otherwise
One of the most enjoyable aspects of my job is corresponding with many of the unique personalities that post to FlyerTalk. I have been "lurking" on the site for many months because I believe it to be an invaluable tool in helping us keep our finger on the pulse of our most frequent travelers. Do.we learn from the.comments we read? You bet we do. Do we avoid repeating mistakes? We usually do, and if we don't we always try to do the right thing after the fact. Whether it means anything to you or not we do appreciate you sharing your thoughts through this forum.
You may be asking yourself "why didn't the first two people who emailed me say all this?" I can't answer that question, but I can tell you that, in my position, I have considerably more latitude in how I respond to people. My ultimate goal in contacting you is not to convince you that the promotion isn't as bad as your postings suggest. I don't believe there is anything I or anyone else can say to change your opinion of the promotion. However, I am confident that I can leave you with a favorable impression of Starwood Preferred Guest by doing for.you what I can, and by being honest.with you.
Mr. Lieber, I sincerely hope I addressed your concerns to your satisfaction. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Best regards
Jae Knowlton
Operations Supervisor, Starwood Preferred Guest
[This message has been edited by ron-val-ron (edited 08-21-2000).]
And it turns out that there are a lot of Starwood folks who read these boards. For those of you who haven't been following the debate on the "free" gold status promotion, read the letter I've pasted in below that Jae Knowlton of SPG emailed to me today.
This is, hands down, the best customer service letter I've ever received from anyone anywhere. Jae Knowlton ought to be promoted. And thanks to Jae and Starwood for listening to what we're saying here and responding.
************
Mr. Lieber
I have read your postings on FlyerTalk concerning our referral promotion. I would like to take a few moments to address your comments.
The original email you sent us asked for three things:
1) an explanation of:.why are we doing this,.how we expect gold members to respond to it and why they should continue to use our hotels
2).gold status for the next 2 years
3) forward your comments to the "head of customer service for Starwood Preferred Guest" (among others)
In response to #2 I have.taken the liberty of extending your expiration date to June 30, 2002.
In response to #3 I have forwarded a link to that thread to the Director of Global Customer Service for Starwood Preferred Guest. I can also tell you that.the thread has been reviewed by to the department "responsible for dreaming up this promotion." I am unable to give you more specific information than that.
While I was not privy to the decision-making process I believe the answer to the first part of #1 is a simple one: Starwood Preferred Guest has very aggressive enrollment goals and.our existing members are en excellent resource for reaching new members. Using our employees and marketing partners to enroll new members has proven highly successful. However, because our members are already "referring" people to Starwood Preferred Guest by describing what the program has done for them and how they have benefited from membership, a logical next step would be to offer an additional incentive for this. Our Platinum members can give the applications to whomever they choose, but I'm sure it is the company's hope that a majority of these new members are frequent travelers themselves who will take advantage of the memberships. If they do not, you need not be concerned about.a "dilution" of the Gold level. If these new member are frequent travelers, and our hotels are suddenly filled with new Gold members, I believe that will encourage our hotels to establish a higher, more consistent level of service.
The concerns you raised were considered before the promotion was launched because some past promotions raised the same concerns. The truth is that no promotion can satisfy all of our members..Someone inevitably gets left out. Your feelings in this matter are certainly justified, though, which is why I have extended your expiration date. I hope this - coupled with "the heavenly beds, the hipness of the w, the choice of properties" - gives you reason enough to continue staying at our hotels.
I feel that I must also point out that not all members have had the good fortune to receive stay credit for non-qualifying stays (as you described on August 1 in the thread "Platinum Qualification"). Empress stated in that thread that he.believed it to be "unfair" that not all members were able to take advantage of what is nothing more than a.system glitch. Anyone who received these "bonus stays" (my term) did so by accident, but the perception is that some members were excluded because they didn't luck into it. When I read that comment I.thought to myself "we can't win." Are both situations identical?.Perhaps not, but the point I want to make.is that it's impossible for all members to benefit equally from a "bonus," whether that bonus was intended or otherwise
One of the most enjoyable aspects of my job is corresponding with many of the unique personalities that post to FlyerTalk. I have been "lurking" on the site for many months because I believe it to be an invaluable tool in helping us keep our finger on the pulse of our most frequent travelers. Do.we learn from the.comments we read? You bet we do. Do we avoid repeating mistakes? We usually do, and if we don't we always try to do the right thing after the fact. Whether it means anything to you or not we do appreciate you sharing your thoughts through this forum.
You may be asking yourself "why didn't the first two people who emailed me say all this?" I can't answer that question, but I can tell you that, in my position, I have considerably more latitude in how I respond to people. My ultimate goal in contacting you is not to convince you that the promotion isn't as bad as your postings suggest. I don't believe there is anything I or anyone else can say to change your opinion of the promotion. However, I am confident that I can leave you with a favorable impression of Starwood Preferred Guest by doing for.you what I can, and by being honest.with you.
Mr. Lieber, I sincerely hope I addressed your concerns to your satisfaction. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Best regards
Jae Knowlton
Operations Supervisor, Starwood Preferred Guest
[This message has been edited by ron-val-ron (edited 08-21-2000).]