Starwood Preferred Guest - In-Room Internet Doesnt Work with spg.com

Just posting a note here in case anyone has the same problems I have had. I check into the W-SF and I want to extend the room for another nite (at a prepaid $159). The clerk downstairs refuses to honour that rate and says I need to get to a computer to book/prepay the room on the Internet - then come back to the desk and combine the two reservations. Well, I dont have my laptop - so, I decide to try the in-room Internet.

spg.com site comes up fine. When I get to the point of selecting a reservation, the site cycles over and over again - unable to secure the reservation. (My thoughts are that the in-room Internet is not totally compatible with Javascript). I call the SPG Desk and ask them for help to extend the reservation. The person on the line of the phone tells me very rudely that it must be something that I am doing and she is unable to help me extend my reservation. She suggests that I dont know how to use the website and she cant extend my reservation. (Grrrrrrrrr .. I am a professional web developer and use the spg.com site extensively to book travel). I can deal my own ego with her instisting that it was my fault with something I was doing --- but, really put off that she was unable or uninterested in helping me in any way.

So, turns out the the Starwood site doesnt work with the Starwood in-room Internet/TV. I had the same problem in W|Suites-Newark a few weeks ago, also - but, I contacted Starwood to see if the problems were corrected - seems they havent.

Just a warning in case anyone else tries to book rooms from in-room Internet/TV...

Are you using netscape or some browser besides internet explorer 5.5 or later running on a windows OS?

I've found that the starwood web site doesn't like netscape, especially when running on non-windows operating systems.

You can also try travelweb.com for times you can't access the starwood web site.

Also, sometimes starwood.com is down .. like right now, apparently.

-David

as we have discussed before in countless threads.

weakest link of starwood = starwood.com (or any derivative thereof).

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by AA_SPG_Fan:


So, turns out the the Starwood site doesnt work with the Starwood in-room Internet/TV. I had the same problem in W|Suites-Newark a few weeks ago, also - but, I contacted Starwood to see if the problems were corrected - seems they havent.

Just a warning in case anyone else tries to book rooms from in-room Internet/TV...</font>

You are not alone. I experienced similar problem in W SF the last and only time I was there less than a year ago. They called up a technician to my room but said something like the cookies aren't compatible. So the hotel is certainly aware that the limits of their in-room Internet because they have been dudely warned by other guests including myself before. At check-out, they took the Internet charge off. I also told them the same problem occured in the W Hotels in NYC as well, they seemed surprised. It must have something to do with those in-room Internet. I am surprised they haven't fixed the problem yet. But you could have just used Internet anywhere in nearby café or internet boot if that's the case.

I've never used the Web-TV style in-room internet. I've only plugged my own laptop into the high-speed port and had success that way.

What kind of browser does the TV-internet use? Is it some variation of WebTV??

I'd have just gone and found an internet cafe or a Kinkos at that point if it was the only way to score the lower rate.

The Web TV internet connection is the problem. This interface does not work well with javascript, from what I've been told. And, of course, the Starwood Web sites contains loads of javascript.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Specialist, E-Communications Department
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

I have had the same problem with other java websites using the webtv, as well as other issues, so I just don't use it anymore.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Eastbay1K:
I have had the same problem with other java websites using the webtv, as well as other issues, so I just don't use it anymore.</font>

Do not mix up Java and Javascript.