Starwood Preferred Guest - Experience with New Platinum Status

I want to get the SPG spin this.

This year, I received lifetime Diamond status with Hyatt after 13 consecutive Diamond years. I decided it was a good time to get comped to elite status at another chain to see what I am missing.

I researched the programs, and decided Marriott was the best choice, but they do not comp the elite status. So I followed all the enlightened advice on FT, and asked Starwood, who comped me to Platinum.

With FFN over at Hyatt, I gave Westin Kansas City a try last night.

I was dutifully offered the 500 point bonus, but I must admit I missed the welcome ammenity of food and wine.

My room upgrade? I was upgraded to the SPG floor. Yippee! I made it clear that I was Platinum, and asked if there was a suite available. "No, sir. I'm sorry, but you have been upgraded to the special floor!" I asked if they had a lounge, and they answered no. How about breakfast? No.

So I get to my room, and I call Westin reservations, seeking truth. Guess what? There were several different kinds of suites they could reserve for me for that very night! By now I was settled in, and didn't care to push the issue.

Checking out the next morning, I explain to the the front desk manager what happenned. He couldn't explain it other than to say perhaps the rooms were released between the time I checked in and the time I made the phone call (30 minutes later.)

So, do you all think I should give Starwood another chance, or throw them out, as I am inclined to do? What could I have done to get the upgrade, which is clearly supposed to be a key perk for Platinum?

If all were equal, I would select Hyatt because they have shown their committment to me. But this was a very disappointing introduction to SPG Platinum.

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United UGS, 1K, Million Mile Flyer
Hyatt Lifetime Diamond
Starwood Platimun

[This message has been edited by divaof travel (edited 09-05-2003).]

My vote goes for you staying with Hyatt. You can remind them that you are a lifetime plat every time something doesn't go your way.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by hedoman:
My vote goes for you staying with Hyatt. You can remind them that you are a lifetime plat every time something doesn't go your way.</font>

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

Sorry. . no offense meant to anybody - but this is a hilariously funny response imo. If you like Hyatt better then stay with them. Sorry you had a disappointing experience; it happens.

I believe the treatment you recvd was totally unacceptable.

You should write to the hotel manager, and if you get no response, write to the Hyatt Manager (and copy the Starwood hotel manager) to offer the Hyatt hotel Manager a comparison between your experiences, and if that doesn't work give up and stay with Hyatt.

You deserve enough points to be credited to provide you with a free stay in my opinion.

Had the exact same thing happen to me at the London Park Tower. I have an email stating that three (3) suites were open at the time and was told at checkin they were all full.

Christian

I am sorry to hear that you did not get a PLAT treatment. I have been very pleased for most part with the way I am treated at most starwood properties. I just spent a night in Niagara falls and was upgraded to a nice suite. Your experience may have been an isolated one with ONE property. I would suggest you give another property a chance.

Just because a suite is available for revenue booking, does not mean that it is available for upgrading. The Plat. u/g policy excludes specialty suites (ie., Presidential, and many or most "named" suites.) Some properties do offer Plats. upgrades to some or all of those suites but they are not required to.

I'm batting 75% suite u/gs this year and attribute it to: 1) booking properties known for looking out for Plats (this forum is most helpful in that way); 2) cajoling/wheedling/begging in a few cases; and 3) luck of staying at lower occupancy times.

Diva, I'd give *wood another chance. I'll gladly take a "mere" preferred level Westin room any day over most MR "concierge level" offerings.

On every board there are a percentage of posters who defend the brand regardless of the legitimacy of the complaints.

The main enticement for me to make Platinum is suite upgrades.

I made Platinum in October of last year. I have 38 nights with Starwood this year. How many nights were upgraded to a suite? ONE. One night out of 38 with reservations made in advance through spg.com at every one. And the one suite upgrade was at a Four Points. (Of my 38 nights, only four were at Four Points properties.)

I'll make Platinum this year in the next month. I'm hoping that the higher qualification level this year will reduce the ranks some and improve my average, but the published suite upgrade benefit is a bunch of B.S. as far as I am concerned.

I would second this and I've said as much in earlier threads. I had about 80 nights with Starwood as an SPG Plat over the past year and a half. Here's the breakdown on my stays:

Number of upgrades to suites: 0

"Special" floor upgrades: maybe 10, but I fail to see the advantage.

Number of times I've had to go back to the front desk to specifically request that I not be given the WORST room in the hotel (next to the elevators, first floor w/ view of garbage, etc.): about 5

Number times I was told I had to pay for my wife to use the lounge that I had access to as an SPG Plat: 1

Number of times I had to actually go to Wal-Mart to buy pillows for people travelling with me because the hotel manager said (about the hotels pillows) "I know they're uncomfortable, we get a lot of complaints, but it's all we have": 1

Number of times I had to call front desk about missed amenity: about 10

SPG is a program with multiple personalities. On paper it's good and in fact if you like spending your time calling to follow up on all the individual hotels to make sure they're doing their job, then it works, I guess. Me? I've been shifting more and more of my stays to SLH (small luxury hotels) properties. There's no frequent guest program, but I get treated well at every property as a matter of course.

it sucks how some people as platinum haven't gotten the deserved upgrades they should receive. Personally, as a gold member, I've been upgraded to two suites in the last six stays. At all other times, when not upgraded to a suite, I was upgraded to the SPG floor and a corner room. (south coast plaza, cincinnati, etc.) Maybe it has to do with who I work for but that should not be the case.

Wow! Always Flyin and dthernandez...I'm sorry to hear that. I can't explain why, by my experience since becoming a Platinum has been almost the opposite of yours...receiving Suites on the majority of my stays.

I'll admit the Suites themselves are rarely offered automatically, and I usually get "We've upgraded you to a nice corner room" or something at check-in. But after I say to the front desk clerk my usual "Would you mind asking your Front Desk Manager if they might have a Suite upgrade for a Platinum today?"...either the clerk just goes ahead and finds one, or they do go back and check with "The Boss" and I end up with a Suite.

I know the program touts: <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Our Best Room: You'll automatically be upgraded to our best available guest room at check-in.</font>

...but in real-world practice the hotels don't seem to do the "automatic" part as often as they should when it comes to Suites, and as I don't see the practice changing anytime soon, if you aren't already doing so, you may want to be pro-active and nicely ask if a Suite upgrade is available, at check-in.

So for now if I were you, I'd consider the "You'll automatically be upgraded to our best available guest room at check-in" to mean just that. You'll likely only automatically be upgraded to a best guest "room" and not a Suite.

Suites you gotta ask for (most of the time), IMHO.

Better Luck!

[This message has been edited by PremEx (edited 09-07-2003).]

Welcome to the SPG forum, where if you dare express anything other than orgasimal joy with everything SPG or any hotel does, you risk being crawn and quartered, and accused of harboring Bin Laden, Sadaam, and Charles Taylor.

I've stayed at this hotel once, and had an entirely different experience. I'm suprised, although I suppose the clerk didn't feel like giving you one.

These are the slings and arrows that occassionally happen with SPG properties. It shouldn't happen, but sometimes it does.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by PremEx:
Wow! Always Flyin and dthernandez...I'm sorry to hear that. I can't explain why, by my experience since becoming a Platinum has been almost the opposite of yours...receiving Suites on the majority of my stays.

I'll admit the Suites themselves are rarely offered automatically, and I usually get "We've upgraded you to a nice corner room" or something at check-in. But after I say to the front desk clerk my usual "Would you mind asking your Front Desk Manager if they might have a Suite upgrade for a Platinum today?"...either the clerk just goes ahead and finds one, or they do go back and check with "The Boss" and I end up with a Suite.

I know the program touts: ...but in real-world practice the hotels don't seem to do the "automatic" part as often as they should when it comes to Suites, and as I don't see the practice changing anytime soon, if you aren't already doing so, you may want to be pro-active and nicely ask if a Suite upgrade is available, at check-in.

So for now if I were you, I'd consider the "You'll automatically be upgraded to our best available guest room at check-in" to mean just that. You'll likely only automatically be upgraded to a best guest "room" and not a Suite.

Suites you gotta ask for (most of the time), IMHO.

Better Luck!

[This message has been edited by PremEx (edited 09-07-2003).]</font>

dthernandez's experience and the fact that the suite upgrades you are getting are not automatic is further evidence that the SPG upgrade process is broken! You should not have to ask for the suite upgrade...it's part of the SPG benefits. If a suite is available, you are supposed to be upgraded. And to receive a suite after being told there isn't one available, which has been reported as happening on a number of occasions, suggests again, that the upgrade process is broken.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by MileKing:
..., suggests again, that the upgrade process is broken.</font>
The separate threads about missing upgrades and amenities show that there is an enormous inconsistency among the properties. The SPG process is broken in many properties and SPG headquater was not able to change anything(?)/much(?) recently (training of the agents is the main statement after a stay. The next stay will produce the same reply. At least the properties and their managers are trained for pouring this standard reply out of the can into a letter. If nothing changes, the replies become incredible). I was surprised to read so many posts in these threads about non-compliant hotels. The new policy of no amenity for priceline/travelocity/expedia/... bookings won't change anything about these properties. The process will still be broken: less elite members with eligible bookings: yes; better treatment of the remaining ones (in the non-compliant hotels): hardly believable.

The proposed strategies for the customer for getting better results from above:
a) reminding the agents during check-in
b) choosing the "better" properties (by reading through threads on FT.com)
Is this the way a loyality programme should work? It can just be a (bad) workaround.

Just for comparision this year (all without asking = option a)):
- suite upgrades: 25% Starwood; 30% Marriott (though no written benefit in this programme)
- upgrade to a better room: 100% Starwood; 100% Marriott
- Delivery of Amenity: 65% Starwood (asked once about amenity but wasn't delivered anyway; 100% Marriott (I had to ask once during check-in for the amenity choice. The agent looked pale afterwards and apologised twice)
- lounge access: 100% Starwood; 100% Marriott
- late check-out: 100% Starwood; ? Marriott (not needed/asked for it; Marriott also don't guarantee a 16h check-out)



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If I were DivaofTravel, I'd stay with Hyatt. Sounds like the Diva has a good thing going there and likes the food and wine associated with Diamond membership.

I'm more partial to easy redemption of free nights (and there are awesome Starwood hotels in the two cities I normally travel to), so I stay with Starwood.

For the record, I have 18 stays so far this year and I believe I received suite upgrades in 12 of these stays. I never ask for a suite, so I'd probably receive more if I did. The Westin Grand in Washington is a favorite destination of mine, but they are stingy with the upgrades, as is discussed in several threads.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by raisin:
I'm more partial to easy redemption of free nights ... so I stay with Starwood.
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In the interest of fairness, Hyatt redemption is frankly awesome. Although they don't have an absolute no blackouts guarantee like SPG, it is usually not a problem to get a room. I have a standard level room over NYE at the Hyatt Kauai booked about 6 months after the awards were released to availability. This is not uncommon. I've never had a major problem redeeming points at Hyatt. There are no differences in redmeption for Diamond, so this comment would apply to anyone - even regular non-elite members.

Hilton is a whole different story.

I just would not distinguish SPG as against Hyatt based on award redemption. In my view Hyatt is just about as easy to use your points as Starwood.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by BoSoxFan45:
Welcome to the SPG forum, where if you dare express anything other than orgasimal joy with everything SPG or any hotel does, you risk being crawn and quartered, and accused of harboring Bin Laden, Sadaam, and Charles Taylor.
</font>

I agree with BoSox on this one. In this sense, the SPG forum lately reminds me of the UA forum.


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Gaucho100K