Starwood Preferred Guest - Different Occupancy, different rates!

I have been searching SPG.com for some properties in Japan and have noticed that when I adjust the number of adults in the room the price dramatically increases for exactly the same room as if I were searching for one person! The hotel in question is the Westin Osaka

I have done other searches with other sites and they are still offering the same rooms.

Any suggestions what I should do? The difference between 14k and 24k Yen a night is BIG in my budget! :D

Cheers

I have been searching SPG.com for some properties in Japan and have noticed that when I adjust the number of adults in the room the price dramatically increases for exactly the same room as if I were searching for one person! The hotel in question is the Westin Osaka

I have done other searches with other sites and they are still offering the same rooms.

Any suggestions what I should do? The difference between 14k and 24k Yen a night is BIG in my budget! :D

Cheers

The few times I've stayed in hotels in Japan, some of them charged a per person rate. A decent rate if you're alone, but it can be killer if you're going with family.

Thanks. It isn't too much difference over 1 person occupancy but SPG.com doesn't state if it is pppn or prpn rate. I may have to call SPG to clarify this.

It seems that SPG aren't the only ones with differing rates for differing occupancy but same rooms in Japan. Hilton are doing the same.

Just because it is standard practice to charge "by the room" in the US, does not mean it is standard practice worldwide ! Many hotels in Europe also charge a different rate for double occupancy. It is like saying "I can't believe I went to Japan and they didn't speak English....".

In order to get a general idea about prices I didn't consider changing the occupancy for two of us hence I was caught off guard and thanks for rectifying it! ^

The language comparison is a bit OTT though! :p :D

It is like saying "I can't believe I went to Japan and they didn't speak English....".
No it isn't. Expecting an American corporate chain to have standardised pricing for its worldwide properties is not at all unreasonable.

Expecting an American corporate chain to have standardised pricing for its worldwide properties is not at all unreasonable.

But why stop at standardizing pricing policy ?

They should also standardise service charge/taxes, check-in/out time, inroom coffee facility, minibar items, complimentary water, fruit basket items, bathroom amenities etc :confused: We know its just not possible. Even the Heavenly Beds are different in different locations worldwide :p

BTW some Starwood properties in the US do have different "room only" rates for single and double occupancy.

The logistics of managing a large corporation of hotels with hotels consistently moving in and out of the program make it very difficult to standardise the more particular items such as service charges and tax and inroom coffee. However, pricing hotels differently for different occupancy is slightly more tricky.

E.G - I booked the Sheraton Skyline Heathrow and the Westin Osaka on the same website however it only occurred to me afterwards to check the occupancy rates etc.

It is a very common practice in many places outside of the United States. And back in the really old days...it was quite a standard policy in the United States as well.

There are several existing threads on this that using Search revealed. Here's one that was also specifically Japan related:

Advice on # persons in room. Japan. Booked as one. (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=371812)

This has been a touchy point for me especialy with Hilton where HHonors spouse stays free. I dont think SPG has that as a perk ,but it has decided where I stay many times

No it isn't. Expecting an American corporate chain to have standardised pricing for its worldwide properties is not at all unreasonable.

Um, I really disagree with you here. A Westin in Japan or a Sheraton in Germany will surely cater to more than their fair share of Americans; however, they are still generating significant (if not a majority) of their total room revenues from local and regional populations.

There are some standards that a Westin, Sheraton, Marriott, Hyatt branded property simply must maintain (such as offering Coke, having Heavenly Beds in Westins, participating in the SPG program (most of the time anyway!), room service with options that include Americanized choices (like club sandwiches, hamburgers, etc).

However, if the region standard for pricing is based on per person, then *wood is well within their rights to price accordingly. It's quite similar in Europe where many properties charge extra -- and in the case of many Luxury Collection hotels, a LOT extra -- for a third guest in room, even if that guest is your child! In the USofA, that would be unheard of. In my experience, as a Plat, virtually every *wood hotel I go to even offers me a rollaway bed for the kid at no added cost. But, that experience isn't likely to transpire in much of Europe, based largely on regional norms.

It can be irksome, but if one stands back far enough from the picture, it really does make sense.