Starwood Preferred Guest - Meridien - Double Check SPG Participation - Buyer Beware!

This may be old news, but if it saves somebody the disappointment I had, then it will be worthwhile.

I planned a last-minute trip to Dubai and opted for Le Royal Meridien Dubai. I had my travel agent do the whole thing as I was on the road already in the Middle East. She gave me my options over the phone, and I chose the Meridien over non-Starwood properties because of its assumed Starwood association, and I chose it over the Sheratons because I assumed it would be more deluxe.

When I arrived, the hotel rep said they didn't participate in the SPG program. They also didn't participate in the old Meridien Moments program. I assumed I would clear this up with I got back to the US, so I checked in and had a great stay (although crazy expensive).

When I got back, I called SPG. Much to my surprise, the hotel clerk was right. They don't participate in the SPG program, and it says so clearly on the spg.com web page for the property (which I didn't see since I had my agent do all the bookings). The SPG rep in the US was nice and said she would get back to me if there was anything she could do. I guess there wasn't - haven't heard a peep since. I spent about $2000 there and was counting on a ton of starpoints - VERY disappointing.

I am not sure how many Meridiens (or other SPG properties) are like this, but this will sure cause me to be more careful next time around. I also feel like my loyalty was a bit abused here - my choice was driven by the assumption that the Starwood association would get me status recognition, stay credit, and points. I didn't know there were Starwood properties that didn't award starpoints and that I had to verify participation in advance. Maybe my agent should have known, but this was news to her as well.

Buyer beware! I will sure be more careful next time.

I booked, but then cancelled at the Le Meridien New York for the same reason. I didn't catch it until I looked up the property for some restaurant info. Very bad for Starwood to have such inconsistencies. Also, many potential new customers are not going to stay without the SPG benefits.

I didn't catch it until I looked up the property for some restaurant info. Very bad for Starwood to have such inconsistencies.

What are they thinking?? (William....??)

I was at the Parker in NY and didn't get points-nor upgrade. I had another visit next week and just cancelled. No points=me not a guest. There are other hotels just as nice where I can get points. Hilton is really after me to come back and may in the NY area.

Had the same problem but it was too late for me as I realized too late thanks another thread in Flyertalk. My booking at Le Parker is non refundable and the only reason why I booked it is that it was a Starwood property and would allow accrual of both points and stay. It is very frustrating and disappointing and like you LAFlyer I feel cheated

it has caught my attention but most of the non-participating properties are Le Meridiens in the middle East.

It would however be reasonable to assume that since these properties are managed by starwood, they would fall under starwood preferred guest programme. Its akin to saying that Department of Transport is a government organisation but not part of the US government.

I guess that the op could check the latest financial statements of starwood and see if these Le-meridiens were either bought or managed under starwood. If they are, i think u should write in and see what customer relations says.

What are they thinking?? (William....??)

We are thinking that a member might read the Terms and Conditions of Membership in the program and be aware of who does and does not participate. ;)

Sincerely,


William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

Non-participating properties should not be listed in spg.com website.

We are thinking that a member might read the Terms and Conditions of Membership in the program and be aware of who does and does not participate. ;)

Sincerely,


William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

LAME RESPONSE, even with a smiley face. "Read the fine print" isn't the right answer here.

I know this is in the fine print, as I stated in my original e-mail. But I don't carry the T&Cs of the Starwood program around with me everywhere I go, and I don't always have access to www.spg.com (which was the case with my most recent reservation in Dubai).

Starwood has built a lot of brand loyalty from me and others, and I rely on my past experience with the brand to guide my future decisions. William, if there's something that is breaking the perceived brand promise for your customers, you ought to recognize that as a problem for Starwood instead of writing it off as a problem for your customers.

I'm not asking for any compensation - my original post was "Buyer Beware!". But you should recognize that this is a chink in Starwood's otherwise strong brand armor.

Mario33--I fully agree. Who has time to check the terms and conditions? Oh please. SPG should want to make it easy and customer friendly to use their hotels and not have to research the terms and conditions of each hotel.

The Parker says they are working on a seperate program??? Aren't they already "seperate" enough?

LAME RESPONSE, even with a smiley face. "Read the fine print" isn't the right answer here.

I know this is in the fine print, as I stated in my original e-mail. But I don't carry the T&Cs of the Starwood program around with me everywhere I go, and I don't always have access to www.spg.com (which was the case with my most recent reservation in Dubai).

Starwood has built a lot of brand loyalty from me and others, and I rely on my past experience with the brand to guide my future decisions. William, if there's something that is breaking the perceived brand promise for your customers, you ought to recognize that as a problem for Starwood instead of writing it off as a problem for your customers.

I'm not asking for any compensation - my original post was "Buyer Beware!". But you should recognize that this is a chink in Starwood's otherwise strong brand armor.

Since when is asking someone to be aware of the program tenets a lame response? :confused: The rules are there for everyone to read and be aware of. I'm sorry if you didn't take advantage of the opportunity to do so as it would have helped to alleviate your disappointment, but I guess we will have to agree to disagree on some of your points. For one, we should force a hotel to participate in the frequent stay program if they don't want to? Sorry, I think we have enough problems with some of the ones that have agreed to participate and I would rather focus on fixing that. ;)

Sincerely,


William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

LAME RESPONSE, even with a smiley face. "Read the fine print" isn't the right answer here.

I know this is in the fine print, as I stated in my original e-mail. But I don't carry the T&Cs of the Starwood program around with me everywhere I go, and I don't always have access to www.spg.com (which was the case with my most recent reservation in Dubai).

Starwood has built a lot of brand loyalty from me and others, and I rely on my past experience with the brand to guide my future decisions. William, if there's something that is breaking the perceived brand promise for your customers, you ought to recognize that as a problem for Starwood instead of writing it off as a problem for your customers.

I'm not asking for any compensation - my original post was "Buyer Beware!". But you should recognize that this is a chink in Starwood's otherwise strong brand armor.

And while I'm fuming here, I assume part of the rationale for the Le Meridien takeover was that you would flow existing customers into the new properties because of their new Starwood affiliation. That's the ONLY reason I stayed at the Meridien Dubai.

Well...fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice...you know the saying.

Since when is asking someone to be aware of the program tenets a lame response? :confused: The rules are there for everyone to read and be aware of. I'm sorry if you didn't take advantage of the opportunity to do so as it would have helped to alleviate your disappointment, but I guess we will have to agree to disagree on some of your points. For one, we should force a hotel to participate in the frequent stay program if they don't want to? Sorry, I think we have enough problems with some of the ones that have agreed to participate and I would rather focus on fixing that. ;)

Sincerely,


William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com


Yes, we will disagree. I do like the suggestion of de-listing non-participating properties from www.spg.com. Nobody should have to check the fine print on SPG participation for a property listed on the STARWOOD PREFERRED GUEST website.

Maybe that will provide an incentive for them to participate.

My understanding is that individual properties don't participate because they have to pay for all the points earned at their property. The real question is why does Starwood allow in its franchise agreements for properties to be affiliated with the Starwood brands, and then not participate in the Preferred Guest Program. They really need to include this, as it is one of the most important parts of the brand.

What people like you can do is book at different hotels and send a copy of your recipt to that particular SPG property you didn't book at. Tell them they would have gotten your business except that their non-participation in SPG made you book elsewhere.

If hotel franchisees see that the cost of NOT participating in SPG is so much higher than if they joined, they may reconsider. And if not, take your business elsewhere. HHonors points may stink in comparison to SPG, but they are worth more than no SPG points!

My understanding is that individual properties don't participate because they have to pay for all the points earned at their property. The real question is why does Starwood allow in its franchise agreements for properties to be affiliated with the Starwood brands, and then not participate in the Preferred Guest Program. They really need to include this, as it is one of the most important parts of the brand.

What people like you can do is book at different hotels and send a copy of your recipt to that particular SPG property you didn't book at. Tell them they would have gotten your business except that their non-participation in SPG made you book elsewhere.

If hotel franchisees see that the cost of NOT participating in SPG is so much higher than if they joined, they may reconsider. And if not, take your business elsewhere. HHonors points may stink in comparison to SPG, but they are worth more than no SPG points!

The problem is these properties seem to get a lot of the benefits of participation without actually participating. They're freeriding.

How may dumb guests like me are going to forget to read the fine print, assume full participation, and book the property? I bet I am the rule rather than the exception. Non-par properties still get listed on the loyalty program website. They still bask in the glow of the brand that Starwood is investing to create.

Fully agree with you LAFlyer, it is deceiving and we all assume that since the hotel is bookable on SPG.com one gets the benefits of SPG members...
Why not putting a banner in red letters next to the hotel name and warning members that the hotel does nor participate in the program...No small prints here and no bad feelings!

Agreed with LAflyer. I was one of those dumb guest at Le Parker NYC. If i knew i too would not have booked there and would not have experienced their terrible room service that followed. *wood really should take these hotels off their reservation website (or attached them at the end of list of hotel with a banner indicating they do not participate in the *wood program).

Yet another reason Starwood did so poorly in the Freddies.

What kind of answer is that? Read the T&Cs? I understand where you are coming from, but I should NOT have to look at the T&Cs every time I book on SPG.COM - which is the name of the frequent guest program!

I don't have problems with properties participating in HHonors! I think you guys need to negotiate a little better with your properties. The fact that a property can choose to not participate in the program, but still be listed among the brand hotels is a sign of who actually wears the pants in this brand. Not corporate.

When I book a Starwood hotel I expect consistency in every aspect including earning and redeeming points. Is Starwood that desperate that it is willing to forgo customer loyalty just for the sake of saying they have a property in Dubai or wherever else... At the end of the day I think any SPG member would prefer fewer hotel choices that offer 100% points earnings and redemption VS. having hundreds more that offer ZERO!

Maybe Starwood should make a special brand for those properties, like The RITZ with Marriott where MR program has no bearing and all members know that without guessing.

I was excited to learn that starwood had another hotel in Palm Springs and was ready to book the Meridian Palm Springs until I looked at the web site closely and realized they also do not participate in the program. Disappointing to say the least! Alas it's back to Westin Mission Hills.

When I book a Starwood hotel I expect consistency in every aspect including earning and redeeming points. Is Starwood that desperate that it is willing to forgo customer loyalty just for the sake of saying they have a property in Dubai or wherever else... At the end of the day I think any SPG member would prefer fewer hotel choices that offer 100% points earnings and redemption VS. having hundreds more that offer ZERO!

Maybe Starwood should make a special brand for those properties, like The RITZ with Marriott where MR program has no bearing and all members know that without guessing.

starwood has been concentraing on having fewer properties than competitors but doing them right, including drawing out a standard in-house hotel management software called Galaxy at all properties worldwide. The downside to us customers is that starwood now has given the perception that they are an arrogant company that feels its revenue generating mechanism is good enough and there is less of a need to concentrate on accomodating and having a flexible loyalthy programme like what spg used to market itself to be. The number of complaints surfacing on flyertalk is one piece of evidence.

Again i ask. Has the op written into customer service to ask for an explanation . No property can be listed on spg.com/starwoodhotels.com without a managment contract with starwood. Could the op contribute what customer service has to say.

Apart from the spg points though, how was the op's experience within the hotel and have any other Fter have negative experiences with Starwood properties within Middle East.

All I know is I made the SAME point a year ago and was ignored. Bottom line, if you're booking on the *WOOD PREFERED GUEST website, then it's fraudulent to list hotels that don't participate.

I have no problem with the hotel being listed at Le Meridien.com or even *wood.com (if there is one) but it shouldn't be on the spg website.

starwood has been concentraing on having fewer properties than competitors but doing them right, including drawing out a standard in-house hotel management software called Galaxy at all properties worldwide. The downside to us customers is that starwood now has given the perception that they are an arrogant company that feels its revenue generating mechanism is good enough and there is less of a need to concentrate on accomodating and having a flexible loyalthy programme like what spg used to market itself to be. The number of complaints surfacing on flyertalk is one piece of evidence.

Again i ask. Has the op written into customer service to ask for an explanation . No property can be listed on spg.com/starwoodhotels.com without a managment contract with starwood. Could the op contribute what customer service has to say.

Apart from the spg points though, how was the op's experience within the hotel and have any other Fter have negative experiences with Starwood properties within Middle East.

I'm not sure what an "op" is (original poster?), but I gather from the context that the op is me.

I called the Platinum Concierge when I got back. She explained the T&Cs and said she would see what she could do given the fact that my decision to stay at the Royal Meridien Dubai was *100%* based on their assumed SPG participation. She said she would call me back. She never did.

My stay at the Royal Meridien Dubai was fine. Of course no upgrades or any special treatment for my platinum status, but the facilities were nice and the service was as expected. Definitely not worth the $600 per night that I had to pay, but everything in Dubai was crazy expensive when we had to book at the last minute.

What about the Lanesborough in London, their non-participation has been irritating for years.

[QUOTE=trekkie]starwood has been concentraing on having fewer properties than competitors but doing them right,QUOTE]

How does that make sense when Starwood just took over The Le Meridien chain? Prior to that the former SCI Sheraton Club International took over Westin, which is now Starwood. They are doing the opposite.

Even if the Dubai property did not offer points they should in the least offer some benefits such as upgrades and welcome gift. You can't use the Starwood name to your benefit in order to attract guests especially millions who are part of the brands loyalty group and then dismiss their benefits. The knife cuts both ways!

I have to weigh in on this issue. I don't travel that often but have always touted the Starwood program and its various brands to my friends. I try to go out of my way to stay at Starwood hotels. William, we realize that you have to defend your employer but in the past you've always been quite reasonable and balanced in your comments/observations but this deception is NOT worthy of Starwood. Corporate better wake up before it starts losing loyal devotees such as myself. What explanation can be given to justify such poor customer relations? Dare I say, a higher level of greed?

Ok, I feel that I must also weigh in here. William, the key point you need to make to your higher-ups about this issue is this:

If a property is listed on and is bookable via the SPG.com website, then it *MUST* participate in SPG to the fullest extent. Any property that doesn't participate in SPG doesn't get listed on that website. It can get listed on the individual brand's website, but not the SPG website. The whole point of the SPG website, as has been pointed out, Starwood PREFERRED GUEST, and thus listing a property that doesn't participate is awefully close to false advertising.

Sorry, but I totally disagree.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=553193&referrerid=4179

In this thread on post number 9, TerryK lines out all the ways that we try and let you know when a hotel is not participating. It is in the T&C's of SPG, which - if you have a vested interest in the program - should be read occasionally. It is also on the hotel's overview page and another opportunity of discovery is offered before you confirm.

Also, the booking engine for SPG is the booking engine for all Starwood proprietary web sites, so there is no leaving a non-participating hotel off of it. If we did that we would have to remove them from all of the pages and clearly that isn't going to happen.

IMHO, we have done what we can to let people know when a hotel does not participate in the program. I'm not sure what else can be done. Maybe if someone can suggest something that makes sense, then I can pass it along for consideration.

Sincerely,


William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

Sorry, but I totally disagree.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=553193&referrerid=4179

In this thread on post number 9, TerryK lines out all the ways that we try and let you know when a hotel is not participating. It is in the T&C's of SPG, which - if you have a vested interest in the program - should be read occasionally. It is also on the hotel's overview page and another opportunity of discovery is offered before you confirm.

Also, the booking engine for SPG is the booking engine for all Starwood proprietary web sites, so there is no leaving a non-participating hotel off of it. If we did that we would have to remove them from all of the pages and clearly that isn't going to happen.

IMHO, we have done what we can to let people know when a hotel does not participate in the program. I'm not sure what else can be done. Maybe if someone can suggest something that makes sense, then I can pass it along for consideration.

Sincerely,


William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

Trust me, you can remove non-participating sites from www.spg.com with about 20 minutes of work without changing the underlying booking engine. Just because all sites share the same database doesn't mean all sites have to show the same data. This ain't rocket science.

Or look at this another way. Under "advanced" search options, I can search for properties with a spa, near the beach, award winners, proximity to train stations, availability of child care, etc. Do you really think your IT gurus can't arrange to search by program participation????? If you can do that, you can also make that a default search filter. There is not a single technical reason for insisting non-participating sites have to be listed. NONE.

I think the main feedback here is that having non-participting hotels under the Starwood umbrella is confusing and dillutive to the brand equity, whether or not they are listed in the T&Cs. The secondary point was that listing non-participating sites on the PREFERRED GUEST website doesn't make any sense at all. If you do insist on this position, here are the concrete steps you can take that work within your (in my opinion terrible) status quo:

1) Place non-participating properties at the bottom of the list when getting search results for a particular city under a bright red banner that says "NO PROGRAM PARTICIPATION FOR THE FOLLOWING PROPERTIES". If I book at www.spg.com, it should be obvious that I'm looking for participating properties. I don't care about ANY that aren't participating, so if you force me to look at them, put them at the bottom of the list. If I don't want points/status/recognition, I'll book at Priceline or any number of different sites. I almost want to shout "DUH!" at this point.

2) Ensure that a notice of non-participating status is shown PROMINENTLY before a property can be booked. Currently, the only way you see the "special condition" about non-participation before deciding to book is if you go to the property details page by clicking the "more..." link. However, you can book the property without viewing this page by clicking the "book now" button on the list view, which can take you all the way to reservation confirmation. This is the most direct booking route, and probably the one that most people follow (at least I do). The small, black text sentence on the reservation confirmation page noting non-participation doesn't cut it. It blends into everything else, and I would never see it unless I was looking for it. Make non-participation more noticeable.

We obviously are going in circle here and William refuses to understand! All your points LAFlyer are valid and William your remark about "suggesting something that makes sense" is rather uncalled for and insulting considering many of us here have done just that!

Don't get me wrong, I really am annoyed by the fact that any Starwood hotel has the option of not participating in SPG. However, I do have to say that there are reasonable steps taken to alert the booker of such a situation. When searching hotels, all the SPG properties list what Category they are in at SPG.com, the non participating hotels have this area blank. Furthermore on the info page for each hotel, the non-participants clear state: "Special Condition" and then go on the say they aren't in SPG.

This being said, I think that anyone could easily determine which hotels participate and which do not. However, I do wish all hotels had to participate in order to be affiliated with the SPG brand. Searching from SPG.com should only show hotels in the SPG program. It is not like we are searching for Starwood properties, we are looking for Starwood Preferred Guest properties. Perhaps a differentiation between spg.com searches and Starwood.com searches could be practical and helpful?

Searches at SPG.com would only yield participating hotels, whereas searches at Starwood.com would show all hotels??

I am quite surprised by William's posts in this thread. He regularly goes above and beyond, giving more credit than I think is due to some pretty marginal complaints and concerns. This is a real problem. It would certainly be possible to limit spg.com to SPG hotels. And to respond to a member's understandable surprise at learning after the fact that a Starwood-branded hotel doesn't participate by saying "you didn't read the fine print," well ... technically true, but this is supposed to be a marketing program. It's supposed to build goodwill.

I agree with Ready2Go. The sprit of this whole thread is that SPG is a loyalty program. Loyalty programs don't build loyalty by making customers read the fine print. SPG didn't break their explicit contract with me, but they did break their implicit contract of trust and reliability that they have built over the past 10 years.

I used my past experience with Starwood to let my guard down and trust that my experience in Dubai would be consistent with my prior experiences with the brand. That is some major brand equity at work! I didn't have to think about my decision because of my trust in the brand, which is presumably what brand loyalty programs are all about.

To tbd27, I agree that non-participating status is disclosed, but I disagree that the disclosure is adequte. On the SPG site, participation is the rule, and exceptions should be SHOUTED out. Once I saw the notice on the Meridien Dubai's web page about non-participation after I returned from my trip, I didn't push the issue with Starwood. However, I don't think it is adequately disclosed. Looking for clues by the absence of SPG categories only works if you know what you're looking for. The property details page is easy to skip during the booking process, and the notification on the confirmation page blends in. I screwed this up, and I am probably a more savvy points collector than the average customer. No doubt, though, that the notification is there. I don't think Starwood is trying to hide anything from anybody.

The real answer is to remove non-participating sites from www.spg.com totally or somehow separate them from the rest.

Maybe a simple solution could be to insert a warning or disclosure page between the hotel info and the booking engine. If one clicks on the Le Meridien New York for example, and decides to book there and clicks "Book Now", they should be taken to a page which warns them that the property they are requesting does not participate in SPG and they cannot earn or redeem points there. The guest would then be able to click on "OK" or "Check another Property."

I think that something of this nature would be impossible to miss, and would help communicate that these hotels are not participating. This type of disclosure would prevent SPG from potential deceptive business practice claims and encourage hotels to join the program.

I believe the OP booked the room over the phone, and the phone agent failed to disclose the non-SPG participation factor. Similar to what tdb27 had suggested, Starwood might want to insert some type of "NON-SPG PARTICIPATING HOTEL" language in the room description, which is what the phone agents rely on and read back to the person on the other end of the phone. I think this is a fair expectation, especially if you're calling the elite/platinum concierge service line, where the customers are most likely SPG participants.

Then again, they could just force mandatory participation like everyone had suggsted, but we already know that's not happening. ;)

I planned a last-minute trip to Dubai and opted for Le Royal Meridien Dubai. I had my travel agent do the whole thing as I was on the road already in the Middle East. She gave me my options over the phone, and I chose the Meridien over non-Starwood properties because of its assumed Starwood association, and I chose it over the Sheratons because I assumed it would be more deluxe.

Seems like your travel agent (a paid professional) should have noticed this and brought it to your attention immediately. What was their response when you talked to them about this later?

I believe the OP booked the room over the phone, and the phone agent failed to disclose the non-SPG participation factor. Similar to what tdb27 had suggested, Starwood might want to insert some type of "NON-SPG PARTICIPATING HOTEL" language in the room description, which is what the phone agents rely on and read back to the person on the other end of the phone. I think this is a fair expectation, especially if you're calling the elite/platinum concierge service line, where the customers are most likely SPG participants.

Then again, they could just force mandatory participation like everyone had suggsted, but we already know that's not happening. ;)

If this was a phone call, then the OP (or his travel agent) should call Corporate Customer Service and file a complaint against the person that booked his reservation. Every non-participating property has the following condition which must be read to every person who books over the telephone:

This hotel does not participate in the Starwood Preferred Guest program. Starpoints cannot be earned and SPG in-hotel benefits will not be offered. The hotel does not accept SPG award redemptions or other special SPG award rates.

If that did not get read to him (or his travel agent), then it was a violation of company policy and the associate needs to be advised and corrected.

Sincerely,


William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

If this was a phone call, then the OP (or his travel agent) should call Corporate Customer Service and file a complaint against the person that booked his reservation. Every non-participating property has the following condition which must be read to every person who books over the telephone:

This hotel does not participate in the Starwood Preferred Guest program. Starpoints cannot be earned and SPG in-hotel benefits will not be offered. The hotel does not accept SPG award redemptions or other special SPG award rates.

If that did not get read to him (or his travel agent), then it was a violation of company policy and the associate needs to be advised and corrected.

Sincerely,


William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

Now all we need is for the website to put in big bolded font on the reservation page (instead of making it blend in):This hotel does not participate in the Starwood Preferred Guest program. Starpoints cannot be earned and SPG in-hotel benefits will not be offered. The hotel does not accept SPG award redemptions or other special SPG award rates..

Is that so hard?

Now all we need is for the website to put in big bolded font on the reservation page (instead of making it blend in):.

Is that so hard?

I don't know. Apparently harder than any of us might like to think. ;)

Sincerely,


William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

I can only speak for myself but the banner on spg.com would certainly alleviate my concerns.

Thanks William (although I still sometime think you're the only one there on our side! :D )

To clarify, I made the reservation through my travel agent, not a phone agent who worked for Starwood. I have no idea how my agent actually booked the room - I assume she can book it online using some kind of travel agent system.

I told her what property to book, and she booked it. I don't expect her to be an expert at the SPG program, so I can't blame her (although perhaps SPG should notify agents about the non-par properties?).

was looking for a hotel at amsterdam in april, and found a nice selection on spg.com. the parker was available and it was located right around the corner to where I had to go to so I booked the parker for 1 night on spg.com. confirmation email from spg was received seconds later.

when checking in I was given not the room I had booked but a very high floor overlooking the old city. very nice. we dropped the luggage and when coming back after dinner we found a fruit basked and bottles of water in the room as well as a welcome letter from the director (or somebody else?). very nice too. soap and shampoo were lemeridien products.

so far so good - but no points or credits. somewhen in mid april the parker amsterdam left the spg programm. it was still a starwood hotel when I booked, but five days later the cooperation had ended. my stay was at the second night after the property had left starwood.

this fact was not mentioned during the booking progress, nor was it mentioned in the spg email. no idea if it was mentioned in the t&c, but I don´t read them every time I book.

I was told that a corresponding note (parker no more starwood hotel) was added to the hotels web site. but the booking on spg.com does not lead through the hotels website and since I knew this hotel already I bypassed the hotels website before booking anyhow.

bottom line - no points and no stay credits. thank you for calling....

the parker was removed from the spg.com website in the meantime.

I am a very happy spg customer enjoying the nice benefits of being platinum. but this treatment and handling was extremely poor - needless to say that I am very unhappy and angry about this.

Now that's false advertising! It could have been that Starwood was not given any heads up but that would be hard to believe.

I am sure Lurker would agree that in your case points and nights credited should be forth-coming.

Now that's false advertising! It could have been that Starwood was not given any heads up but that would be hard to believe.

I am sure Lurker would agree that in your case points and nights credited should be forth-coming.

I would be willing to personally look into it if asked to do so, but like I said on another thread, this is done case by case.

Sincerely,


William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

http://www.ameinfo.com/84779.html

Starwood names a non-participating property "best in brand". Coincidentally, it's the one that started this thread.

So the best Le Meridien of them all is unavailable to loyal SPG members for earning or redeeming points. What kind of message does that send???

Also, what message does this send to other non-participating properties? SPG participation sure doesn't seem to be very important if a property can win "best in brand" without participating in the brand's loyalty program.

http://www.ameinfo.com/84779.html

Starwood names a non-participating property "best in brand". Coincidentally, it's the one that started this thread.

So the best Le Meridien of them all is unavailable to loyal SPG members for earning or redeeming points. What kind of message does that send???

Also, what message does this send to other non-participating properties? SPG participation sure doesn't seem to be very important if a property can win "best in brand" without participating in the brand's loyalty program.

:td: