Starwood Preferred Guest - Beware of switcheroo on cancellation policy

Booked Cash & Points stay at the Phoenician online for next spring, and rate details stated cancel by 4 p.m. 1 day before or incur one night penalty, which I printed with my confirmation # upon booking. But in e-mail confirmation, the cancellation deadline was changed seven days prior to arrival. Had I not noticed this (I usually just file my e-mail confirmations w/o examining them closely) I could have potentially been in for a very expensive surprise. Called SPG yesterday and rep stated that 7 days prior is the correct cancellation deadline for this property. Went back online today as if I were to book another C & P stay and rate details still say cancel by 4 p.m. 1 day before; for a points-only booking it says cancel by 6 p.m. 1 day before, and for a cash stay it says cancel by 7 days prior! William, can you prevail on SPG to fix this mess?

When you spoke with the SPG rep, did you ask what the cancellation penalty would be? Otherwise, you may be in for another nasty surprise when they charge you rack rate (which I believe runs several hundred dollars at this property) even on a C&P stay.

Didn't ask the amount of the one-night penalty, but considering the lowest price online is $535 plus tax, I wouldn't be shocked if it was up there in the $800 or $900 range.

Thanks for pointing this out. It has been fixed now.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

Thanks for your help!

I recently booked several cash & points reservations for April 2008 and had the same problem as the OP - the Cancellation Policy changed after completing the reservation process.

Throughout the process and on the rate details link, the Cancellation Policy is shown as:


Cancel by 4PM Hotel time 1 Day prior to day of arrival to avoid 1 Night penalty

The final confirmation screen and e-mail indicate:


Cancel by 6pm Hotel time 3 Day(s) prior to avoid 1 Night penalty


The problem exists for at least the following properties for C&P reservations:

The Royal Hawaiian (HNL)
Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort Waikiki Beach (HNL)
Sheraton Princess Kaiulani (HNL)
Le Meridien Tahiti (PPT)

Starwood Lurker, please look into this discrepancy.

Thanks.

I had the same experience.
I booked Moana Surfrider in the end of Dec till early Jan.
This is the busiest season in Hawaii, but award nights were confirmed and the cancellation policy was just 1 day advance notice.
Now, when I checked the reservation online, the cancellation date was changed and has to be made by Oct 31, 2 months advance notice required.
If I did not check my reservation details, I would not know the change and had to pay the penalty if I cancel it a few days before the check in date.

This kind of information has to be notified to customer by e-mail or phone, not just change it by online themselves. I actually feel that the change shall not be done once it is confirmed.

Moreover, when I tried to cancel this, I could not be allowed to cancel online.
The messege said I had to call Starwood to cancel it

The exact thing happened to me when I booked (cash+points) The St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort. I called the resort to cancel and they informed me about the 7-day notice cancellation policy. I raised the same argument and they canceled my booking on a courtesy basis.

The 7-day cancellation policy may be logical for some properties (Bora Bora and similar resorts) but I found it to be customer unfriendly for the The St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort to adopt this policy.

I recently booked several cash & points reservations for April 2008 and had the same problem as the OP - the Cancellation Policy changed after completing the reservation process.

Throughout the process and on the rate details link, the Cancellation Policy is shown as:



The final confirmation screen and e-mail indicate:



The problem exists for at least the following properties for C&P reservations:

The Royal Hawaiian (HNL)
Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort Waikiki Beach (HNL)
Sheraton Princess Kaiulani (HNL)
Le Meridien Tahiti (PPT)

Starwood Lurker, please look into this discrepancy.

Thanks.

Hi WBOTM,

Will do an investigation for you.

Thank you and have a nice day!

apguest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

Same happened 2 me at the Sheraton Cable Beach Resort of Nassau, Bahamas. C&P said 1 day prior, but it really was 14 days prior!

Ironically I found a much better rate at the neighboring Wyndham about 3 hours after the deadline, so I tried & failed :( to get special permission to cancel.

I booked a Cash and Points award for a stay 2 weeks from now at the St. Johns resort (USVI) for 2 nights. When I booked the stay, the cancellation policy said:

"Cancel by 4PM Hotel time 1 Day prior to day of arrival to avoid 1 Night penalty".

However when I got the email confirmation, it said "Too late to cancel - a 2 Night penalty will be applied".

Luckily I didnt close the original booking window and was able to print out the original cancellation policy. I called the Platinum line to sort this out but was told it was too late to cancel but as a goodwill gesture they would be able to cancel it for me since I just booked it. After I explained to them what had happened, they said that if I didnt want to cancel now, I should save the print out in case I needed to cancel later and "it would be taken into consideration by the hotel". Long story short, I didnt want to risk worrying about this later in case I needed to cancel and asked them to just cancel the reservation. I was told that due to system maintenance they will have to do it in the AM but that it would be done.

It just bugs me that instead of trying to fix the cancellation policy, my choice was to cancel it now or hope for the best later. Has anyone ever experienced this?

Same thing happened to me at the St. Johns Resort (USVI):

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=812974

In my case, the "1 Day prior" shows even in the final confirmation page but when you get the email or if you go to "My reservations", it shows "15 days prior". Luckily I have a screen print out but I am still trying to get this resolved with the Platinum line and the hotel (we are already in the 15 day period). At this point, I would prefer to get it fixed so it reflects what I actually booked, but would settle for a clean cancel as well.

William, I sent my confirmation # to you just in case you want to take a look...

It just bugs me that instead of trying to fix the cancellation policy, my choice was to cancel it now or hope for the best later.

Agreed. This is disappointing; SPG should (IMHO) stand behind its website no matter what.

This just happened to me on a regular award booking (full points)! I am trying to make reservations for this weekend. Prior to the confirmation window, it showed "cancel by 6 pm 1 day prior hotel time." Then, when I received the confirmation e-mail, it said the time for cancellation had passed! This is a potential disaster for me because I am taking my car into the mechanic tomorrow due to a weird grinding sound, so there's a possibility I can't travel. I absolutely would not have confirmed the reservation had there not been a cancellation possibility! SPG CSR says she can't do anything, though is calling the hotel to see what they will do.

EDIT: Hotel manager said she would cancel it without penalty and credit my points. Yay for customer service. Boo for web glitches!

EDIT: The hotel no longer had web award availability after I booked mine, so I couldn't go back to check. After they canceled my reservation, I went back to look and it still stated the 1 day cancellation policy! I am going to make a web capture in case I end up having to dispute this with the CC or something.

I booked a room over the phone quoting an online rate, as the server was down. The operator told me there was a seven day cancellation policy, then when looking at my online rate, noticed the discrepancy, she made note of it, and added in my reservation the i day cancellation policy, gave me her name and number if I had any problems. I didn't need to cancel but it was nice knowing she was looking out...

Slightly OT but I have noticed switcheroos on rooms booked - i.e booked a special rate suite at the LM SFO - online res when booked showed I had the suite. A few days later it was changed to a standard room. I had a friend in the US call and it was switched back by the hotel but not a good state of affairs IMHO.

The other switcheroo was on my rate plan conditions at a Sheraton hotel in the USA. When booked it was a govt rate - stated I had to have ID. No problem. Next time I checked the res online - it also states that I must have my govt work orders with me. This additional line was not present when I first made the reservation.

Are these SPG web glitches or the hotel actually going in and changing things after we have been issued with confirmation numbers :rolleyes:?

IMHO once we have booked something and have a confirmation number it is not ok for these changes to made to our reservations with no indication or email outlining such a change.

Thanks for alerting me to the changes in cancellation policy glitch. I have recently had to cancel some reservations and so far had not noticed any changes w/r/t that. I will check more carefully next time.

Booked award stay at Princess Kaiulani - screen before and after confirmation said 1 day cancel, but email says 3 days prior. Look on "My Stays" and now says 3 days there as well. I thought I printed it out my screen during reservation as a backup but all the text with the cancellation and other sections was printed as white on white, therefore useless.

Guess the switcheroo is still a danger. SPG guest beware.

Slightly OT but I have noticed switcheroos on rooms booked - i.e booked a special rate suite at the LM SFO - online res when booked showed I had the suite. A few days later it was changed to a standard room. I had a friend in the US call and it was switched back by the hotel but not a good state of affairs IMHO.

The other switcheroo was on my rate plan conditions at a Sheraton hotel in the USA. When booked it was a govt rate - stated I had to have ID. No problem. Next time I checked the res online - it also states that I must have my govt work orders with me. This additional line was not present when I first made the reservation.

Are these SPG web glitches or the hotel actually going in and changing things after we have been issued with confirmation numbers :rolleyes:?

IMHO once we have booked something and have a confirmation number it is not ok for these changes to made to our reservations with no indication or email outlining such a change.

Thanks for alerting me to the changes in cancellation policy glitch. I have recently had to cancel some reservations and so far had not noticed any changes w/r/t that. I will check more carefully next time.


If you cannot print an original copy of the reservation, at least copy and paste it to a blank doc so you'll have some proof.

I thought I printed it out my screen during reservation as a backup but all the text with the cancellation and other sections was printed as white on white, therefore useless.

I always print every reservation screen to a PDF file, and I have had the same problem printing certain reservation screens.

The "Step 2 Review" and "Step 3 Reservation Confirmed" pages rarely print correctly. Most of the time, the Rate Information and Credit Card Information sections are blank in my PDF files even though the information displays properly on the screen. The problem exists whether using Internet Explorer or Firefox.

The final reservation confirmation screen always prints okay; however, it will show the less favorable cancellation policy for these "switcheroo" reservations. :td:

I think the printing problem started happening about the same time the SPG website added the ability to personalize the "My SPG" section of the website.

Hi WBOTM,

Will do an investigation for you.


Starwood Lurker II, any updates on the investigation?

Hi WBOTM,

Unfortunately, no. My colleagues have left us a note indicating that they are still investigating the situation.

apguest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

This appears to be a bit of an ongoing problem. I had a reservation at the Sheraton LAX for 6/14. In the email, it clearly stated "cancel by 6pm day of arrival to avoid penalty". I couldn't cancel online (web site down, a rant for another day), so I called. The SPG Platinum line said that the cancel rule was definitely "by 4pm the day before". Not according to the email I received.

The hotel canceled without penalty, but I've got two issues:

1) If the cancel policy is shifting to the day before arrival, I will shift some of my travel to other brands, as I often have to change my plans and need the flexibility.

2) It is clearly completely unacceptable to change the cancellation policy after the booking has been confirmed.

I've asked for an explanation of the glitch, and I hope to hear that it is just an error of some sort.

...I've asked for an explanation of the glitch, and I hope to hear that it is just an error of some sort.

All I can tell you is that it has been identified and a fix has been scheduled for later this summer.

Until then, anyone who may be affected should call Hotel Customer Service for assistance. 800-328-6242.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

All I can tell you is that it has been identified and a fix has been scheduled for later this summer.

Until then, anyone who may be affected should call Hotel Customer Service for assistance. 800-328-6242.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com
This has been happening for YEARS in Sydney. many years ago I complained to you William about a change in cancellation in Westin Sydney from a cancel at 6pm DOA to too late to cancel!
and I think I remember yoiur answer as they can change the cancellation whenever they want.
I tried to search for the thread but could not find it.
maybe someone else can

and No once a contract is binding it should not be changed!
but we all know that airlines and hotels can change policies but we cant . we cant change from a not cancellable to a cancellable so

why should the other party. :confused:

This has been happening for YEARS in Sydney. many years ago I complained to you William about a change in cancellation in Westin Sydney from a cancel at 6pm DOA to too late to cancel!
and I think I remember yoiur answer as they can change the cancellation whenever they want.
I tried to search for the thread but could not find it.
maybe someone else can

If you find such an answer, I would like to see it. I can't imagine that I would have said anything but to contact Hotel Customer Service if your cancellation policy was changed. But, this most recent spate of problems is based on an entirely different circumstance.

and No once a contract is binding it should not be changed!
but we all know that airlines and hotels can change policies but we cant . we cant change from a not cancellable to a cancellable so

why should the other party. :confused:

I don't think anyone at Starwood wants to change the terms of what is seen in the booking process. That is why I said call Hotel Customer Service for assistance if you run across this problem.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

This one (http://flyertalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=701784&highlight=), tinkybelle?

A different kind of "switcheroo" but doesn't sound right that a hotel should be able to change a confirmed reservation like that.

...A different kind of "switcheroo" but doesn't sound right that a hotel should be able to change a confirmed reservation like that.

Yes, much different; and if the local innskeeper laws allow it, then the hotel can correct a mistake such as this one, as long as the guest is allowed to make an informed decision to keep it or cancel it.

Still, a more perfect answer from me would have included suggesting a call to Hotel Customer Service anyway, so my apologies to tinkybelle for leaving that out.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

As long as they tell you ahead of time so you can make an informed choice, yes. In this case, they had loaded the wrong cancellation policy, corrected it, and told you which one was in effect. Then you were able to make the decision to cancel.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

I am a starwood fan and a William fan but William They didnt even email me or call me I SAW it on the changed conditions around mid november called them then they changed to 30th nov.
I still have all the documentation.
and for anyone itnerested it was the WESTIN SYDNEY that changed the deal.

All I can tell you is that it has been identified and a fix has been scheduled for later this summer.

Until then, anyone who may be affected should call Hotel Customer Service for assistance. 800-328-6242.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

Hi William,

As I said in my original message, there isn't an open issue for me, since the hotel agreed to allow the cancellation "outside the rules" without penalty, but my concern was about whether the system had some kind of general problem.

Unfortunately, I got the following reply from SPG via email:


Thank you for taking the time to contact us concerning your recent reservation for The Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles Hotel.

I am very sorry to hear that your stay with us has not been up to the standards of Sheraton Hotels and Resorts. One of our company values is that we succeed only when we meet and exceed the expectations of our customers and I sincerely apologize that we did not do so during your stay.

I have forwarded your comments to the General Manager to assist us in resolving this situation for you. Please allow us up to five days for a thorough investigation and for an appropriate response to be provided to you.


It sounds like the response one would get for a stay that wasn't up to snuff, and of course I didn't actually stay at the hotel, so I hope this is working its way through the system correctly.

I like SPG in general, and kudos to your efforts on FT even though I don't always agree with your positions, but I guess the downside of being very good is everyone then holds you to a higher standard. Sorry about that ... :)

I guess the bottom line is that I'm happy to hear it is just a glitch and that a fix is in the works. Again, I hope that there isn't a shift towards earlier cancel-by dates as that would present a problem, at least for me.

...I am a starwood fan and a William fan but William They didnt even email me or call me I SAW it on the changed conditions around mid november called them then they changed to 30th nov.
I still have all the documentation.
and for anyone itnerested it was the WESTIN SYDNEY that changed the deal.

FWIW, I apologized for not adding the obligatory "please call Hotel Customer Service". That is about the only additional thing I could have said regarding this issue.

However, I'm now curious...did you have to cancel under the new cancel policy or did they change it back to what it was originally or did they allow you to cancel without penalty once you notified them?

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

...Unfortunately, I got the following reply from SPG via email:



It sounds like the response one would get for a stay that wasn't up to snuff, and of course I didn't actually stay at the hotel, so I hope this is working its way through the system correctly.

That is just an auto-response advising you that they need assistance from the GM of the property to help resolve the issue. Not sure why that would be considered a negative thing. :confused:

I guess the bottom line is that I'm happy to hear it is just a glitch and that a fix is in the works. Again, I hope that there isn't a shift towards earlier cancel-by dates as that would present a problem, at least for me.

Cancel-by dates are in the control of the hotel, so SPG has nothing to say about that. And, fortunately, the fix is only needed for a handful of properties and not all 860. Still, while it is going to take a while longer to implement, it is coming by this fall. Anyone inconvenienced by it should definitely let Hotel Customer Service know about it.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

That is just an auto-response advising you that they need assistance from the GM of the property to help resolve the issue. Not sure why that would be considered a negative thing. :confused:


I'm assuming because andyr hasn't actually completed their stay at the hotel, yet the form letter indicates that he has.

Nothing really major, I suppose. The person doing emails probably just forgot to alter the email template to fit the situation. I assume the email is still going through the proper channels.

However, I can understand that it can be a bit disheartening to receive a form email response that doesn't accurately reflect the nature of the original email.

I'm all for email templates...just that they should still make it seem like the sender has actually read the email in question.

I'm assuming because andyr hasn't actually completed their stay at the hotel, yet the form letter indicates that he has.

...I'm all for email templates...just that they should still make it seem like the sender has actually read the email in question.

Quite right. Thanks for pointing that out. :)

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

FWIW, I apologized for not adding the obligatory "please call Hotel Customer Service". That is about the only additional thing I could have said regarding this issue.

However, I'm now curious...did you have to cancel under the new cancel policy or did they change it back to what it was originally or did they allow you to cancel without penalty once you notified them?

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

I called them and asked that I be allowed at least a 24hrs before cancellation instead of 6pm.
they said absolutely no and gave me till 30 nov to cancel .which was not my original contract with them.
When I was still unsure of my plans as I had been unsure when I booked in january 11 mths from the stay date I was obliged to cancel . I was not charged as I cancelled on 30th nov./
so No I did not get the opportunity to cancel within a reasonable period given that I had booked on one condition then the condition changed.
I hope everyone can follow that.:(

I called them and asked that I be allowed at least a 24hrs before cancellation instead of 6pm.
they said absolutely no and gave me till 30 nov to cancel .which was not my original contract with them.
When I was still unsure of my plans as I had been unsure when I booked in january 11 mths from the stay date I was obliged to cancel
so No I did not get the opportunity to cancel within a reasonable period given that I had booked on one condition then the condition changed.
I hope everyone can follow that.:(

Then, I would have called Hotel Customer Service to intervene on your behalf. My apologies, again, if I did not specifically state so in this particular instance; however, anytime you have a hotel-related issue - regardless of what it may be - you should call Hotel Customer Service.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

As I noted further up thread, I have experienced other types of switcheroos on confirmed reservations I have made :(.

If I call Hotel Customer Service, are they going to be aware of these issues also (room switches, rate changes) and be in a position to fix them? I mentioned one of the switcheroos to CS quite some time ago but it was never followed up or rectified. I cancelled the res in the end on principle!

Are these switcheroos, bugs in the SPG.com booking engine or is it the hotels actually going in and changing reservations (without notifying us) :confused:

If I call Hotel Customer Service, are they going to be aware of these issues also (room switches, rate changes) and be in a position to fix them? I mentioned one of the switcheroos to CS quite some time ago but it was never followed up or rectified. I cancelled the res in the end on principle!

Hi Downunder girl,

Yes, they are able to assist you. In cases that you have a different response feel free to send me a PM with details of your call and I would follow up accordingly.

apguest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

Hi Downunder girl,

Yes, they are able to assist you. In cases that you have a different response feel free to send me a PM with details of your call and I would follow up accordingly.

apguest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

Thank you :). I will give it a try. I actually have proof of the third switcheroo, in that my room rate was changed (to a more expensive rate :eek:) so I will send that to CS if needed. I would expect that my original confirmed rate will be honoured.

Do you know if this is an SPG website glitch or something that is going on at hotel level?????

...Do you know if this is an SPG website glitch or something that is going on at hotel level?????

There is no way to know without seeing the reservation in the system. Hotel Customer Service will help you sort it out, however, and then report it.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

There is no way to know without seeing the reservation in the system. Hotel Customer Service will help you sort it out, however, and then report it.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

Thank you for that. I will follow up with HCS :).

Beware: Sheraton Bellevue, WA charged my cc for a stay arriving on July 10. I cancelled on July 9 at 8:18am PST, well within the guidelines of the cancellation policy. I have the cancellation email as well.

Guarantee Rules and Cancellation Policy
Your room is guaranteed with a(n) VISA card.
Cancel by 6pm Hotel time 1 Day(s) prior to avoid 1 Night penalty
Room taxes may be charged on penalties.

The most aggravating thing about this is when I called the hotel, the agent said this was a prepaid non refundable rate. No where did it say this when booking or receiving the confirmation and cancellation emails.

Now I have had to spend about an hour of my time calling the hotel, US Bank, and organizing email documentation. Also, this will be fun to sort out on my corporate expense management report. This is the most frustrating experience out of all problems I have had with spg brands. Should I also contact corporate customer service?

Should I also contact corporate customer service?
Absolutely.

One more data point:

W New Orleans French Quarter, award stay, next spring.

Reservation page:
Cancellation Policy
Cancel by 6pm Hotel time 1 Day(s) prior to avoid 1 Night penalty

Email confirmation:
Guarantee and Cancellation Policies
Your room is guaranteed with a(n) AMEX / OPTIMA card.
Cancel by 6pm Hotel time 3 Day(s) prior to avoid 1 Night penalty

Unlikely to be an issue for me, this time. But rack rate on my dates is over $500, so could be costly for the less observant.

Cancel-by dates are in the control of the hotel, so SPG has nothing to say about that. And, fortunately, the fix is only needed for a handful of properties and not all 860. Still, while it is going to take a while longer to implement, it is coming by this fall.

Sorry for dredging up an old thread, but this was the most recent topic I found on the subject via my search just now.

William, do you have an updated timeline for this fix? I was just nailed by a cancellation switch last week. It was ultimately taken care of, but it took me 2 emails, 3 phone calls and well over 90 minutes to do so. Why I didn't just come here first, I don't know, but at one point I was threatening to cut up my *wood card :) The hotel was still arguing with me to the very end, but ultimately CS took care of it.

...William, do you have an updated timeline for this fix?...

If we're lucky, during the summer. If we're unlucky, it could be late fall.

My apologies for the inconvenience.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

Same experience with the Sheraton Maui. Booked C&P online, where the ressie said cancel one day prior. Got a printed letter confirmation from the Reservations Center in Honolulu that says that the cancellation policy is three days prior to arrival... :(

Thanks, William. Like I said, in the end it worked out. Given how long this has apparently been going on, and that the fix is still several months away, has there been much communication recently to the hotels? My "switcheroo" was particularly agregious - the hotel had changed it from 1 day prior to a 14 day cancellation, but I'd actually booked 11 days out. So when I went online to look the next day, it said "too late to cancel, $399 cancellation penalty applies."

I understand the reason for the policy after the fact, but it was quite infuriating that they just enacted the change without any opportunity for me to back out, and then refused to honor a cancellation when contacting the hotel directly. I would think that the hotel back office at least would know what the issue is with the website, and easily honor the cancellation vs. fighting with customers.

Thanks, William. Like I said, in the end it worked out. Given how long this has apparently been going on, and that the fix is still several months away, has there been much communication recently to the hotels?

No, not necessarily. The call to action is to contact Corporate Customer Service and not try and sort this out with the properties directly. Corporate Customer Service has been aware of this from the beginning and is equipped to communicate the problem to the properties.

... I would think that the hotel back office at least would know what the issue is with the website, and easily honor the cancellation vs. fighting with customers.

Regrettably, there is too much turnover at the individual property level to make this an effective way to handle this issue. Your best bet is and always will be to contact Corporate Customer Service whenever there is a dispute of this type.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

It's pretty sad that my original post of 17 months ago is still relevant, albeit with different properties.