I want to report a case of "amenity creep" at the Landmark MO in Hong Kong. One of the advertised Virtuoso amenities for 2008 has been a VIP airport reception and one-way limousine transfer to the hotel. This is how the amenity was described to me orally in a WebEx presentation last year by a MO Sales Rep and subsequently in conversations with other MO personnel.
The inclusion of the one-way limousine transfer has recently come into question, and I tried to verify the facts of the matter. In a conversation today with a MO Sales Rep in New York, she told me that she was virtually certain that the limousine transfer was included (so this feature was not a product of my imagination). However, in an email I received today from the Director of Sales and Marketing at the hotel in Hong Kong, he asserted that the amenity does not include the transfer. To quote his email:
Quote:
The complimentary service is “greeting at aircraft gate upon arrival at Hong Kong airport, and escort through customs by personal hotel concierge”. So essentially our personal concierge will meet guests at the arrival gate, take them to customs on their personal golf buggy, help them with luggage, and then escort them to the arrival hall. From here, the guests may choose whatever method they prefer to get to the hotel, including hotel limo transfer at HKD 800 each way.
I will hear back from the New York-based Sales Rep tomorrow. My question for her: what do we do for clients who booked based on a previous understanding of what the amenity consisted of?
A very similar equivalent of the "personal meet" described to you is, I believe, available to anyone at HKG who pays HKG$50 (about US$7). It ain't a very big deal if that is all that is included.
This hardly merits a thread in a public forum.... I find it very clear on v.net. If you have issues, take it up with Virtuoso direct and ask them to review the 2007 contract. Changes might have slipped by someone's eyes. I am not sure what your goal is by trying to shame the hotel in a public forum.
This hardly merits a thread in a public forum.... I find it very clear on v.net. If you have issues, take it up with Virtuoso direct and ask them to review the 2007 contract. Changes might have slipped by someone's eyes. I am not sure what your goal is by trying to shame the hotel in a public forum.
I do not see this as a post to shame a hotel. It appears that this hotel does not follow through with its commitments. Its good to know that. I have never been that impressed with the Mandarin Oriental hotel group. The New York property is an utter disaster in terms of customer service.
DavidO is a very competent Virtuoso agent who wanted to let us know of a change in benefits.
He thinks its a change in benefits.... which I can confirm it is not since I have access to the same intranets that he does. I was suggesting that if he feels its an error to contact the right Virtuoso rep and not post in a public forum that the hotel is trying to slim down perks to guests that had previously booked.
I'm not trying to shame the property. I am alerting folks on this board since I believe this amenity has been mentioned on FlyerTalk as including a limo transfer.
ABG is correct that V.net has always had the same wording. However, the MO Sales Rep who gave a WebEx on the HKG properties last year explicitly mentioned that a limo transfer was a part of the amenity, and this was the recollection of another member of MO's sales staff in NYC.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ABG
He thinks its a change in benefits.... which I can confirm it is not since I have access to the same intranets that he does. I was suggesting that if he feels its an error to contact the right Virtuoso rep and not post in a public forum that the hotel is trying to slim down perks to guests that had previously booked.
I think what David has written in this thread, as well as in many other threads in this forum, has been very helpful for those of us who frequent luxury properties. When there's a change in service offerings at these properties, I appreciate being alerted by seasoned travellers like David. As a public forum, I benefit from shared knowledge. He was not trying to "shame" a property and there's no need to accuse him of such.
When there's a change in service offerings at these properties, .
There is no change.... If you want to pay they will transfer you.
As an insider, I would rather have seen messages on internal virtuoso boards than something in the public domain.
One of the advertised Virtuoso amenities for 2008 has been a VIP airport reception and one-way limousine transfer to the hotel. This is how the amenity was described to me orally in a WebEx presentation last year by a MO Sales Rep and subsequently in conversations with other MO personnel.
In a conversation today with a MO Sales Rep in New York, she told me that she was virtually certain that the limousine transfer was included...However, in an email I received today from the Director of Sales and Marketing at the hotel in Hong Kong, he asserted that the amenity does not include the transfer...I will hear back from the New York-based Sales Rep tomorrow. My question for her: what do we do for clients who booked based on a previous understanding of what the amenity consisted of?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ABG
This hardly merits a thread in a public forum.... I find it very clear on v.net. If you have issues, take it up with Virtuoso direct and ask them to review the 2007 contract. Changes might have slipped by someone's eyes. I am not sure what your goal is by trying to shame the hotel in a public forum.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ABG
He thinks its a change in benefits.... which I can confirm it is not since I have access to the same intranets that he does. I was suggesting that if he feels its an error to contact the right Virtuoso rep and not post in a public forum that the hotel is trying to slim down perks to guests that had previously booked.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidO
I'm not trying to shame the property. I am alerting folks on this board since I believe this amenity has been mentioned on FlyerTalk as including a limo transfer.
ABG is correct that V.net has always had the same wording. However, the MO Sales Rep who gave a WebEx on the HKG properties last year explicitly mentioned that a limo transfer was a part of the amenity, and this was the recollection of another member of MO's sales staff in NYC.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ABG
There is no change...
Last edited by Kagehitokiri; Jan 29, 08 at 9:33 pm.
I believe this to be a valid discussion for this forum. Often the wording of an amenity is designed to imply something more than there is. A $7 meet and greet may or may not be a decisive factor in booking this particular hotel. However, it would be nice for us travellers to have the facts here in this forum rather than having an agent tell us something incorrect. I would be very unimpressed if I walked off the plane after a 12 hour flight, was escorted through customs, and then told to pay for the hotel limo when I assumed via my agent that it was included.
I think what David has written in this thread, as well as in many other threads in this forum, has been very helpful for those of us who frequent luxury properties. When there's a change in service offerings at these properties, I appreciate being alerted by seasoned travellers like David. As a public forum, I benefit from shared knowledge. He was not trying to "shame" a property and there's no need to accuse him of such.
Totally agree with you. I will be arriving at the MO HKG on Saturday, and since the hotel is very slow to reply to my Virtuoso TA (and giving ambiguous information on this matter), DavidO's efforts are greatly appreciated.
It's not about paying for the transfer myself or not. It's about arriving in HKG after a 14 hr trip and having everything organized. If the amenity is included, great, if not, my TA has to organize that transfer and time for this is slowly running out.
The airport meet service is not a special virtuoso amenity. This is provided to all guests at the Landmark (or at least it was on my last visit 18 months ago). It happens to be a good service and would influence my decision to stay there, but it should not be classified a special amenity.
