The problem is the poster was told there would be no charge for his children. When he arrived, they attempted to charge him. Your points would make sense if he had just showed up without any prior communication, but are not relevant if he was promised free access for his children in advance.
Exactly - just my point! Technically, I only wanted them to allow my children into the lounge so that they don't have to remain outside unsupervised (and also so that they would be able to grab a drink or two every day). I was clearly told that access for them would be free, so it is unfair to then attempt to charge me at check-in.
I agree that hotels can have rules implemented regarding limits to the amount of persons allowed for club lounge access, but in this case they did not state a limit to the amount of children that would be included in the "free" access. I happened to have booked a room/suite that has a maximum occupancy of 5 people and they were fully aware of the type of room I booked and the amount of adults and children I was coming with.
Programs: Air Canada Elite,sPG Platinum, FPC Platinum
Posts: 3
Dear Platinum Member, If you would like access to the club lounge it is 3000 points!
This is why after many years of being platinum, (missed the lifetime platinum by one year),
i avoid Starwood now. I am lifetime gold now, but this like platinum spg, has marginal value as guests are treated poorly.The spg hotels do not value the Platinum guests. I have switched to Fairmont (Platinum) and I have also become Diamond at Hilton. I too have payed extra at the Sheraton on the Falls for a premium room because I was told in advance no upgrades. Also of note, the hotel is a "resort" and does not encourage/allow late check out either unless you complain.
This is why after many years of being platinum, (missed the lifetime platinum by one year),
i avoid Starwood now. I am lifetime gold now, but this like platinum spg, has marginal value as guests are treated poorly.The spg hotels do not value the Platinum guests. I have switched to Fairmont (Platinum) and I have also become Diamond at Hilton. I too have payed extra at the Sheraton on the Falls for a premium room because I was told in advance no upgrades. Also of note, the hotel is a "resort" and does not encourage/allow late check out either unless you complain.
YMMV. I have never had a problem getting an upgrade or late check-out at this property, even though both are subject to availability. SPG Platinum continues to reward me with the best benefits for my travel patterns.
Still, I did recently cancel at stay at the NF Sheraton, in part because of this thread.
Fairmont pretty well gives away Platinum status. I have it as a consequence of credit cards, not stays. But I hardly ever use it because Fairmont is so limited in locations. Gad a nice stay at the Fairmont in Nairobi once though.
Again, it's unfortunate that rather than debate a point you disagree with, you try to belittle other members by caricaturing them personally. I see it all of time in these threads from both sides and I think it distracts greatly from getting clarity on issues. (BTW, by your way of posting wouldn't you be the "true believer" -- i.e, someone who takes at face value anything SPG says and criticizes anyone who dares to question them?)
As to the actual point you disagree with, someone at SPG headquarters -- after this issue with this hotel came up -- apparently developed new policy language to present to us here on FT that hotels could not upsell plats "at check-in." Why would anyone even think to add "at check-in" unless it had some meaning? And when asked repeatedly to clarify if "at check-in" meant that hotels could upsell plats prior to a stay, SPG finally responded by reiterating that hotels could not upsell plats "at check-in." It's a reasonable question to ask why they are still reiterating the exact language that wasn't clear to begin with. Add to that the hotel showing the OP their SPG guidelines and insisting that those T&Cs gave them the right to upsell plats ahead of a stay if they expected to be at capacity. There's still a disconnect.
I can't recall which Starwood hotels but the front desk, on more than one occasion, has tried to upsell me to another room (and I was plat at the time). I just ignored it and told them that I would take what was assigned wherein I got the upgraded room anyhow (I think). I wish that I had paid more attention to which hotels these were but they were definitely in North America within the last 3 or 4 years. I didn't realize that an upsell was illegal for plats at that time.
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 19,586
Quote:
Originally Posted by cruiser9999
I can't recall which Starwood hotels but the front desk, on more than one occasion, has tried to upsell me to another room (and I was plat at the time). I just ignored it and told them that I would take what was assigned wherein I got the upgraded room anyhow (I think). I wish that I had paid more attention to which hotels these were but they were definitely in North America within the last 3 or 4 years. I didn't realize that an upsell was illegal for plats at that time.
Unless a specialty suite was involved and assuming you booked through Starwood, it's hard to imagine a situation in which a Plat could be upsold at check in into an upgraded room to which the Plat was not entitled to obtain for free as a Plat upgrade at check in.
Programs: UA 1K 3MM, RCC life member (paid), SPG Plat, Marriott Silver, Hilton Silver
Posts: 507
Quote:
Originally Posted by boolean64
I think this is what the issue is. I would not object to a first-come first-served approach to an overcrowded lounge. Everyone has equal opportunity to use the lounge subject to fire and safety regulations. But the idea of pre-determining who will be turned away at the door based on a payment system is very much -- to me -- not in the spirit and (in my interpretation) in the letter of the T&Cs
Programs: UA 1K 3MM, RCC life member (paid), SPG Plat, Marriott Silver, Hilton Silver
Posts: 507
Quote:
Originally Posted by GVA
Let's flip the problem around here:
1) The property considers the cost to access the lounge is 3000 points.
2) The property has a problem with capacity.
3) An SPG Platinum member has access to lounges by T&C's and needs to obtain access unless capacity is a problem.
Conclusion: The Hotel, if facing capacity problems and in view of the T&C's, should therefore compensate SPG Platinum members by giving members the 3000 points if they cannot gain access.
I'm not sure why this is complicated. The property can easily make the lounge bigger, give coupons for a drink/snack at a pantry/restaurant/bar/room service and/or offer those 3'000 points.
In any case I hope people continue to bug SPG corporate and the property. This along with the resort fees shows how SPG can totally lose control over some properties.
Unless a specialty suite was involved and assuming you booked through Starwood, it's hard to imagine a situation in which a Plat could be upsold at check in into an upgraded room to which the Plat was not entitled to obtain for free as a Plat upgrade at check in.
I always book through Starwood but there are times when upgrades aren't given even though they are available (as has been noted more than once in this forum). I wish I had paid more attention at check in but from my recollection the gist of the conversation was "you have a ... room booked... we have .... available which includes.... and is only an additional $x...." Obviously I didn't bite. Now thinking back, I also had something similar happen in Europe 3 years ago wherein I arrived early at the hotel (around 10 am) from a flight from Canada. At checkin I was first told that my room wasn't available (they had preassigned rooms) but if I wanted to pay $X they could give me another room (the charge was for checking in early). I requested to speak to the manager wherein they suddenly did find me an 'upgraded room' that was available and there was no additional fee so there was something fishy going on here for sure. Once again I was tired from the flight and happy to get a room so I didn't follow up with customer service (I was plat at the time).
Odd that Chrislorl has not returned to provide an update.
Totally agree that it's quite odd, and it's been mentioned a couple of times up-thready. At one point I thought this hot-button thread was going to fade into oblivion but then I see that every so often someone revives it and it comes to the top again and I'm thinking that perhaps the OP finally came to give an update.
It would be easy to say this was an automated sort of thing, but it clearly is addressing you as a platinum member. You may have starpoints to spare to assure yourself of the privilege, but it is a really inhospitable sort of thing. If they anticipate THAT many guests who will be entitled to access, then they need to take one of the meeting rooms elsewhere and turn it into an auxillary club...and if it lacks a view etc, then the guests should be compensated with a sincere apology and some starpoints.
I think this property may have some issues with what is generated via email and/or their specific website. As this property is considered a resort now, they have changed policies. I love this hotel, though I have not been back since the re-do. Although I can't comment on other properties, I loved this one, the proximity to the falls, and the views. In the past I travelled with my canine daughter and we had a wonderful time. So imagine my surprise that somewhere along the way the policy changed. In one place dogs were allowed, in another they were not. I didn't know until I happened upon the info after not being able to use an award last year. My friend and I were going to take our canine kids for a weekend to see the falls...and as I am respectful of the rules the property has about pups being alone in the room, I had even investigated and arranged for a bonded pet sitter to stay with them while we went out to dinner one of the nights. It became a moot point when we were unable to go...but in the process they claimed even though it was an award night, they could STILL charge a penalty (as I recall) because the reservation was not cancelled with advance notice as required!
Programs: victoria, miles and more, ba executive club, starwood
Posts: 4
Upgrades policy
Sometimes I get very anoid when I check in and they just won't upgrade ("Sorry Sir, no suites available...), although there ARE suites available. I sometimes just take out my I phone and make a trial reservation. And show it to them. It normally tends to solve the problem, wth a lot of excuses and them trying to blame the computers :-)
But what really irritates me is when they argue that a kind of a bigger room, just because it has a sofa or a small table and a couple of chairs IS a suite! A suite is by definition a bed room with a separate living room. Other types they can call whatever they want but deffinitely NOT suites! It has happened to me all over the world and only a hard talking with the GM tends to clarify the situation. And there is one property - Le Meridien Phuket - where even the GM told me that it was the hotels policy only to upgrade Plats to junior suites and not to "standard suites" as is mentioned in the SPG T&C.
How can they not go by the rules and do as they please. The whole SPG programme becomes senseless, or am I wrong? And yes, I'm a Lifetime Plat :-)
But I have never heard of the non-access to the lounge thing...
I was planning on making a Xmas reservation and called to see if the policy had changed. According to the front desk the hotel gives first priority to guests who pay for club lounge access (platinum or not). If there is excess capacity then platinums who don't pay for this priviledge will be given access. The hotel assured me that they were operating within Starwood policy. Can one of the Lurkers, clarify, once and for all, WHAT IS THE STARWOOD POLICY IN THIS REGARD? I asked if a substitute amenity was being offered to platinums being denied lounge access - the person said that this depended on the LOUNGE TEAM re what would be offered. I should also note that there have been a number of complaints re plats having to pay for lounge access under REVIEWS on the hotel website. As Xmas is still a ways off, the hotel could not confirm what the lounge access policy would be!!! (guess it depends how many plats they can convince into paying for something that should be free!)
I was planning on making a Xmas reservation and called to see if the policy had changed. According to the front desk the hotel gives first priority to guests who pay for club lounge access (platinum or not). If there is excess capacity then platinums who don't pay for this priviledge will be given access. The hotel assured me that they were operating within Starwood policy. Can one of the Lurkers, clarify, once and for all, WHAT IS THE STARWOOD POLICY IN THIS REGARD? I asked if a substitute amenity was being offered to platinums being denied lounge access - the person said that this depended on the LOUNGE TEAM re what would be offered. I should also note that there have been a number of complaints re plats having to pay for lounge access under REVIEWS on the hotel website. As Xmas is still a ways off, the hotel could not confirm what the lounge access policy would be!!! (guess it depends how many plats they can convince into paying for something that should be free!)
i simply can't believe that this is what they told you...after months of this thread going on and the unbelievable bad will that it has generated, i just don't understand why Starwood management hasn't intervened and put an end to it.
i have see where the Lurker has clarified the policy a few times but this property just seems to ignore it.
i am sure that they found a technicality that allowed them to operate this way but is this the way to do business??
in my opinion, the "lounge team" are bunch of untrained fools that are led by an extremely poor GM who just doesn't "get it"- hopefully, when he get is next job at a 4 points in South Dakota, he will come to his senses...
