Dec 6, 2014, 7:37 pm
Last edit by: TravelinSperry
If no alternative amenity was offered by the FrontDesk for Platinum Members, please use the following template when writing in to Customer Service:
I recently stayed at XX.
The following problem occurred:
Resort fee charged by this property covered amenities already included in my Platinum status (free Internet). The property did not offer alternative amenities. Please advise.
Kind regards
If the Customer Care officer have no clue about this, please advise them to:
Access their intranet site and reference a document there entitled "Resorts: Resort Charge Alternate Replacement Item for Platinum/VIP Members".
They will find this document in the SPG Learning Center under the Resorts/Hawaii section. If after reading this document, the customer care person has difficulty filing a formal complaint on your behalf, please ask to speak to their supervisor.
North America
United States
California - Le Meridien Delfina Santa Monica - Fee: $18.00 daily; Replacement Amenity: Full breakfast
California - Westin Mission Hills & Resort - Fee $35 daily; Replacement Amenity: $5 credit off fee.
Florida - The Westin Cape Coral Resort at Marina Village - Fee: $15.00 daily (tax not included); Replacement Amenity: None offered
Florida - Sheraton Lake Buena Vista - Fee: $19.00 daily (tax not included); Replacement Amenity: Fee waived for Platinum guests
Georgia - The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa: $22.47 (tax included); Replacement Amenity: None offered
Hawaii - Sheraton Kauai Resort - $31.25 daily (tax included); Replacement Amenity: Free valet parking
Hawaii - Sheraton Princess Kaiulani - $26.18 daily (tax included); Replacement Amenity: None offered
Hawaii - Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa, Waikiki Beach - $31.41 daily (tax included); Replacement Amenity: 250 Starpoints
Hawaii - Sheraton Waikiki, Waikiki Beach - $31.41 daily (tax included); Replacement Amenity: 250 Starpoints per night
Nevada - SLS Las Vegas - $30.00 daily (plus $3.60 tax); Replacement Amenity: Two free drink tickets
Nevada - W Las Vegas - $32.00 daily (tax not included); Replacement Amenity: Two free drink tickets
New Mexico - La Posada de Santa Fe - $30.00 daily (tax not included); Replacement Amenity: None offered
No Longer Charging a Resort Fee
North America
United States
Hawaii - The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort, Waikiki - Previously, $36.65 (tax included); Replacement Amenity: None offered. As confirmed on January 31, 2016 (online and in person), the Royal Hawaiian no longer has a resort fee. This is applicable to all guests.
I recently stayed at XX.
The following problem occurred:
Resort fee charged by this property covered amenities already included in my Platinum status (free Internet). The property did not offer alternative amenities. Please advise.
Kind regards
If the Customer Care officer have no clue about this, please advise them to:
Access their intranet site and reference a document there entitled "Resorts: Resort Charge Alternate Replacement Item for Platinum/VIP Members".
They will find this document in the SPG Learning Center under the Resorts/Hawaii section. If after reading this document, the customer care person has difficulty filing a formal complaint on your behalf, please ask to speak to their supervisor.
North America
United States
California - Le Meridien Delfina Santa Monica - Fee: $18.00 daily; Replacement Amenity: Full breakfast
California - Westin Mission Hills & Resort - Fee $35 daily; Replacement Amenity: $5 credit off fee.
Florida - The Westin Cape Coral Resort at Marina Village - Fee: $15.00 daily (tax not included); Replacement Amenity: None offered
Florida - Sheraton Lake Buena Vista - Fee: $19.00 daily (tax not included); Replacement Amenity: Fee waived for Platinum guests
Georgia - The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa: $22.47 (tax included); Replacement Amenity: None offered
Hawaii - Sheraton Kauai Resort - $31.25 daily (tax included); Replacement Amenity: Free valet parking
Hawaii - Sheraton Princess Kaiulani - $26.18 daily (tax included); Replacement Amenity: None offered
Hawaii - Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa, Waikiki Beach - $31.41 daily (tax included); Replacement Amenity: 250 Starpoints
Hawaii - Sheraton Waikiki, Waikiki Beach - $31.41 daily (tax included); Replacement Amenity: 250 Starpoints per night
Nevada - SLS Las Vegas - $30.00 daily (plus $3.60 tax); Replacement Amenity: Two free drink tickets
Nevada - W Las Vegas - $32.00 daily (tax not included); Replacement Amenity: Two free drink tickets
New Mexico - La Posada de Santa Fe - $30.00 daily (tax not included); Replacement Amenity: None offered
No Longer Charging a Resort Fee
North America
United States
Hawaii - The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort, Waikiki - Previously, $36.65 (tax included); Replacement Amenity: None offered. As confirmed on January 31, 2016 (online and in person), the Royal Hawaiian no longer has a resort fee. This is applicable to all guests.
Resort Fees : How are benefits that are already free handled at SPG properties ?
May 2, 2016, 12:03 am
#1006
Moderator: Mileage Run, InterContinental Hotels
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 5,916
The wiki is incorrect for LM Delfina Santa Monica; they acted like they never heard of an alternative amenity.
May 2, 2016, 12:22 pm
#1007
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: LGA/JFK/EWR
Programs: UA 1K1.75MM, Hyatt Globalist, abandoned Marriott LTT (RIP SPG), Hertz PC
Posts: 21,170
May 31, 2016, 2:34 pm
#1008
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 21
Stayed for five nights at the Sheraton Maui, the front desk staff had never heard of an alternative amenity. After filing a ticket with corporate CS, the front office followed up and said that the alternative amenity is 250 pts/night and that they manually requested a credit. The manually requested credit and lack of training makes me think that you won't get it unless you file a ticket.
Jun 3, 2016, 10:11 pm
#1009
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: NYC
Programs: DL Platinum, AA Plat Pro, Bonvoy Lifetime Platinum, JetBlue Mosaic 3, Amtrak Select
Posts: 966
At the Westin Grand Cayman Islands, high speed internet is listed as an amenity.
Resort fee is $45/day and platinums receive coupons worth CI $8 for every night they are staying, which are redeemable at any of the restaurants or bars on the property.
Resort fee is $45/day and platinums receive coupons worth CI $8 for every night they are staying, which are redeemable at any of the restaurants or bars on the property.
Jun 15, 2016, 8:27 am
#1010
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: UK
Programs: IHG Diamond Amb, Bonvoy Plat (+LTP), VS Silver
Posts: 1,392
Anyone had the 250 points/day post from the Sheraton Waikiki recently? If so, how long after check-out did they post?
Edit - just read the wiki and see that it can take 2 weeks...
Edit - just read the wiki and see that it can take 2 weeks...
Jul 2, 2016, 12:23 pm
#1011
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: London (Transplant from EWR)
Programs: United 1k, SPG Plat & Ambassador, ClubCarlson Concierge
Posts: 691
Any updates from the Equinox in Manchester VT?
Jul 16, 2016, 11:56 pm
#1012
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Denver, Colorado
Programs: IHG Spire, Hilton Honors Gold, Marriott Titanium, Mileage Plus Gold
Posts: 1,736
Paying Resort Fee For Internet But Internet Is Supposed To Be Free
I really don't understand, why some locations are charging a resort fee for the internet, but as someone who books through the SPG site, or Gold or higher we are supposed to get internet for free. So as I see it, were getting screwed by booking directly or being a gold member since were being forced to pay the resort fee anyways. Anyone else see the problem here?
Jul 17, 2016, 12:06 am
#1013
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Atherton, CA
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP; Owner, Green Bay Packers
Posts: 21,690
"Resort fee" = license to sodomize
Basically resort fees enable false advertising and should be made illegal unless they are 100% optional.
Write your congressmen; it's the only way to change this.
Basically resort fees enable false advertising and should be made illegal unless they are 100% optional.
Write your congressmen; it's the only way to change this.
Jul 17, 2016, 12:38 am
#1014
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: BOS/UTH
Programs: AA LT PLT; QR GLD; Bonvoy LT TIT
Posts: 12,755
The resort fee usually is alleged to cover a number of things. You'll get nowhere trying to deconstruct it.
Jul 17, 2016, 1:00 am
#1015
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Denver, Colorado
Programs: IHG Spire, Hilton Honors Gold, Marriott Titanium, Mileage Plus Gold
Posts: 1,736
Yup, but they are bundling internet in there for EVERYONE, when free internet is supposed to be a perk of booking directly and elites. What we really need is a extra perk for elites and people who booked directly who are getting screwed. I'll even settle for a free drink a day as a rebate.
Jul 17, 2016, 3:49 am
#1016
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Denver, Colorado
Programs: IHG Spire, Hilton Honors Gold, Marriott Titanium, Mileage Plus Gold
Posts: 1,736
If I book via SPG website, I'm supposed to get internet for free so SPG or whoever does not have to pay a commission to the third party booking service. Also being a Gold member, free internet is one of the options as a welcome gift. What alternative do we get for booking via SPG and then getting charged a resort fee for internet AND water which is already listed as a member benefit.
Jul 17, 2016, 7:57 am
#1017
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club, Marriott Bonvoy
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Englandshire
Programs: SPG LT Plat, BA G, BD*LG, MG Blue+ ...
Posts: 16,032
We already had a thread discussing how 'resort fee' properties were handling the free internet when it was just a benefit for Plats, and I've added your question to that thread. Now that internet is also free when you book on the spg site too, I've retitled the thread to reflect the change in scope, which is now :
"What happens when a property charges you a resort fee that includes stuff you get free as a benefit anyway ?".
/mod
"What happens when a property charges you a resort fee that includes stuff you get free as a benefit anyway ?".
/mod
Jul 17, 2016, 9:40 am
#1018
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: LAX/TPE
Programs: United 1K, JAL Sapphire, SPG Lifetime Platinum, National Executive Elite, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 42,205
Updated the Sheraton Kaua'i Resort - the alternative amenity is free valet parking, which as it turned out, is not a bad option, although the remaining features of the resort fee are essentially useless.
Aug 21, 2016, 3:59 pm
#1019
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 200
Westin Fort Lauderdale beach resort
No alternative offered even when escalated to front desk manager. Resort fee supposedly includes newspaper - none arrived today. Apparently this isn't offered on Sundays, even though the full fee is charged on Sundays
Eventually front desk agreed to remove the fee entirely; so a satisfactory resolution for me, but not for the next Plat staying here.
No alternative offered even when escalated to front desk manager. Resort fee supposedly includes newspaper - none arrived today. Apparently this isn't offered on Sundays, even though the full fee is charged on Sundays
Eventually front desk agreed to remove the fee entirely; so a satisfactory resolution for me, but not for the next Plat staying here.
Aug 22, 2016, 1:49 pm
#1020
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Malibu, CA
Programs: AA CK / Marriott Worthless Ambassador
Posts: 1,158
Parker Palm Springs
They never heard of it. Thought I was crazy. Insisted the amenity is 500 points. No education here.