Starwood changed the terms of my booking!
Sep 1, 2014, 5:13 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 201
Starwood changed the terms of my booking!
I made a booking for NYE in March for a rack, completely flexible rate, no deposit, no extra terms. A month or so later I noticed (when checking a new booking) that rate was no longer available, and all NYE bookings were pre-paid.
Today I discovered the hotel decided to charge the full 3 nights to my credit card (I don't know if it's an authorisation or a charge at this stage). $2,500 ...
It's suspicious because I had not been able to view my booking on the site: there was some "error". When I cancelled the booking, they included a copy of my reservation, but it was with the NEW (i.e. current) terms
Very shady if you ask me. All I have been told is that if I forward the email to the hotel they will "honour" (how generous) my terms in that email.
I want to believe it was just an honest mistake...
Today I discovered the hotel decided to charge the full 3 nights to my credit card (I don't know if it's an authorisation or a charge at this stage). $2,500 ...
It's suspicious because I had not been able to view my booking on the site: there was some "error". When I cancelled the booking, they included a copy of my reservation, but it was with the NEW (i.e. current) terms
Very shady if you ask me. All I have been told is that if I forward the email to the hotel they will "honour" (how generous) my terms in that email.
I want to believe it was just an honest mistake...
Sep 1, 2014, 5:48 am
#2
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: New York, NY
Programs: Delta - Gold; Starwood - Platinum; HHonors - Diamond & Avis Preferred
Posts: 10,869
I made a booking for NYE in March for a rack, completely flexible rate, no deposit, no extra terms. A month or so later I noticed (when checking a new booking) that rate was no longer available, and all NYE bookings were pre-paid.
Today I discovered the hotel decided to charge the full 3 nights to my credit card (I don't know if it's an authorisation or a charge at this stage). $2,500 ...
It's suspicious because I had not been able to view my booking on the site: there was some "error". When I cancelled the booking, they included a copy of my reservation, but it was with the NEW (i.e. current) terms
Very shady if you ask me. All I have been told is that if I forward the email to the hotel they will "honour" (how generous) my terms in that email.
I want to believe it was just an honest mistake...
Today I discovered the hotel decided to charge the full 3 nights to my credit card (I don't know if it's an authorisation or a charge at this stage). $2,500 ...
It's suspicious because I had not been able to view my booking on the site: there was some "error". When I cancelled the booking, they included a copy of my reservation, but it was with the NEW (i.e. current) terms
Very shady if you ask me. All I have been told is that if I forward the email to the hotel they will "honour" (how generous) my terms in that email.
I want to believe it was just an honest mistake...
It's not clear, but why did you cancel before speaking Customer Service to confirm that your reservation terms were the same as when you originally booked?
I'm missing something or something else has gone wrong.
Sep 1, 2014, 7:22 am
#3
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
Three suggestions:
1. Call Customer Service,
2. Call Customer Service, and
3. Call Customer Service
Mistakes happen all the time. If you act without at least calling, you may have lost a good deal.
1. Call Customer Service,
2. Call Customer Service, and
3. Call Customer Service
Mistakes happen all the time. If you act without at least calling, you may have lost a good deal.
Sep 1, 2014, 7:31 am
#4
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: SYD
Programs: UA*1K, BA Gold, SPG Platinum
Posts: 245
It just happened to me at a property in Europe , I booked using points with free cancellation up to arrival day (later this month).
Now SPG.COM says it's a 550 EUR cancellation fee and the date for cancellation has passed !
How are they allowed by law to modify the conditions of past reservations like this ??
Now SPG.COM says it's a 550 EUR cancellation fee and the date for cancellation has passed !
How are they allowed by law to modify the conditions of past reservations like this ??
Sep 1, 2014, 8:09 am
#5
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: New York, NY
Programs: Delta - Gold; Starwood - Platinum; HHonors - Diamond & Avis Preferred
Posts: 10,869
It just happened to me at a property in Europe , I booked using points with free cancellation up to arrival day (later this month).
Now SPG.COM says it's a 550 EUR cancellation fee and the date for cancellation has passed !
How are they allowed by law to modify the conditions of past reservations like this ??
Now SPG.COM says it's a 550 EUR cancellation fee and the date for cancellation has passed !
How are they allowed by law to modify the conditions of past reservations like this ??
This has been noted on several occasion here in the SPG forum. The T&Cs of your booking is the important thing. Call Customer Service to put them on notice.
Sep 1, 2014, 8:14 am
#6
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: ORD, MKE
Programs: Bonvoy LT Gold, Hilton Silver, Hyatt Discoverist, Hertz PC, National EE
Posts: 710
Not recent
Similar thing happened to me earlier this year. In March I booked one night of a 6-nt stay at a RACK rate using PLT guaranteed availability benefit at 4P Barcelona. At the end of April they changed it to a pre-paid rate and they charged the personal credit card that was primary on my SPG account. I didn't notice until just before the stay in May. I stayed anyway but had to make them refund my credit card and charge my corporate card because it was a work stay.
I had 3 different reservations that stay and it only happened to that one, but it was the only one booked through SPG; the other two were booked through my corporate site. That part of the stay was the Sat night of the Spanish Grand Prix so all of Barcelona was sold out, which is why I needed to use the PLT guarantee benefit that one night. Perhaps, like the OP's NYE booking, the hotel decided to retroactively make reservations pre-paid because of the peak demand. Hopefully you still have the original terms of the booking in your first confirmation e-mail.
I had 3 different reservations that stay and it only happened to that one, but it was the only one booked through SPG; the other two were booked through my corporate site. That part of the stay was the Sat night of the Spanish Grand Prix so all of Barcelona was sold out, which is why I needed to use the PLT guarantee benefit that one night. Perhaps, like the OP's NYE booking, the hotel decided to retroactively make reservations pre-paid because of the peak demand. Hopefully you still have the original terms of the booking in your first confirmation e-mail.
Sep 1, 2014, 8:17 am
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: India
Programs: Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, IHG Plat, HH Gold, Trident Plat, DL Diamond, AI Maharajah
Posts: 29,678
same thing happened to me at the westin phuket....i made a 4 night reservation at their 'opening special' rate when the property first opened up....my stay dates were still 3 months out at this point....the rate was completely refundable if i cancelled 2 days before my stay....
about a month later i had to cancel the stay so i logged on to find out that the terms had changed & the rate had changed to a non-refundable rate....i contacted the hotel & they asked me to send them a copy of my reservation email with the original t&c....i did that & the next day they cancelled my reservation without any charge....
about a month later i had to cancel the stay so i logged on to find out that the terms had changed & the rate had changed to a non-refundable rate....i contacted the hotel & they asked me to send them a copy of my reservation email with the original t&c....i did that & the next day they cancelled my reservation without any charge....
Sep 1, 2014, 8:34 am
#8
Join Date: Nov 2007
Programs: LH Sen, Starwood Amb, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 340
Interesting... I didn't realize this was such a common occurrence. I also happened to me a long time ago at the Westin Bali. In that instance, which was supposed to be a flexible reservation, the hotel actually emailed me and said they would change the terms to nonrefundable due to a large conference coming up. I held my ground and refused to agree based on the confirmation email that I already had, and in the end they maintained the terms of the original reservation.
Sep 1, 2014, 9:05 am
#9
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Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: GVA (Greater Vancouver Area)
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This is effectively a display error. Basically, all Starwood stores for a reservation is the rate code, personal information, and a couple of other things to minimize data storage requirements. They do not store the T&C that were in effect at the time of booking. So when you look up your reservation on spg.com, they map the code to the current T&C for that rate. The only record of the actual T&C for a reservation is your confirmation email. That's why it's critical to always hold on to that.
Sep 1, 2014, 10:46 am
#10
Join Date: Jun 2013
Programs: OW Emerald SPG Platinum/Lifetime Gold
Posts: 343
This is effectively a display error. Basically, all Starwood stores for a reservation is the rate code, personal information, and a couple of other things to minimize data storage requirements. They do not store the T&C that were in effect at the time of booking. So when you look up your reservation on spg.com, they map the code to the current T&C for that rate. The only record of the actual T&C for a reservation is your confirmation email. That's why it's critical to always hold on to that.
Sep 1, 2014, 12:02 pm
#11
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: PMI
Programs: BA,LH,CX,EK SPG,IC mainly and a few others
Posts: 1,862
Has happened to me a few times. In such cases I call the credit card company and they make a note to take it up with the property if I decide to cancel (never had to so far). In another case a resort in the Pacific called me at 3am my time to tell me that since the booking is during peak period they will have to charge my card right then and the reservationwill be treated as nonref. They got a mouthful from spg and that was the end.
From my experienice a number of Asian properties "override" the booking terms and charge for the stay in advance.
From my experienice a number of Asian properties "override" the booking terms and charge for the stay in advance.
Sep 1, 2014, 12:12 pm
#12
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: TUL
Programs: AA EXP 2MM; Marriott Titanium; Hilton Diamond; Hyatt Explorist; Vistana 5* Elite; Nat'l Exec Elite
Posts: 6,177
This has happened twice to me. Each time I forwarded my confirmation email to the property and each time they corrected the terms which I was able to confirm online.
Sep 1, 2014, 12:19 pm
#13
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 3,990
This is effectively a display error. Basically, all Starwood stores for a reservation is the rate code, personal information, and a couple of other things to minimize data storage requirements. They do not store the T&C that were in effect at the time of booking. So when you look up your reservation on spg.com, they map the code to the current T&C for that rate. The only record of the actual T&C for a reservation is your confirmation email. That's why it's critical to always hold on to that.
Cheers,
Sep 1, 2014, 12:45 pm
#14
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Dallas, TX
Programs: SPG Plat 100, Marriott Plat
Posts: 267
This is effectively a display error. Basically, all Starwood stores for a reservation is the rate code, personal information, and a couple of other things to minimize data storage requirements. They do not store the T&C that were in effect at the time of booking. So when you look up your reservation on spg.com, they map the code to the current T&C for that rate. The only record of the actual T&C for a reservation is your confirmation email. That's why it's critical to always hold on to that.
Sep 1, 2014, 2:43 pm
#15
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: SYD
Programs: UA*1K, BA Gold, SPG Platinum
Posts: 245
This is effectively a display error. Basically, all Starwood stores for a reservation is the rate code, personal information, and a couple of other things to minimize data storage requirements. They do not store the T&C that were in effect at the time of booking. So when you look up your reservation on spg.com, they map the code to the current T&C for that rate. The only record of the actual T&C for a reservation is your confirmation email. That's why it's critical to always hold on to that.
What's an extra field in their booking database going to cost?
It's 2014 not 1960