Kagehitokiri

which would include refund or free stay at another hotel

hmm

wolvie007

Sounds like OP just left the hotel. Didn't express concern, didn't ask for refund, didn't even tell anyone he was leaving.

Whom was this booked through?

I find most properties are accommodating if they took the prepaid rate. However less so if booked through an OTA.

jibi

1,000 points per night for the entire stay is a bit absurd of a request on your part. That is $25 per night. If the hotel relocated you to another hotel and paid for it, then that is one thing. You should definitely not even mention the word "points" to them. That makes you seem like a greedy ........ Ask for a full refund. That is what they should be more than willing to charge back to you. If they have not offered a refund, then I take the 5,000 points in addition to a 24-night refund. You should really attempt to deal with the hotels directly in these matters. You cannot escalate to "mama" before you even talk to the hotel. That's inconsiderate on your part and it makes the hotel want to do the very least possible in that scenario.

This was not their fault, of course, but they will be judged on how they respond. At this point, their response to most people would seem valid given how you've described your handling of it thus far. Fill in the gaps in your story, if needed.

Fanjet

It's threads like this which make me laugh. From what I saw on the local news, this was a domestic matter which ended up in a murder. Not something the hotel caused on their part. If one was re-accommodated, offered a refund, and given several thousand bonus points for the inconvenience, IMO, their work is done.

BTW, how many SPG points would have been earned had the stay been completed? I doubt that it would have equaled 25,000 points. Even with the current promo.

Kagehitokiri

they did not talk to hotel about refund, and talking to SPG (not starwood corporate) will focus on points

even if OP would prefer a bunch of points instead of refund, they need to take refund and (re)do status run

CPRich

For what? I can understand shoddy maintenance, poor service, errors in reservations, broken commitments, etc., resulting in an expectation of compensation from the property. What responsibility did you believe they have that they need to compensate for?

EDIT: I assume you weren't charged for the nights you didn't stay. That's a given, no? If they're charging you for 25 nights that you didn't stay, that's a different story. Please clarify.

Kagehitokiri

synergistic

The way I read it, he already paid and they didn't proactively offer a refund. He doesn't want to ask for a refund, he'd rather get the nights credit for status renewal. He'd like to get some extra points out of the deal, since he didn't actually end up staying.

Unfortunately, while I have sympathy for the situation, I think he's already been offered about as much as he can expect, given that he actively doesn't want a refund. I couldn't tell from the post if he bothered to let them he was leaving. Regardless, bending the rules for him re: night credits is as much as I think he can hope for.

FozBoy

if I understood it correctly, OP booked and prepaid a 25-night stay and checked-out after the first night, and is expecting for a credit of 25 nights to post to his SPG account, due to the whole stay being already fully paid.

i think he's in for a huge disappointment...

Kagehitokiri

which is yet another reason to get the refund and then do status run

s_yvr

Two people dead and you can only get one free night out of it... What has the world come to.

Keyser

it sounds like the op booked through spg as he states he was expecting to qualify for plat status with this stay....

wallaby

Yes, in that 25,000 is greater than zero I think your expectations are high.

It was a murder/suicide. Those things are, ummm, pretty closely targeted.
I think "blessed to be alive" is a ridiculous exaggeration.

MSPeconomist

I think the OP should get zero points, not 5,000. This wasn't the hotel's fault and there's no indication that the safety of other guests was compromised. It's not as if the hotel is in a bad neighborhood and some local criminal murdered a guest in the hallway, nor is there any indication that the hotel knowingly rents rooms to known violent criminals.

If the OP wishes to overreact and change hotels, it could be an optional good customer service gesture to give a refund for the unused nights, assuming that the guest advised hotel management of the plan to leave and the reasons. It could also be a good customer service gesture to give some small something to those who temporarily changed rooms after the murder/suicide. However, I understand from the OP that these guests were away from the hotel during the time when people were temporarily relocated in other rooms, so that this inconveneince would not have affected the OP. I also understand from the OP that the guest just moved to the Hilton without advising the hotel of this fact so that the room could be released for other guests, so no refund is due here, nor should the first hotel pay anything toward the Hilton stay.

Assuming that the OP ultimately does pay for the Starwood stay, since the OP did arrive and stay the first night, it wouldn't necessarily be wrong to give points and nights credit for the entire paid period as hotels don't always monitor departure times and sometimes give additional credit for stays when there has been an early departure, but this is a YMMV situation and the award of such points and nights credit should not be SPG policy.

karenkay

OP, i can't tell if you're looking for a refund or if you're hoping the hotel keeps your money and you get the stay credit. (or if you're hoping for a refund AND stay credit, which i'm afraid isn't likely or warranted, under the circumstances.)

as mentioned upthread, while i'm sure this was traumatic, it wasn't the hotel's fault, and you're not really entitled to anything. it was nice of the hotel to provide a courtesy 5000 points. if you'd like to retain the stay credit, don't get a refund and ask the hotel. if you'd like a refund, ask the hotel.

if it isn't clear from the rest of my post, and the prevailing wisdom in the thread, i don't think you're entitled to 25,000 points, either.