starwood ruined my honeymoon too...(rant)
Oct 7, 2008, 1:02 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: SAN
Programs: Delta DM; Starwood Concierge; Avis Chairman; Sky Club; Delta Reserve
Posts: 33
starwood ruined my honeymoon too...(rant)
i have been a starwood member for the last 6 years, platinum for 4, this year downgraded to gold.
the end of september i booked a honeymoon to paris, london and then back to paris. very excited, i arrive in paris with my wife, and check into the westin paris. nice hotel decent room, just a standard, but for europe not bad. the service there however left much to be desired.
the last day at the westin before we flew to paris i decided to call the spg desk, and ask for any type of special treatment they could provide as i was on my honeymoon, and had 2 more reservations (one at the park lane london, then le meridian etoile paris) the customer service rep said no problem and he would be more than happy to call the other hotels and let them know.
so we get to london goto check in and literally was given the worst room i have ever seen in my life. it didnt even have a king sized bed as booked it had a full, and a window directly facing a brick wall...seriously...
needless to say i was pissed, i called spg and after having my first ever full hissy fit, i was moved to a different room. just the fact that they would do this to me on my honeymoon embarrassed me to no end infront of my wife considering with my loyalty to spg was outrageous, combined with the fact that i was paying an astronomical amount of points per night.
finally we got to the le meridian etoile, i will say this, the service there was AMAZINGLY good. when i went to check in the manager came over said congratulations and upgraded us to a jr sized suite. after like 15 minutes in the room they sent up a bottle of champagne, which i thought was incredibly thoughtful.
long story short, starwood lost all of my future business, except for the meridians i have had nothing but good experiences there. originally i chose starwood because they had the best beds, but now all the major hotel brands have comfortable mattresses, so the lack of perks is starting to become apparent, 3-4 years of platinum 1 out of 15 trips would i be upgraded... and their rewards system is horrible. all of my coworkers are hilton diamond and love hilton, so thats who im transitioning to.
starwood needs to seriously pull their head out of their butt, as from what ive heard the majority of their business relies on business travelers. when you arent superior to the other brands loyalty is something you have to rely on, and they just havent figured out its a 2 way street... they have to earn the loyalty of customers...
funny side note, with the platinum amex, which i orginally got for airline lounges, starwood gold status is automatic, so if i do have to stay at a starwood i will have the exact same status as i have now, without having to make one stay to qualify.
the end of september i booked a honeymoon to paris, london and then back to paris. very excited, i arrive in paris with my wife, and check into the westin paris. nice hotel decent room, just a standard, but for europe not bad. the service there however left much to be desired.
the last day at the westin before we flew to paris i decided to call the spg desk, and ask for any type of special treatment they could provide as i was on my honeymoon, and had 2 more reservations (one at the park lane london, then le meridian etoile paris) the customer service rep said no problem and he would be more than happy to call the other hotels and let them know.
so we get to london goto check in and literally was given the worst room i have ever seen in my life. it didnt even have a king sized bed as booked it had a full, and a window directly facing a brick wall...seriously...
needless to say i was pissed, i called spg and after having my first ever full hissy fit, i was moved to a different room. just the fact that they would do this to me on my honeymoon embarrassed me to no end infront of my wife considering with my loyalty to spg was outrageous, combined with the fact that i was paying an astronomical amount of points per night.
finally we got to the le meridian etoile, i will say this, the service there was AMAZINGLY good. when i went to check in the manager came over said congratulations and upgraded us to a jr sized suite. after like 15 minutes in the room they sent up a bottle of champagne, which i thought was incredibly thoughtful.
long story short, starwood lost all of my future business, except for the meridians i have had nothing but good experiences there. originally i chose starwood because they had the best beds, but now all the major hotel brands have comfortable mattresses, so the lack of perks is starting to become apparent, 3-4 years of platinum 1 out of 15 trips would i be upgraded... and their rewards system is horrible. all of my coworkers are hilton diamond and love hilton, so thats who im transitioning to.
starwood needs to seriously pull their head out of their butt, as from what ive heard the majority of their business relies on business travelers. when you arent superior to the other brands loyalty is something you have to rely on, and they just havent figured out its a 2 way street... they have to earn the loyalty of customers...
funny side note, with the platinum amex, which i orginally got for airline lounges, starwood gold status is automatic, so if i do have to stay at a starwood i will have the exact same status as i have now, without having to make one stay to qualify.
Oct 7, 2008, 1:17 pm
#2
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: MKE
Programs: AA Exec Platinum, SPG Platinum / Ambassador / Lifetime Gold, Avis FIRST
Posts: 3,293
Sorry you had a bad time - but it seems to me your gripe is more with the Park Lane London (do a search - many people share your gripe) than with Starwood as a whole.
By your own admission the other two hotels were adequate or better.
I would agree 1/15 upgrades is very very low and much lower than my platinum experience.
By your own admission the other two hotels were adequate or better.
I would agree 1/15 upgrades is very very low and much lower than my platinum experience.
Oct 7, 2008, 1:31 pm
#3
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: The City of Angels
Programs: UA Gold, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LTP, Hilton Gold
Posts: 406
Sorry you had a bad time - but it seems to me your gripe is more with the Park Lane London (do a search - many people share your gripe) than with Starwood as a whole.
By your own admission the other two hotels were adequate or better.
I would agree 1/15 upgrades is very very low and much lower than my platinum experience.
By your own admission the other two hotels were adequate or better.
I would agree 1/15 upgrades is very very low and much lower than my platinum experience.
Oct 7, 2008, 1:32 pm
#4
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: CLE
Programs: Hilton Diamond; Marriott Platinum; SPG Gold; OnePass Gold; Avis President's Club
Posts: 249
Ummm...I don't see how this is a ruined honeymoon. Seems like a snag that was corrected before you unpacked, then an undeserved jr. suite and champagne at the etoile, which more than made up for an inconvenience. Good luck trying to generate 43,000 views with this story.
Last edited by mrEzE; Oct 8, 2008 at 8:33 am
Oct 7, 2008, 1:37 pm
#5
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: BHD/DUB
Programs: BA Gold, TK*G, EI Elite
Posts: 7,622
You're kidding right ?
So, in short, you're saying your whole honeymoon was runied because you were allocated a bad room, in one hotel, but were moved when you complained about it ?
So, in short, you're saying your whole honeymoon was runied because you were allocated a bad room, in one hotel, but were moved when you complained about it ?
Oct 7, 2008, 1:39 pm
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: SAN
Programs: Delta DM; Starwood Concierge; Avis Chairman; Sky Club; Delta Reserve
Posts: 33
Sorry you had a bad time - but it seems to me your gripe is more with the Park Lane London (do a search - many people share your gripe) than with Starwood as a whole.
By your own admission the other two hotels were adequate or better.
I would agree 1/15 upgrades is very very low and much lower than my platinum experience.
By your own admission the other two hotels were adequate or better.
I would agree 1/15 upgrades is very very low and much lower than my platinum experience.
i just feel like i put $100k's of money into starwood that i could have easily done with another brand, then when i have such an important moment, they treat me like crap, which hurts, i mean frequent travelers like us tend to get picky about travel, and you develop a relationship/bond/loyalty whatever with the different chains, and you expect them to treat you well in exchange for your business. unfortunately for starwood this is just the freshest experience in my mind, and most likely the last.
Oct 7, 2008, 1:48 pm
#7
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: YVR
Programs: AC E75, SPG Plat, HH peon-by-choice (ex Gold)
Posts: 8,090
so we get to london goto check in and literally was given the worst room i have ever seen in my life. it didnt even have a king sized bed as booked it had a full, and a window directly facing a brick wall...seriously...
needless to say i was pissed, i called spg and after having my first ever full hissy fit, i was moved to a different room. just the fact that they would do this to me on my honeymoon embarrassed me to no end infront of my wife considering with my loyalty to spg was outrageous, combined with the fact that i was paying an astronomical amount of points per night.
needless to say i was pissed, i called spg and after having my first ever full hissy fit, i was moved to a different room. just the fact that they would do this to me on my honeymoon embarrassed me to no end infront of my wife considering with my loyalty to spg was outrageous, combined with the fact that i was paying an astronomical amount of points per night.
all of my coworkers are hilton diamond and love hilton, so thats who im transitioning to.
Oct 7, 2008, 2:01 pm
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: SAN
Programs: Delta DM; Starwood Concierge; Avis Chairman; Sky Club; Delta Reserve
Posts: 33
how did HH change their upgrade policy?
Oct 7, 2008, 2:37 pm
#9
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: New York, NY
Programs: Delta - Gold; Starwood - Platinum; HHonors - Diamond & Avis Preferred
Posts: 10,869
i have been a starwood member for the last 6 years, platinum for 4, this year downgraded to gold.
funny side note, with the platinum amex, which i orginally got for airline lounges, starwood gold status is automatic, so if i do have to stay at a starwood i will have the exact same status as i have now, without having to make one stay to qualify.
funny side note, with the platinum amex, which i orginally got for airline lounges, starwood gold status is automatic, so if i do have to stay at a starwood i will have the exact same status as i have now, without having to make one stay to qualify.
I've said this before, if it's a special occasion book the room type you want. Don't wish for an upgrade or special treatment because you call, email or fax the hotel and tell them you're a newlywed. The generosity of the hotel cannot be guaranteed.
Oct 7, 2008, 2:51 pm
#10
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 1999
Posts: 24,153
you are spot on, the park lane, was terrible, the westin paris, wasnt great but not terrible. the upgrades never really bothered me that much, as i stayed because i was already locked into starwood. what upsets me the most with the program is the fact that i literally had to threaten to leave the park lane and never stay at starwood again before cust service would call them. i would imagine this threat is why i received such amazing service at the meridian, which kinda taints the experience there, i didnt want preferential treatment because i got pissed off, i wanted that treatment because they were thankful for all the business i gave them, but im not going to let that assumption affect the experience there.
i just feel like i put $100k's of money into starwood that i could have easily done with another brand, then when i have such an important moment, they treat me like crap, which hurts, i mean frequent travelers like us tend to get picky about travel, and you develop a relationship/bond/loyalty whatever with the different chains, and you expect them to treat you well in exchange for your business. unfortunately for starwood this is just the freshest experience in my mind, and most likely the last.
i just feel like i put $100k's of money into starwood that i could have easily done with another brand, then when i have such an important moment, they treat me like crap, which hurts, i mean frequent travelers like us tend to get picky about travel, and you develop a relationship/bond/loyalty whatever with the different chains, and you expect them to treat you well in exchange for your business. unfortunately for starwood this is just the freshest experience in my mind, and most likely the last.
You got what you Reserved!! Who told you to book a reg room?
Oct 7, 2008, 3:22 pm
#11
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 689
What type of upgrade were you hoping for as a Gold?
I've said this before, if it's a special occasion book the room type you want. Don't wish for an upgrade or special treatment because you call, email or fax the hotel and tell them you're a newlywed. The generosity of the hotel cannot be guaranteed.
Exactly what I was thinking!
Oct 7, 2008, 3:23 pm
#12
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: sfo
Programs: United GS, Starwood Platinum
Posts: 594
Pathetic
Oct 7, 2008, 3:30 pm
#13
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: New York, NY
Programs: Delta - Gold; Starwood - Platinum; HHonors - Diamond & Avis Preferred
Posts: 10,869
hey...hey..hey. We can disagree, but lets not rude.
Lets hope the OP and any others that THINK calling, faxing or emailing the hotel to plead for an upgrade due to a "special occasion" will remember this "experience" and use it as a lesson learned.
So to clarify.....
Lets hope the OP and any others that THINK calling, faxing or emailing the hotel to plead for an upgrade due to a "special occasion" will remember this "experience" and use it as a lesson learned.
So to clarify.....
:-::-: IF THIS IS A SPECIAL OCCASION OR WANT TO STAY IN A PARTICULAR ROOM TYPE. BOOK THE ROOM TYPE YOU WANT! :-::-:
Oct 7, 2008, 3:46 pm
#14
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: All over
Programs: Most
Posts: 10,839
i have been a starwood member for the last 6 years, platinum for 4, this year downgraded to gold.
the end of september i booked a honeymoon to paris, london and then back to paris.....
the last day at the westin before we flew to paris i decided to call the spg desk, and ask for any type of special treatment they could provide as i was on my honeymoon.....
so we get to london goto check in and literally was given the worst room i have ever seen in my life.....
the end of september i booked a honeymoon to paris, london and then back to paris.....
the last day at the westin before we flew to paris i decided to call the spg desk, and ask for any type of special treatment they could provide as i was on my honeymoon.....
so we get to london goto check in and literally was given the worst room i have ever seen in my life.....
Why on earth people expect to have special treatment because they say that they are on their honeymooon or whatever? Wonder how many times people actually use the honeymoon/special occasion/birthday etc excuses to try milking benefits they are not entitled to in the first place?
For your honeymoon you should have booked the accommodation that you could have lived with.
Maybe you should have stayed few more times during one of those double stays promos to qualify for the SPG PLT.
Last edited by holtju2; Oct 7, 2008 at 4:08 pm Reason: typo
Oct 7, 2008, 4:24 pm
#15
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: DFW
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Titanium, HH Gold, AA Lifetime Gold, United Silver, BA Gold
Posts: 864
I will totally agree with Cheapelite and others. Humperdink, you should basically blame yourself for ruining (????????) your honeymoon, although I have no idea what exactly got ruined. Do you even know how many Gold Elites must be out there, forget even the Platinum ones. Lastly Starwood never guarantees a particular type of room unless you pay for it, even if you are a Platinum or Super Platinum member.