I was in CA during the recent "San Diego Blackout" that resulted in power outages in AZ, CA, Mexico, etc. I wasn't entirely pleased by the way the hotel where we were staying reacted to the situation, and am wondering what other FTs expectations would be in an non-emergency power outage - especially a higher-end resort hotel. I know during a hurricane or other natural disaster, I would just be happy to have a roof over my head, but in this case, I would have thought the hotel would try to do everything they could to ensure guests still had a positive experience, despite the lights being out.

Power went off around 3:35 - we were at the pool, where the waitstaff there must have known about it but they didn't communicate the situation to the guests, or at least to this guest and my +1. So, at 6:00 pm when we started to head back to our room, we found an elevator that didn't work and hallways that seemed sort of dim. On our way up the stairs to the 6th floor, we flagged down a maintenance man and he told us the power was out. Shouldn't the staff have notified the guests by the pool so they could consider their arrangements for the rest of the day and have the opportunity to use the daylight to their advantage?

Some other notes from the next 8 or so hours without power:
- No effort was made by the hotel to communicate the situation to guests - when I asked what was happening at the concierge desk, I was told that they had no idea since their phones weren't working. Really? Nobody had a cell phone to call SPG corporate or an off-site manager so they could stay on top of the situation? It seems that they should have made an attempt to provide information to guests who were far from home and in the dark.
- When I asked what the plan for the evening was if power wasn't restored before sunset, I was told that I had a flashlight in my room. That's it. I'm not sure what more I expected, but maybe a little more effort to help us make the most out of the evening?
- When I asked if the on-site restaurant where we had reservations would be serving, I was told by the front desk "as far as I know." I ended up calling the restaurant myself from my dark room and was told they were cancelling service.
- Turn down service was cancelled - maybe they could have replaced wet towels and at least checked in on people who were sitting in their rooms in a dark hotel to see if anybody needed anything?
- No A/C, so rooms were pretty warm by the time the sun went down, but there was nobody even offering additional water in the lobby. (I think back to a time when I was in a black-out at a basic airport hotel in PHX and for the couple hours the power was out, there was somebody standing in the lobby handing out water and checking with guests as they walked through the lobby.)
- On that note, we walked through the lobby several time during the course of the evening and not one single hotel employee checked in on us and asked if we were OK. They were gathered in little groups behind the front desk and concierge desk, but not one person made a proactive effort to offer assistance.
- Power came on around 11:30 p.m. - then at 6:00ish the next morning the fire alarm came on, lasting several minutes. I think it turned off and then turned back on again, and then finally off. OK, I get that systems were coming back on-line, but somehow we managed to check-out that day without one person mentioning the alarm and apologizing for the early morning disturbance.

Am I silly to think that they could have done more to make the stay more pleasant, despite the unfortunate circumstances? I think it would have made me feel much better if there was a note under my door in the morning thanking me for my patience and apologizing for the alarm or noting that they were sorry that I missed the opportunity to dine at their fancy restaurant because of the power outage or an invitation to have a drink at the bar when the lights were out that evening. But overall, the staff seemed more interested in telling me it wasn't their fault, then trying to help guests salvage their stay. There was certainly nothing egregious about their actions, but it certainly gave me pause when I got the "Thanks for staying email" from them last week saying "We hope your experience at The St. Regis Monarch Beach was beyond expectation." Because it really wasn't.

Maybe it's a regional thing and people in southern CA are just more used to random black-outs? Or maybe I'm just too picky?

(I'm posting here and not the SPG forum since I'm interested in more general reactions to the situation than about this hotel in particular.)