Originally Posted by
niksal
Inspired by the corresponding thread over at SPG, I think it would be interesting to start gathering a thread about failed Concierge upgrades.
I had my first one today, despite of availability at clubcarlson.com . Just checked in at Radisson Blu Scandinavia in Oslo. No upgrade (didn't ask for one since I usually get it automatically), but an apple and a bottle of water in the room. Freezing cold in the room by the way.
Had to fill out a paper form with credit card and contact details. Seemed very odd. I stay frequently here and this was the worst experience so far.
I find CC is a big hit or miss, even staying with the same hotels week in and week out. The entire experience is so inconsistent that I'm just about ready to swear off Club Carlson completely. For my previous project, I had to stay at a Radisson every week for 3-4 nights a week for nearly 1 year and 3 months straight. You'd think that every week I'd be auto-upgraded, my status would be recognized. Nope, inconsistent treatment, welcome gift in room only 1/3 of the time on check-in, some weeks the check-in clerks would fail to recognize me or forget that I have status (despite the fact I see them EVERY week and I'm super courteous to them), sometimes argue with me when I asked for upgrades, etc.
One Radisson upgraded my room without me asking, but then when I got the bill, they charged me an "upgrade fee". I had booked the room with points, and they decided to charge me $120/night extra for the upgrade, which made zero sense. The front desk did absolutely nothing about it and refused to zero out the bill. I had to end up sending a complaint letter to Club Carlson and only then did they actually reverse the charges.
Once in a while, there's a pleasant experience or two (I had a nice upgraded room at the downtown Toronto Hotel without asking for it, along with an excellent breakfast and they even provided free room service for some reason for one night, maximum of $100 worth of food), but overall, the entire program is a giant mess. It's inconsistent, the service in general needs a LOT of work to be better.