Originally Posted by
PDXbased1K
Isn't holding the junior suites until "very later in the day" a clear violation of the SPG T&C's if you have SPG Platinum members checking in and the room is clean and vacant? Holding the room until 11:45PM doesn't really seem fair.
Below are the SPG terms as they pertain to elite members and I don't see anywhere where it describes the practice which your hotel adheres to.
"Subject to availability at check-in for the entire length of the stay, provided the room was not booked through a pre-paid third-party channel. Specialty Suites such as, but not limited to, premium view, Presidential, Honeymoon, and multiple bedroom suites are excluded. This benefit does not apply to all-suite hotels. Best rooms are identified by each property and may not include upgraded Towers level accommodations unless Towers level accommodations were booked originally. The upgrade benefit is available for one room for the personal use of the Member only, regardless of the number of additional rooms purchased by the Member. This benefit is not offered at Aloft and Element properties."
And just as an aside I've been burned by this practice MANY times when checking into your hotel-the only reason I'm responding to this thread. I generally don't even find the junior suites to be a meaningful upgrade-but as you acknowledged they sometimes tend to be the quieter rooms available and that's what I care about.
I think the key word here is "available". I believe that the intent of the policy is to offer upgrades for otherwise unsold inventory, not to displace revenue if there's a viable opportunity to sell the suites at a premium rate. Further, I never specified a time (i.e. 11:45pm) in which the decision to release the inventory happens; that varies based on the day in question.
I don't see a directive in the policy that requires an unsold room to be available for upgrade at any particular time during the day, if there's a chance that the room can be sold for the market price....in our case, we are fortunate enough to sell out 6 days per week, and often the suites are the last to sell - hence, we will sell them at the posted rate. Further, (most notably on weekends), there is a very high demand for suites, usually reserved the same day of arrival.
That said, we do allocate - and pre assign to Platinums - most remaining junior suites for upgrade early in the day (occupancy and demand permitting), so I think we're keeping with the intent of the policy. Obviously we wish to remain complaint with Starwood requirements, but also strive to maximize profitability by providing access to our suites to those that desire to pay the premium rate.
Further, to put a more pro-active and positive spin on this, we have taken some additional steps to accommodate our (extremely high) number of elite guests, including making every room in the hotel a dedicated SPG room (as opposed to just a zone or series of dedicated floors), and designating select oversized rooms for our Platinum and Gold members. The unusual (100 year old) architecture has created a series of rather small (although pleasant) interior rooms which we tend to avoid using for elites. In addition to the Starwood required welcome amenity program, every Platinum guest at this hotel receives an (off brand!) Platinum welcome drink/breakfast item card.
Thanks,
Randy Zimmerman
General Manager, Four Points by Sheraton San Jose Downtown