Originally Posted by
Keyser
i'm sorry but i don't think the common denominator is you at all....its your ambassador....you are lucky to have a great ambassador who probably goes above & beyond to make your stays the best they can be....not everyone has that....the majority don't have access to the ambassador service & the majority of the ones that do have mixed experiences about the service....so once again, its not because you are nice, friendly, etc....its because you have a great ambassador....
Thanks for weighing in..and with decorum!
It is true that I can't discount my Ambassador. However, even my Ambassador didn't save me from the various service issues and failures at the StR Bora Bora, the StR Washington, the Excelsior Gallia Milan, the Liberty Boston, Park Tower Knightsbridge London, etc.
I also believe my approach can make a big difference--both in how some hotels respond so positively to my complaint (as with the StR Bora Bora and Excelsior Gallia) and in why my Ambassador works so hard on my behalf. Obviously, it's tough to quantify those for everyone else. To each, their own.
i stayed here a few years ago & i was upgraded to a junior suite....without using a sna....i liked the upgrade but having stayed at other rome luxury hotels i would probably rank this at the bottom of my list of properties i have stayed in during all my trips to rome....in fact, i had to come back to rome the month after i stayed here & decided to stay at the cavalieri instead....it was my second stay there (a couple of years prior my wife & i had stayed there over christmas time)....even though i only had gold status with hilton then, they still treated me better & i found the service quality to be much better than the st. regis....i prefered staying at the cavalieri as a gold with a meager upgrade as compared to staying at the st. regis as a platinum with ambassador service & an upgrade to a suite....
Knowing your experience, I don't doubt you had disappointment at the StR Rome several years ago. However, experiences several years ago or those during a major renovation matter much less to me--as I stated previously. Just being consistent. I have seen plenty of other reviews here and on TripAdvisor where the StR Rome experience was more positive. (Just as there are plenty here and on TA who had far more positive experiences at the Liberty.) I therefore weigh the good and bad and consider the circumstances.
If I'm going to be in Rome and want to use points for an award stay, my best luxury options are the StR, the Westin, and the WA Cavalieri. While I appreciate that many herein seem to prefer the Westin or WA, I do not--even knowing the issues that some are presenting here for the StR. Whether anyone wants to admit it or not, there are problems and issues also present both here on FT and TripAdvisor for both the Westin and WA. When I evaluate all 3 hotels, I still find the StR to be my best bet...but with my expectations properly adjusted. I also don't pay much heed to some of the complaints mentioned herein for the StR Rome, just as I don't pay much heed to some of the complaints mentioned for the Westin or WA in their respective threads and reviews.
in fact, having stayed in many st. regis & other high end spg luxury properties, i would rank this property way down on my list, probably in the bottom 3....i really liked my room & the breakfast was nice, but the service & attitude of the staff was not up to my expectations....certainly not for a st. regis property....
With apologies, I often dismiss the opinion that "attitude of the staff was not up to my expectations" whenever I consider hotels. This is a perfect example of where I believe my approach and friendliness come into play for me having a better service experience than others in comparable circumstances. I've been told how stuffy or arrogant or otherwise unhelpful a hotel staff can be at many high end luxury hotels...where I found that to be not even remotely the case when I went. Not every time--but the overwhelming majority of times. That's why I dismiss this statement. I judge everything in context of my experience.
you seem to dismiss anyone that has an opinion different from yours....you don't have to agree with it but you don't need to belittle others....
I absolutely dismiss some opinions, as I just described above. I do so based on my experiences being so different from those described and extensive experience with hearing such complaints that I eventually discover as based on other issues. I believe I have exposed some complaints as being circumstantial and not somehow conclusive about this and other hotels. Sorry, but anyone complaining about parking fees at the StR when those are easily known in advance and not any different from high parking fees at all of the other top hotels (except the WA!)--I easily dismiss!
You have disagreed with my opinions here, but I don't take it as belittling at all. Others have disagreed with my opinions here and elsewhere (my phone issues at the Excelsior Gallia and air con issues many places!), but I don't take it as belittling at all, either. People have challenged all of those, and dismissed all of those, and tried to belittle those, but I could care less. It's too bad that others can't handle my disagreement as easily as I do theirs.