Originally Posted by batboy
it wasn't really until after I left the property and stayed at other hotels on the same vacation that I realized how truly 'ripped-off' we got. By way of example, our stay following the FS Santa Barbara was the Beverly Hills Hotel. For $125 less per night, we got: a non-upgraded room that blew away the FS in every way, a bathroom that was 5x as large and infinitely more comfortable and luxurious, and a breakfast allocation that actually didn't cause us to spend additional money just to get 2 traditional egg breakfasts (unlike the FS Bed and Breakfast package). Sometimes it takes a like-comparison to put things in perspective. (emphasis added)
Sometimes it does take a like comparison to put things in perspective, but comparing the cost of hotels in two completely different markets is not a "like comparison." Were there service lapses during your stay, or did you just not care for the property? If the former, you certainly should write a courteous (there is no reason to be confrontational) letter detailing your complaints (I find that pointing out some of the things that went right comes across more credibly than an "everything sucked" letter, unless, of course, everything sucked). If, on the other hand, you were just unhappy with the property, say because it's older and its bathrooms are small, and the fact that it wasn't cheap, I'm not sure what they reasonably can be expected to do for you: the property is what it is, and they set their rates based on market factors.
By the way, as others have pointed out, the Four Seasons organization is great at handling complaints. As hard as it is for some of us to believe, it certainly is possible to offer superior service to customers without monitoring FlyerTalk.