Originally Posted by
chitraveler1975
Clearly the new standard of customer service is that of the horrible rep I spoke with today, who told me:
- the hotel is always right, not the customer
- the published terms and conditions mean whatever she interprets them to mean
- if I challenge her, she will write disparaging remarks in my account
I would be ready to abandon ship here but for my relationship with a number of excellent legacy starwood hotels I visit frequently - anyone have any experience migrating to Hyatt?
In the "for what it's worth" column, my points from my Westin stay in the last week of November posted today.
Now, on to your next question. I've been with SPG/Marriott since 2001. I have over 1.7 million points and have earned lifetime Platinum status with Marriott, meaning that I get lounge/breakfast included for me, which is the most important benefit to me. In other words, I've been pretty loyal.
But in January, I'm moving to Hyatt. I had already made that decision before the screw-up regarding my stay not posting. In fact, there was no single incident that drove me over the edge. Rather, it was simply the slow decline of Marriott benefits and the recent increases to Hyatt's Globalist status (Yes, I'm moving to Hyatt even with the ridiculous names they gave their elite levels.). It's also nice to be able to earn elite nights even more easily with the Hyatt credit card than I do with Marriott.
Lesson to hotels: You can cut back a benefit, save some cash and customers probably won't notice. Then, you can cut back another benefit, save some cash and consumers still may not notice. But there will be a tipping point at which you cut an amenity to save a few pennies and the customers say "enough is enough." Believe it or not, we do pay attention to the value that we receive.
Mike