Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Atlanta but Washington DC will always be home.
Programs: Marriott LTP, Hilton Diamond, Accor Gold, Hyatt Explorist,, Delta Plat,
Posts: 2,070
OP, I'm a big SPG person and quick to say how great SPG was, but this area was not one of them. Many SPG hotels had no dedicated check-in area. Many more had a dedicated line but didn't staff it, or would call over people in the (usually longer) regular line rather than help those elites in the elite line.
That said, I'm with you OP. Not having an elite line, or having one but not staffing or utilizing it, is one of my biggest frustrations. Not having a line actually can impact whether I'll stay somewhere again. For instance, my last (and truly last..not going back) stay at the Sheraton Detroit Airport was a cluster at check-in. DL was having irrops and must have booked all available rooms at the Sheraton. I had a regular paid reservation and arrived to find a check-in line 30+ people long with only 2 agents. No elite line was visible. I went to the front and asked where Plats wait, I was told at the back of the extremely long line. It took me about an hour to check in.
Meanwhile there are amazing hotels like the Westin Seattle that have a separate room for check-in. Those definitely get my repeat business.