Originally Posted by
Boraxo
Unfortunately our recent experience as a Gold member booking rooms with points was nothing close to the description provided by yjc281 and odie11. Based on our experience, I doubt we will stay here again and cannot recommend the property to anyone who books a standard room with points during peak summer season and am sorry we did not book the Gritti Palace or even the Westin E&R. ...In response to our dissatisfaction with the rooms, the front desk staff gave us free breakfast for all 3 days which was a huge gesture as the "discounted" rate offered at checkin was E35 per person per day with no discount for children. For 3 nights that would have been E420 just for an average breakfast (and the only option)!....
As others have mentioned, Gold does not entitle you to an upgrade. Considering it's summer season, nobody should expect an upgrade at any level. And yeah, it is a big gesture to comp you breakfast. The combination of the setting (sweeping Venice views) and the food made it the best breakfast we've ever had, excepting perhaps the terrace breakfast at the Grand Bretagne in Athens. I would not expect to stay at the one of the premier hotels in one of the most expensive tourist cities in the world and get a cheap breakfast.
We stayed two weeks ago as Ambassador guests and used SNAs to upgrade to a beautiful (albeit view-less) suite with two balconies. We were concerned by some of the previous negative reviews. But our overall experience was comparable to what yjc281 and odie11 described above. Service was really quite impeccable.
If you don't like the crowds out the front door, you take two quick left turns and you're out of the crowds in about 90 seconds. But anyhow, it's Venice. It has been crowded with tourists for literally hundreds of years. Thomas Jefferson was a tourist in Venice! If you don't like crowds, go elsewhere. We just came from a stay in Sarajevo, for example. Didn't see a single American tourist there. Not one.