hey folks. i'm really sorry i posted this. i kinda knew it was going to be a mistake before i did it. but i figured of all the travel forums, FT seemed the most reasonable, the smartest, the fairest, the shrewdest.
and it IS all that. i love the site.
i just dont think there's an appropriate place within FT to post comments as bad as mine, however fair and truthful. even with the seemingly endless amount and variety of subs within FT.
i thought first about the 'luxury hotels and resorts' sub - mostly where i lurk anyway - but figured it'd get quickly removed or admonished by a mod ('this isn't a sub for hotels like the w, this is a luxury sub!")
so in the end, i chose M/B sub as the w corporate parent. but this sub is - quite naturally and reasonably - full of marriot/bonvoy.... enthusiasts. i do not fault the sub for that one iota.....i understand what it's like to be committed to a brand - i'm a hardcore fender guitar loyalist. i don't like hearing people disparage their guitars.
so i'm sympathetic to anyone who commits their enthusiasms to a particular brand. i like enthusiasm. i like forgiveness. these things represent the best of human nature. as i mentioned, i'm fully familiar with the W brand. the south beach hotel has tons of beachy pizazz. i'll never forget the 3 or 4 nights i spent at w barcelona, a masterclass in chic hotel design. (particularly the interiors).
having said all that, however, i will admit to getting a bit flummoxed by responses claiming the serious faults i've cited have nothing to do with the hotel itself, instead it's the guests.
or starting a sentence by saying one doesn't doubt i had the experience i described, only to complete it by saying they don't understand how the hotel could have such bad soc med reviews? that's a mystification that largely solves itself within one sentence!
or defaulting to 'stuff happens'. sure, 'fire alarms go off twice during the night at every hotel sometimes'. but stuff like that generally doesn't happen at luxury hotels. at least not with any notable frequency. that's why they are 'luxury hotels'.
and the basic platitude that 'everyone has different experiences and preferences'?
i'm a reasonable person. i totally get all that. i surely don't think every other human experiences the world the same way i do, or should have identical preferences to my own?. i mean, doesn't this stuff go without saying?
in light of this, i have decided not to post a formal review here. i will do the most appropriate thing and send mails to m/b corporate, cc-ing the philadelphia location.
and ftr, i hate talking disapprovingly, disparagingly about any idea, person or thing. it feels so much better to be enthusiastic, to love something, to tell anyone who'll listen about this fantastic new hotel you've discovered.
anyway, apologies again if i've offended any w or marriot fanboys out there. there's certainly many things to love about the company, and i've experienced a bunch of great properties within their offerings.
finally, as for carrie l's response, i appreciate that as well.
and i guess i think it's nice that hotel representatives hang out in forums such as these. nice to know the public is heard by those behind the curtain. but i don't think UG forums are a great place for hotel representatives and guests to interact as far as business goes. complaints, recoveries, and such. it strikes me as more of a private matter between client and vendor. but i appreciate you providing your email, carrie, and will add you as a cc to the email i plan to send. if you want to DM me with a (physical) office address, i can cc you on the snail i plan to send as well.