I am a UK citizen and visit the Middle East frequently in the course of business, staying most often at Starwood group hotels in the region. I am SPG Platinum and I always book via the SPG website. As it is business I will normally take the lowest priced room and typically be given an upgrade because of my Platinum Status.
I have stayed at this hotel on many occasions previously doing exactly this to make my reservation, without problem.

On this occasion I booked as usual and was given a confirmation number of 683128558 (Starwood Lurker please note) for 2 rooms one for myself and one for a colleague also SPG Platinum, checking in on the 13th Jan 2005 and checking out 14th Jan 2005. The rate was 485 UAE Dhirams less taxes per room.

Upon arrival on Thursday 13th Jan 2005 around 6 p.m. we went to check in, and were told that the rate we had booked was for day rate only 9.00 am until 6.00 p.m. and that to stay overnight would be 780 UAE Dhirams per room less taxes. This came as a surprise, as no where in the rate plan or room details had it been evident that this was a booking for day occupancy only, indeed the booking screen calendar had confirmed arrival as 13th and departure 14th. Also in my limited SPG experience albeit only 5 years I have never known a hotel to promote day only occupancy through a web site.

On querying this with the deputy manager, he said it was clearly evident on the booking screen that this was a day occupancy rate. We asked him to demonstrate this by accessing the SPG website and showing us where it was so clearly evident. After 30 minutes of attempting to do so with a great many projected future reservations he was unable to do so.

We had now been attempting to check in for nearly an hour and requested to clarify the situation with his manager, at all times during this process there was an extreme lack of customer service, with the attitude being presented that the Hotel was always right and we were wrong to question the Hotel.

We then asked to talk to a more senior person in the hotel and after a further 10 minutes wait a Mr George Kamel the Director of Guest Services came to the SPG check in to see us. He continued to promote "the guest is never right" atittude to myself and my colleague.

When we queried that the deputy manager was unable to demonstrate that the day rate plan was evident when we booked on the web, and could he explain to us. He said that this rate could not be future booked as the posting had been withdrawn by his staff from the SPG website therefore he could not show us how evident the Day rate information was at the time of our booking. Upon further questions from myself was it in the room description field? was it in the rate description field? He admitted that it wasn`t. He said that it was stated in another area in the rate details and that I should have clicked on the rate details box to view this information at the time of booking. I said I hadn`t considered it necessary to view this box when making my reservation as I considered I was familiar with the taxes etc applicable to the rate in the UAE.

By this time (we were in the Towers check) several other SPG guests were agreeing with us, in that they always booked on the top level details presented on the web site. Mr Kamel then advised that in future we should be more carefull in how we make our reservations.

I was seething, and still am, at such an arrogant atittude towards customers

We would have immediately left and checked into the Intercontinental Hotel a few hundred yards from the Sheraton Dubai Creek if it hadn`t been so late in the evening. We took the Sheraton room at the new rate but declined to accept or use any SPG privileges such as a room upgrade or use of the towers lounge as we wished to indicate that we were now accepting the room rate not through choice, but by compulsion.

I am sorry about the length of this posting but as you can probably sense I am very angry about the whole fiasco.

I would welcome any feedback from the Starwood Lurker


Gulf Clubber