Originally Posted by
Concerto
Here's an update to my deleted 91,000 points situation. I got a message saying that points expire after a year of inactivity, and the case was closed.. I reopened it, asking if they would consider reinstating my points so I could make a booking and the CS agent responded in the positive, saying I had until 20th December to use them. I am assuming the stay doesn't have to take place before then. Yes, it's my fault for not paying attention to the expiry date (unusual for me) but some form of notification would have been nice.
I don't think this thread gets a lot of traction, but the question I want to throw out there is if anyone can recommend any nice Melia properties? The Melia Boutique hotel in Mallorca is very nice, but it is closed in the winter season. Because the first half of the year is so busy for me, I would have to make a booking for next autumn.
I would assume the same - it is only necessary to spend before December and not stay before then. My recommendation is Palacios de los Duques in Madrid, it is by some way my favourite Melia hotel.
Originally Posted by
beachfan
I am new to Melia and have a question about the upgrade certificate. It says upgrade to a superior room upon availability, with online checkin, up to 48 hours in advance.
I will be at the Gran Melia Iguazu from Jan 2 to Jan 5, a very busy time no doubt. I was lucky that there was a recent price drop on those dates, but still pricey. Trying to decide whether to apply a 5% discount (worth $125 or so) or get the upgrade. If the upgrade goes through, that's worth more than $1000 on those nights (although I wouldn't pay that rate, it's worth more than $125 savings from the 5% - in a slow period the room is $100 more).
1) Does superior just mean better, or does it mean you can only upgrade to a "superior room" and not a "deluxe room"? This hotel doesn't show "superior rooms" they start at deluxe.
2) Is there capacity controls on the upgrade or if I see a one category upgrade (deluxe room jungle view to deluxe room falls view), it is available for the upgrade cert.
3) Is it confirmed upon on line check in or do I have to see whether it's still available when I arrive.
4) Is it straightforward to apply to the reservation? 48 hours ahead will be NYE and I think I won't be able to reach Melia customer service.
I have never used one of these vouchers, because as Melia Gold I took the terms to be true that it couldn't be combined with a 20% discount (I've since learned they can be combined). As MeliaRewards Platinum you get upgrades which used to be superior to the voucher, but terms have changed and now I'm really not sure if there is any difference. Therefore, I have a reasonable idea for some of the answers:
1) Superior simple means one category better in this case and not rooms named Superior. I actually used my platinum upgrade in the very same hotel and got falls view instead of jungle view.
2) While the Platinum upgrades are minor, I have got them on more stays than not and it seems to only be if the room is for sale without additional capacity constraints specific to upgrades.
3) The platinum upgrades apply at online check-in (or in hotel, but I've had the hotels refuse before when rooms were available, so I definitely favour online). For your voucher it is online only I believe.
4) I believe it is simple to apply purely based on hearing of others using them and not hearing complaints. It is a risk though, I did have an online check in fail before in New York and then lost the platinum upgrade... but Melia support is really particularly awful, so I honestly wouldn't expect them to help or be able to help regardless of the date!