It must have just started because I had food from the Atrium Deli Saturday morning. (is that the Sweetwater Cafe? Or is the Cafe that place next to the deli? I've never eaten at the sit-down restaurant in the atrium. I think it must be the sit-down restaurant.)

Place was a zoo at check-in on Friday night, some sort of young persons convention. No webin was offered on the web site, and for the first time, I rejected the room they tried to give me. The room was one of the 3/4 sized rooms with no desk, as far as possible from the elevators, which is pretty far at this property, and didn't match my confirmed bed choice. I must have 50 - 60 stays there in the last several years, and I've never expected or asked for an upgrade, even as a Diamond, but I sort of did expect them to honor my bed choice. I wouldn't have minded a different bed type if the room was a normal size for SFO and it had a desk. They sure liked my patronage after 9/11 when the place was a ghost town. Hotels seem to be very busy these days.

I think I'm going to have to give it up. I didn't make Diamond this year for the first time in many years, and I think I'm going to make a positive choice to not try again, even though it's possible for me to make it without phantom stays. One problem, is I seem to be unable to find mid-week availability at the Santa Clara Hyatt on my last few Bay Area visits, so my stays seem to be limited to SFO, given that I don't stay at the San Jose property.

Added ...

Figured out from the webin thread why I wasn't offered it. Rate required ID.

I also recall that before the bubble burst, it was tough to get this property or the SFO Marriott for under $200/night.

-David