Originally Posted by
dmfriedman
and711,
In my opinion, Starwood as a company really doesn't have any responsibility or obligation -- explicit or moral -- to give you anything for a problem that occurred at a specific property. That's the property's responsibility. If this had been an issue with your SPG benefits, that would be a different story. But being a loyal guest doesn't provide any extra benefits or special treatment when such an unfortunate incident happens within an individual property.
I agree with the remainder of the post, but I must beg to differ regarding SPG's responsibility. Brand awareness and loyalty are a major part of the hospitality industry. We stay at Starwood hotels because, among other reasons, we expect a certain standard of quality and service commitmen. Our belief in Starwood as a brand certainly benefits Starwood's bottom line and thus I think that they have some responsibility whenever something happens at one of their properties.
Just my $0.02