Originally Posted by
AZ Travels the World
Starwood handles these management changes so poorly, too often. It is inexcusable that a person is on a trip, with a reservation at a specific Starwood hotel, only to be informed that the hotel is changing hands next week and their reservation, as booked, will not be honored.
Actually, they are handled the best way we can. While the timing is definitely unfortunate and inconvenient for some members when this happens, Starwood adheres fully to the terms of the legal agreements it signs with hotel owners. One of those tenets often says that we cannot publicly announce to anyone that a hotel is leaving unless they give their expressed written approval. That it actually came a week before this particular hotel is leaving is almost miraculous. It often does not come at all. In either case, we bend over backwards to try and accommodate those who are adversely affected.
This could so easily be addressed with appropriate language in the management contracts Starwood signs with property owners.
I guess your experience is different from mine.
Even when the management and/or sales contract specifies that a hotel will honor
all reservations,
even award reservations, when leaving, they often ignore that aspect. It has happened way more often than you can even guess, so IMHO, the management/sale contract isn't worth the paper it's printed on. I could tell you stories about this that would stand your hair on end.
Besides this, I've found it really easy for people to be critical of SPG when there is a serious lack of knowledge surrounding a particular event.
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
[email protected]