Kagehitokiri

it CLEARLY stated on the RC site, right there when looking at "FHR" or "AXC" rates, that they MUST be booked through PLATINUM/CENTURION travel services.

so its NOT accurate that there were people booking AXC rates when they didnt have a centurion card.

the only thing where that kind of thing happened was people getting hilton gold or whatever it was by plugging AXC into a webform on the hitlon site.

TAHKUCT

Thanks again for the link. I have not realized, but by putting a specific hotel name you can look it up FHR rate at any FHR property. The only thing you should brush up on some German. Then, take a rate in Euro and type it in Google Search (For example 175.2 Euro) and you will get conversion in US $

Kagehitokiri

there is also the french platinum site as well, masahiro mentioned it in the sticky

Beckles

Just because it says that in the rate rules does not mean people weren't booking it. In fact, since it was coming up on the website I would bet it could be booked.

BeantownFlyer

I am very unhappy with this change - to add insult to injury, when I tried to cancel a reservation booked through CTS online, I got the same "restricted" message, and had to call Ritz to cancel. What a waste of time.

In any event, my complaints to Ritz on this issue finally made their way to someone with knowledge of the situation who wrote the following:

After I responded to you yesterday regarding your comments on the American Express Centurion rates and your availability to view matters on-line, I contacted our Corporate Offices. I have received a response from them that this is an American Express issue and American Express has mandated how reservations are made. American Express has asked The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company to block this information because it is a qualified program, which is why you are unable to view it anymore. If you are dissatisfied with the reservation process, you need to address your complaint to American Express.

The Ritz representative also gave me two e-mail addresses of people to raise the matter with at AMEX (although I have no idea what their titles are). I will wait to see what response I get, before posting those e-mail addresses for others to weigh in too.

ThWilmesi

[[/QUOTE]

Why would AMEX to ask them to block this unless too many people have booked this online who were not Centurion or Platinum card members and RC didn't bother check it so AMEX had to compensate too much to RC otherwise looks like the old pinball argument like it was when Starwood Platinum Preferred got revoked and both were blaming the other party - let's see how this unfolds. Or maybe AMEX really only gets the commission if they book it - I don't know.

BeantownFlyer

Strikes me that it is the commission issue. Before Ritz added the specific statement to the rules that it had to be booked through CTS (and sometimes after), I would routinely book it myself online. This was for the simple reason that it took 30 seconds to book it myself online and 10 minutes to call CTS, get a travel counsellor, recite my name and account number, say "No, I said New York Central Park, not South Beach", have them qoute me the wrong rates, and them I would correct them, have them put me on hold while they called the hotel, and then finally wait for an hour to get a confirmation from them by e-mail.

Which goes to the issue of why the Centurion website is nothing more than an electronic version of the benefits book, and we can't book travel, make concierge requests, make fine dining reservations (anyone use opentable.com), etc., online without having to call AMEX.

19103_aa

We look forward to your response here. I would add to this my chronic complaint about having to book Fine Hotels and Resorts using the Platinum Travel Service Line. It simply takes too much time. I can't believe Amex can't devote a secure webpage for Plat/Cent clients only to book these rooms online. It would save Amex on staffing the phone desks alone, not to mention provide a more efficient service to their customers.

BeantownFlyer

Exactly what I said.

ThWilmesi

[[/QUOTE]

the problem for me are the centurion benefits with AXC, I can book any FHR rate online through the German Centurion Website even the mandarin oriental program is bookable online, but the AXC benefits for one reason never show up on the online travel site - and if I call the German CTS it takes me 15 minutes to explain what they have to book - without that online information I fear I am gonna have a hard time getting the guaranteed upgrades. I mean just now the for weekend I have at the Ritz Carlton a guaranteed club floor room for 199 USD and it wouldn't surprise me if they further upgrade me to a suite.

Beckles

While I agree booking through PTS/CTS is a pain in the ***, I believe one of the reasons they require it be booked through them is that PTS/CTS needs to know who is booked on these rates because they contact the hotels each day with a list of scheduled FHR arrivals to assure they are given the appropriate amenities.

All that being said, I 100% agree that AMEX needs to provide online search and booking functionality for FHR ... I would venture to guess that they would see a *huge* increase in FHR usage if they did this, which I think would be a good thing. Of course, maybe FHR is actually a money-loser for AMEX and they don't want it used too much.

BeantownFlyer

Beckles, I think I generally - no always agree with what you say, but where in the world did you come up with this one? I find with rare exceptions (SF Ritz comes to mind) I am lucky if the hotel acknowledges that I am booked under a Centurion or FHR rate and confirms all the amentities at check-in without prompting.

Kagehitokiri

beckles did NOT say they would honor it.

i will wager that people would complain after booking with the hotel because they didnt READ the terms. so amex said, fine - you want to complain? then well just remove the ability to see it online. no more confusion.

im pretty sure i remember at least one such person making a post saying they did exactly that in this forum.

Beckles

How many of your stays were you booking without going through PTS/CTS? Some hotels are going to provide crappy service no matter what, I'm not sure that disproves what I said at all.

When I check into the Portofino Bay Hotel in Orlando (the only hotel I've used PTS at), they give me a card and envelope from PTS, so there is obviously some coordination between the hotel and PTS beyond just passing of an electronic reservation.

BeantownFlyer

I have used CTS for lots of stays - Mandarin in DC and New York, numerous Ritz stays (SF, NY Central Park, Cancun, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, etc.), Portofino, Four Seasons Scottsdale and Palm Beach...

My experience has been that about 50-75% of the time I get the pre-printed card, which recites the standard FHR benefits. At the Ritz in SF, I got a wonderful letter which specifically set forth the Centurion benefits in great detail - such as explaining the breakfast would be posted as a dollar amount credit, and could be used for the continental, something more, by room service, etc. The bill was 100% in order on check-out.

But there are still 25-50% of the hotels where it required prodding and reminding them before anyone acknowledged any benefits - and then at check out, another discussion so things like the breakfast would come off. At the Mandarin in DC, they routinely fail to credit the breakfasts and the free night (happened two years in a row on the free night, and multiple times on the free breakfast).

I think the FHR/AXC rates are simply just another package plan for the hotels. Some do a better job than others reviewing the inclusions on packages and having them set up for arriving guests. I can't imagine there is any involvement by AMEX - the task would be daunting for an organization that was - well organized - and CTS is less than organized in my view.

As for booking without CTS, it was probably a handful of stays at most. I'd really like to see an online booking tool - but at least if they restore the Ritz viewing capability on the Ritz website I can do the research and then e-mail my travel counsellor, which is almost as good as real time online booking.