Diamond Status Amenity Experiences
 

I attained Diamond status a couple of months ago, and in my 4 stays since then, this has been my experience:

Best Western / Glenpool, OK No drink/snack, no additional points alternative
No suites at this hotel, so room upgrade not applicable.

Best Western Plus University / Wichita Falls, TX. No drink/snack. No additional points alternative. I had booked the suite, so room upgrade not applicable.

Best Western Plus Mark Motor Hotel / Weatherford, OK. Bottled Water and Animal crackers provided at check in, along with a thank you for being a Diamond Member. However, this hotel does offer suites, and no room upgrade was offered. I was not told if the suites were booked or not, so no way to know if one was available or not. Kudos, at least, for providing the welcome snack and drink.

Best Western / Van Buren, AR. No welcome snack/drink provided. This stay was recent, so I am not sure yet whether or not any bonus amenity points will post or not. The check in agent did see that I was a Diamond member and specifically thanked me for that! No suites available at this hotel, so room upgrade not applicable.


In summary, only one hotel offered me the welcome snack and drink, and that hotel did not offer me a suite or tell me that all suites were booked. The other hotels did not offer me the snack or the bonus points. It seems to me that many franchisees do not take the relatively simple Diamond bonuses seriously. For the other Diamonds out there, what has been your experience ?

I have been Diamond for over a year and only once out of 70 plus nights was I given a welcome beverage and snack.
I have only had 3 experiences out of 14 stays that I would say I was treated well. For 3 stays I was put on the ground floor across from the laundry (early morning traffic). I was also in one room when a stranger with a Key walked in. When I went to the desk to complain the desk clerk told me the fellow lost his room key and was to drunk for the clerk to understand him so he gave him a key to the room he thought he was in without asking for any ID. On the follow up I complained to Best Western and then the manager called me. He apologized and said that is most definitely not their policy and next time I wanted to stay at their property it would be complimentary. 2 months later I booked for 1 night in the hotel and the manager denied having talked to me.

This certainly seems like a pattern of ignoring the Diamond amenities. Of all those stays where you didn't get the snack and beverage, did you at least receive the 250 bonus points?

I almost always get the bonus points (or miles). :)

I always get the 250 points automatically as most places just assume you don't want the drink/snack.

I always got the 250 points

The Dimaond Status Amenity is the same as the Platinum Status Amenity.

So I mostly stay at the same few BW properties over and over, I see the pattern: If the clerk checking me in is paying attention, I get the welcome bag. If the clerk checking me is not paying attention, and doesn't realize I should get something, I get nothing. In other words, the hotel awards 250 points if they don't want to give you a welcome bag, but if the clerk didn't notice your status or didn't realize you're supposed to get an amenity or points because of your status, then how is the hotel supposed to know that?

It therefore seems to me that they would have to change the check-in computer system at all their (individually managed & operated) hotels to automatically give 250 points if the clerk doesn't actively click something to say "I gave the guest the welcome amenity instead".

But that change would liekly lead to the reverse problem, of people getting both the welcome bag and the 250 points, which you as the platinum/diamond member might like, the BWR woudln't like.

So how likely are they to implement such a change?

To update, I did receive the 250 pt bonus from my most recent stay. Therefore, out of 4 stays since I hit diamond, I have received the snack once, the points once, and nothing twice. Should I write Best Western and ask for the 500 points I am missing?

According our decade-long experience:
- BW hotels you frequently visit give you upgrade/best rooms + perks without even status
- BW hotels where you are a new costumer rarely offer upgrades
- ask for the 250 welcome points - in many cases new, unexperienced receptionists have never heard about it
- fill out allways the survey, you get 250 extra points - in less than one week
http://survey.medallia.com/?bwfeedless


BW is NOT a hotel chain, but a group of independently own inns. The only things connect them are the reservation and the rewards.
If upgrade is important for you, I would not recommend BW.
If earning free nights fast is important for you, I would not recommend BW.

As a Diamond (have just dropped back to Platinum), I would always either get the water and nibbles without asking, or be asked if I wanted that or the points.

I have never received a single upgrade to a better room as a Diamond, either in Europe or the US.

I've given up on any consistency. On occasion I will get a bottle of water and a granola bar or two, other times told to select something from the pantry. Seldom asked or told about a 250 Diamond bonus/amenity. Checking my stays I get the 30% points bonus and another 250 after completing the survey (which unlike other chains, always generates a personal email response from the manager). But never seen a 250 point Diamond amenity post when not offered food/drink item. This is not one of my primary programs, though after getting the Diamond status match a few years ago, status has never been downgraded. I will have two or three stays a year, when i need a budget hotel overnighting at an airport (usually at ICN or LAX) or in city briefly. Often get an unsolicited $25 or $50 voucher which further makes a one-night MR stay a good value (under $100). Over a year of stays I can generate another $100 or $150 voucher (BW gift card).

Guess I was lucky. Only one stay (a paid one if that matters) since being matched to diamond. I stayed at Paradise in PA so we could ride the trains at Strausberg. We got a bag with three waters, four bags of chips, some peanuts, a handwritten note from the manager, and an upgrade to a suite. The indoor pool was being repaired and was closed so maybe that is why they were generous.

If you have Airline miles as your earning preference, do you still get 250 BW points added to your account for the Plat/Diamond amenity?

Iam a Diamond member have stayed at some very nice B.W. in Italy and England. The rooms in Europe are always smaller then the USA and when we head to Europe we always stay at least 3 weeks or more and I don't seem to be able to pack light ;). I always head to the front desk and very politely tell them how lovely the room is but because I have so much luggage it is just too small. I am then always upgraded to VERY big units. They usually looked a bit surprised when we check in and they see the amount of luggage I have anyway so they know I'm not exaggerating.

I have lifetime Diamond, having earned that 10 years ago when they offered lifetime if you stay 60 days or more in a year.
When I call for a reservation, always directly to the hotel, I let them know I am Diamond and ask them to make a note for a request for upgrade, early check-in, late check-out, etc. As the saying goes, it all depends who you get; that is, if I am unsure of the clerk on the phone, I will call back later and get someone else. Also, at my regular stays, I work with my favorite clerks and avoid the indifferent or incompetent.
If staying for more than one night I get points because 250 miles are only given for the entire event. Also, you should get many times more points than a standard guest. i.e., I once had a nine month stay on a project and got over 80,000 miles by converting points, and had an excellent room for standard price. That got me a World Business Class ticket to Europe, round-trip from the West Coast.
Ask for any amenity kits at check-in. Many have toiletries-combo which are always useful.
Shop around if you are going to be in an area of more that one BW. See who has apartments with kitchenettes, etc. In 2013 I did a 6 week stay and had such a unit, with a recliner chair, and the kitchen came with all utensils and culinary for standard price.
So ask, ask, ask, when you call, and shop around. One example for instance is San Diego, Cailifornia. There are horrible BW's there and a very good one on Harbor Blvd, where upon informing them of status will treat you like royalty with a great view of the fishing boats from your tenth floor deck, and a better price than Old Town, which is only 10 minutes away and no view. Alas, Harbor Blvd has a smallish breakfast nook. But there is a fancy BW not far that will be happy to charge you $400 for a suite.
In the San Francisco Bay Area prices can fluctuate wildy as well as offerings..and for a good deal for price check out the BW on Fisherman's Wharf. There is one in Hayward, of all places, that has nice apartments with Jacuzzi and full no kidding full breakfast at a good price that is right off the freeway and close enough to commute to Silicon Valley or S.F.
In Amsterdam, Netherlands, be advised that some BW's have merged adjoining buildings so it can be a maze and not always a pleasant one. I enourage reading reviews to avoid unwanted surprises.