pickles1107

We made a 4 night reservation last November (10 months ago!!) for a stay in Boston using 4 free night certificates and applied a suite upgrade to confirm into a one-bedroom suite.
When we travel, the suites are important to us as a family of 4 with two toddlers so that the kids can sleep in one room and mom and dad can still move about, watch TV, carry on a conversation in the next room.
We received an email yesterday (6 days prior to arrival) saying that the suite has had an unfortunate maintenance issue and they need to move us to a Junior Suite.

For reference, the 1-BR suites here are 800-1200 square feet and overlook Copley Square. The Junior suites are 415 sq ft and are interior rooms - no view.

I realize we are "first man out" since we are redeeming certs over a paying customer, but this has big implications on how our family will be able to sleep and operate once we settle in for the night. Not that it matters in this case, but we did a have a 6 night paid stay earlier this year on the Big Island, so we are not a one and done stay at Fairmont just due to the credit card bonus.

As a goodwill gesture they will not pull the suite upgrade cert and have given us access to the Gold Lounge for our stay.
I don't care about the suite upgrade cert as we have no other planned Fairmont stays through March.
The Gold Lounge is a tremendous value proposition as a family of four for breakfast/evening snacks.

I'm trying to balance reasonable expectations knowing that they aren't seeing a single cent from us for the rooms since we are redeeming certs with the fact that they are not delivering on the room type confirmed and what that means for our stay.

I replied to the email asking about connecting rooms.
Would you be pleased with the service recovery offered by the hotel?

CanadaDH

That's really unfortunate. I wouldn't be thrilled about that either, but if the suite is not usable, then I don't know what else they can do.

Not redeeming the suite upgrade but still giving you the Jr. Suite is a nice gesture. It's not really their concern that you have no other plans to use the certificate. I agree the gold lounge access is great, especially with a family of four.

I can't remember if the Copley Plaza has connecting rooms or not. If they don't offer that, rather than the Jr. Suite, I would ask for a Signature Queen/Queen room instead. The Signature rooms are only marginally smaller than the Jr. Suites (390 vs. 415 feet), yet they have very nice views of Copley Square, and it sounds like that's important to you. I've stayed in the Signature King rooms at Copley before, and they are very nice.

Often1

What more is there to be done?

Something has to give because a suite is not available. Unfortunately, it is you. The recovery seems quite fair. Essentially an entirely free upgrade.

You might take a look at the price difference between what you booked and what they are offering you and asking whether they might offer you connecting rooms with the second room offered at a discount equivalent to the price differential between the Junior Suite and your booked rate. That might not be much, but it is worth taking a look at the numbers.

mahasamatman

If they have adjoining rooms, they should absolutely offer them straight up with no additional charge. The other alternative is to have them walk you to a suite comparable to what you booked in an equivalent hotel. Anything less is an insult, and I would get Fairmont corporate involved to do the right thing.

The hotel gets reimbursed for those rooms - they are as much revenue rooms as anything paid with cash.

MSPeconomist

They're not Fairmont, but within the sane area of Boston there are Sheraton and Marriott properties with lounges, Westin without a lounge and IIRC a Hilton, all connected to the Prudential Center shopping mall, plus the independent Colonnade Hotel and some boutique properties nearby. IIRC the former Boston RC at the place where Newberry Street hits the park is now operating as the Taj. So there are many choices beyond the Fairmont.

greenfrog2015

[QUOTE=pickles1107;27258974]

CanadaDH

Copley Plaza doesn't have 2-bdrm suites. Just 1-bdrm suites and Signature suites (which are also 1-bdrm). They do have a Presidential Suite. I suppose they could have moved somebody else from a 1-bdrm suite to that, to make room for OPs free nights, but I suspect there just isn't room.

According to the booking website, there is only a Deluxe Room and a Gold Room still available for booking during the period OP is there. The Jr. Suite + Gold lounge access might be the best option the hotel has available.

pickles1107

Appreciate all the responses. After a pleasant exchange with the revenue manager, he was eager to please and found us two deluxe connecting rooms. He graciously extended the lounge access as well for the duration of the stay. I am pleased with the resolution and recovery of the hotel.
Turns out there is a hole in the ceiling of one of the suites!

ptownca

That is great recovery IMO and a very generous offer by the hotel. The Copley only has about 380 rooms, as well as that season being really high peak season in Boston.

It is a great property in my experience and one of the best located hotels in Boston.

AMRivlin

Wow. That is better than a suite TBH, and with Gold! You win the internets for the day.

mahasamatman

Excellent recovery, and a feather in the Copley's hat.