IMHO, you should have made a comment when you checked out.

When I had a problem there (with a bathroom sink that was clogging up even after a call to Housekeeping) and mentioned it at check-out:
- The clerk took $100 off my bill on the spot.
- I received an apology phone call from the hotel manager. He offered a free night on my next stay + complementary room upgrade.
- When I returned, I received a fruit basket with a note from the manager stating "Thanks for giving us another chance ..."

An e-mail to Hilton after the fact will likely get the Hilton corporate treatment vs. the Waldorf treatment.


------------------
On the road, In the air,
I enjoy travel, From here to there.

Well...yesterday at about 5pm, the head of housekeeping for the Waldorf called me at work.

OK, it took me a few seconds to get over the shock. I honestly didn't expect a response.

Anyway, Margi said she tries to get to every room in the hotel at least once a quarter. She said she was appalled by the drapes and kept apologizing profusely. She said she couldn't believe how dirty they were & she took measures with the housestaff to remedy the situation.

We talked for a few minutes & then she asked if we are planning to come back to NYC. I told her that we enjoyed ourselves & would like to come back for another weekend at some point. Then she said she's mailing me a letter (I assume for a free weekend) so I can really see all the Waldorf has to offer (I was in a pretty small room on a low floor). I'll let you know when I get the letter.

In the e-mail I sent to Hilton, I didn't ask for anything, just stated that they should clean the drapes, so I'm pleasantly surprised as to the attention this e-mail received. CUSTOMER SERVICE IS NOT DEAD http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif!

Just don't forget to wash the fruit.

That's great to hear!

Sounds like the type of treatment they give all the nonrev customers using points. I stayed there last week and they stuck me in a 5th floor corner room with a beautiful view of the giant air conditioning units and pipes on the intermediate roof. Wanting to get out of the room , I stop down to the lounge for a beer and get a bill for $9.00. Needless to say i wont be going back anytime soon, at least using points.

Yes, when I stayed here, got a low room too (along with the usual NYC traffic noise - constant honking, yelling and sirens - fumes and exhaust) and lied to about breakfast vouchers. They suck.

Still waiting for this letter...how long should I wait before calling? It's been a week.

As a Gold or Diamond, you get a choice of 2 drink coupons per stay (worth $11 each), or breakfast vouchers for Osacar's restaurant for each day of your stay.

If they put you on the Astoria level, the lounge has the Continental breakfast. If you are denied this benefit, ask to speak to a supervisor because the clerk you dealt with was unfortunately misinformed.

It's too bad people have had bad experiences here because as my weekly home away from home, I have yet to encounter such things.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum57/HTML/004743.html

And, I'm a die-hard Starwood guest who decided to give HHonors another shot after poor experiences a few years ago.

The Waldorf Towers is listed as a Hilton Honors Hotel. I would like to ask ~ Can you get a free night in the Towers as well as the Astoria?? What type of "standard" room would you receive? I really wish you could use points to "upgrade" to a better room at all Hiltons (based on availability of course) Thanks...

First, you can't book an award stay at the Waldorf Towers - it doesn't participate in the redemption part of HHonors. There is a possibility of getting a comp upgrade when booking an award at the Waldorf Astoria, but chances are not that good. And no, you can't use points to upgrade a room at Hiltons.

You may want to read the following threads:

Waldorf Upgrades

Waldorf Towers

Waldorf Towers

Thank you, again, Eugene.....

except give me the upgrade! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif But that is my experience as a Diamond. Glad yours is better, hopefully it will get spread to me next time I check in.

I did receive a letter back from the GM thanking me for the letter. He also asked me to contact him on my next visit, as he'd like to meet me. So, I called his office and spoke to his assistant on my stay there last week. She was very nice, and said he was in a meeting but would call me back. About an hour later, he did call and left a message welcoming me back and asking me to call him back at my convenience. I was out at dinner. So, I called back the next day. He was on a conference call, so I left my mobile number. He called me back again, but this time I was at lunch. I give the guy an A for following through.

So, later in the day I called and spoke to his assistant again. She said we could set up a meeting over cocktails, so on my next visit there (next week), I have a scheduled meeting with him at the Bull & Bear for some cocktails after work. I don't intend this to be a gripe session, but I will be happy to share experiences some of you have talked about (lack of Gold/Diamond recognition, no upgrades, etc.). It seems to be a hit or miss thing, because I see many positive as well as negative posts about experiences.

I will talk to him about how they handle yield-management on the 1200 rooms for any given week. For example, why am I only seeing rooms at $400 and up for ANY date in November or December. Are they 70% booked already? Conferences?

And, I want a better way for the bottled water to be handled. I always have to either leave a note on the minibar fridge telling the staff I'm Diamond, or I have to call the front desk when I get my bill to have them take off the charges. They do without question, but it's just a slight annoyance.

I'll be interested in hearing the viewpoint from a GM perspective on balancing the HHonors loyalty program with all the other needs of any guest.

I will also be telling him how satisfied I have been, as a regular customer of the hotel. Even on my first stay, I immediately knew this hotel has that extra "something" that I've never experienced.

The Arts & Entertainment cable channel had an hour long program just on The Waldorf Astoria last night. It was part of the series called It's a Living.

http://www.aande.com/tv/shows/living/

It even had a short interview with the GM, Eric Long.

They're playing that special on a dedicated channel in the hotel. It was pretty interesting.