Hampton Inn - Satisfaction guarantee limitation?
 

The Hampton Inn website (and in hotel advertising) states:
"Your 100% satisfaction is guaranteed. If you’re not totally satisfied with your stay, you’re not expected to pay."
http://www.hamptoninn.com/en/hp/brand/about.jhtml

Short story:
I stayed at a Hampton Inn in Dallas for 12 nights. We had agreed to a certain price per night before the stay, but was incorrectly billed upon checkout. While we were their, we tried to get the bill adjusted several times. We also had several problems with the staff (many were basically incompetent: I am a HH Diamond, I know what to expect at all levels of Hiltons). Example: The first night we were their, a "very strange" odor was present in the room, and because they took over three hours to respond and move us to a new room, they credited us for the first night immediately.

Upon checkout, we tried to get the billing error resolved and to have at least 1 more night credited because of the numerous problems, but both the manager/assistant manager were "not available" (red flag!)

After three months of messages (including disputing with Diners club - but since there is not 'supporting documentation' Diners did nothing, and I did not pursue through Diners); the manager calls back (only after we call Hilton corporate), and the manager claims that they never agreed to the reduced rate, and that the 100% guarantee can only be used for one night.

Does anyone have any experience, or first hand knowledge of what the limitations are to the 100% guarantee?

Since their advertising mentions nothing regarding limitations to the guarantee, are they not legally viable to honor claim of less than 100% satisfaction?

thanks.

stevet954 -- Have you had a rate card signed, reflecting the mutually agreed rate (I assume you didn't have an advance reservation, or if you did, you managed to renegotiate the rate at the check-in)?

<Edited for a typo>


[This message has been edited by Eugene (edited 01-02-2002).]

My reservation was made by calling the hotel directly. The rate I booked was at $99, but called next day when manager was available to discuss a rate at $89, which was agreed upon.

The question still remains - what was the rate on the card at check-in that you've signed? Was it $99 or $89?

Hampton Inn guarantee on comp stays?
 

Hampton Inn guarantees that if you are not satisfied with your stay you don't have to pay. Has anyone been so unhappy with a stay at a Hampton that they invoked the guarantee dispite being there on a stay paid for with Hhonors points? What was the result of this attempt? Did you get your stay voucher back? Note: I have not had a stay in which I have attempted to do this -- it is just one of those "hmmm" things that I have had in the back of my mind.

Haven't used the 100% satifaction guarantee on a comp stay, but have had it apply 2 times in the last three months. Once in Atlanta when my car was broken into in the parking lot. Thanks goodness for good homeowners insurance. And a second time when at checkout the clerk asked how my room was and I said the air conditioner did not work all night. Warm, but not unbearable. She immediately took the $111.00 charge off my bill and gave me a $0 statement. Still got all my points, etc. They mean what they say.

Anyone?

Hampton Inn 100% Guarantee limitations?
 

Since the stated guarantee is completely open ended and does not list any restricitons, what is to prevent someone from staying at a Hampton for 5+ nights, and on upon check-out, invoking the 100% guarantee? Isn't this guarantee a contractual obligation that requires only the customers "claim" of satisfacation?

If you stayed 7 nights, and had a bad experience during check-out (attitude, etc), could you not claim that you are less than 100% satisfied, and wouldn't the hotel be legally obligated to not expect you to pay anything based on your satisfaction level?

This is more of a curious question, but isn't Hamptons language dangerously ambiguous? I wonder if this would hold up in court since the customer really has nothing to prove, you cannot disprove your satisfaction percentage...

It's not completely open-ended. I recall fine print (it's not in front of me) that says you have to bring your dissatisfaction to the attention of hotel management and give them a chance to satisfy you. Only then can you claim that they were unable to resolve the issue to your satisfaction and claim the free stay.

Actually, I once asked a hampton Inn for a copy of their policy (with any restrictions), and all they did was send me a photo copy of a room key which says the same thing as the web site and on every placard in a hotel "if you are not 100% satisfied, we do not expect you to pay"

Hampton is shooting itself in the foot, IMHO by not promulgating a document that everyone can refer to about their guarantee. They may get a few people to stay who wouldn't have otherwise by making the guarantee read the way it does, but people like me who actually read contracts before signing don't like having ambiguities.

In another thread I raised the question of what if you are paying for the room with Hhonors points. Do you get the points back if you are not satisfied? Even though you are not paying for the room with $$$s, you are nonetheless paying for it -- the points have value and thus it is not truly a free room. Hampton should issue a document that clarifies this issue, clarifies how timely a complaint must be, clarifies how and to whom complaints are to be made, clarifies whether only one day can be comped via the guarantee or whether the entire stay can be, clarifies whether you still have to pay for taxes and surcharges, incidentals such as parking, etc.


[This message has been edited by amanuensis (edited 07-09-2002).]

I have taken advantage of this guarantee once and it went very smoothly. Granted, it was just a one night stay. All I did was tell the agent when checking out that I had had a bad experience checking in (checked in at 11 pm, had to wait in lobby for 2 hours while they searched for an empty room and woke up many in occupoed rooms during the search).

My point is that I had no problem getting the charge for the night erased.

I didn't have hot water one morning and they offered me a free night. I said no because I wanted the points and wasn't paying http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

In my well over 100 Hampton Stays in the last 18 months, I have only used this twice. Both times it was due to a very bad experience with a desk clerk.

Both times, I simply stated that I was invoking the 100% guarantee. The room charge was credited, no questions asked.

There have been MANY other instances where I have either complained about minor problems or simply pointed out deficiencies. Almost every time, I have been offered the 100% guarantee. I have declined those times. I would not feel ethical taking a freebie for a trivial item. I bring this up becuase I think it shows just how serious they are about the guarantee.

I have no idea what they would do if someone tried to do this after a 7 night stay, but more than likely they would offer the guarantee for the nights affected.

This is only my opinions, but I would guess that a person who took advantage of this option too often would be asked to stay elsewhere.

LMAO; I did that too... for the same reason