JFKSFOLAX_friend

A basic competent service level is expected whether it be a Four Points by Sheraton or a Ritz Carlton. This is a service industry, after all. Bonus points earned/rate paid are irrelevant.

Gold Passport Concierge

Dear Flyertalk Members,

I appreciate you all taking the time to review the various hotels, and share your experiences (good or bad) with the community. The side-benefit of doing so is that a representative of the hotel may see the feedback, and use it to make the next interaction even better. Rest assured, the direction this thread has taken has not gone unnoticed.

Thank you again for the feedback!

Sincerely,
Karen Smith

19103_aa

This place gets a B from me:
Cons:
1) check in was frantic. The lobby is much smaller than LA Andaz, which can accomodate the roving check in agents. My check in agent's tablet died, forcing her to re-run everything again.
2) newspaper promised, not delivered.
3) turn down service mentioned, not completed
4) slippers in the rooms would be nice
5) Slow service at Breakfast. Unclear if it was the server or the system.
6) Pool area nice but underwhelming
7) Weak diamond offering (coupon for a glass of wine)

Pros:
1) Good location. I could watch the Padres game from my room.
2) Food was tasty
3) Bathroom and room was nicely appointed.
4) A refreshing change from most major chain hotels, yet not dark and overly hip like many Ws.

I actually had better service at the Manchester than at Andaz. Not sure where I'd stay next time. It would probably come down to price.

ldsant

Not sure why the snarkiness here. . .but I think that many people have explained how the service at this hotel is sub-par. Makes many Hyatt Places look like Ritz-Carlton. What the *scratching the head* moment is about is the fact that Andaz WeHo is fabulously wonderful

itsaboutthejourney

Sure a little snAArky, but cellis does make a valid point about price vs value vs expectations. We all have different formulas for calculating. All of these issues sound fixable and I look forward to making my Andaz SD ressie soon!

peteropny

We need to keep in mind that this property recently changed from an Independent to an Andaz - and often times it takes a while for the "culture" to finally take hold. Andaz WeHo has come a long way from when they reopened a little over a year ago (the day after our Hyatt FT Do last April - one of the "hosts" tried to claim that they weren't part of Hyatt - nothing can top that in my book) - even today while I had a very nice stay last time, people still report inconsistencies in service.

JFKSFOLAX_friend

Well, I think there is a difference between culture and service. I can assure you...the issues I experienced had nothing to do with culture. They were service issues. Same with the newsapaper delivery issues noted above. Those aren't culture issues, they are clearly service issues. Asking a guest at check-in which paper they want delivered in the morning and then not delivering ANY paper isn't due to a culture misconnect.

skywalkerLAX

I went to SD not because I had alot to do there but just for the purpose of trying the Andaz. If it would be about a great price/value I would have stayed at the Mission Bay in the first place. This was to discover something new. And boy, we did.

Am I understanding you correctly that you compare standards of an airport hotel to this particular property just through the price you pay ? Then you have some things to learn about the industry. There is no excuse, the service has been sub par. Hyatt themselves set these expectations with implementing the Andaz brandmark as hip, prestigious and glamourous comparable to "W". But every "W" I have been to (and these were many) were perfectly managed and the staff in all departments have been wonderful.

The mentioned double charges hit my account today and were in no way reversed. After a pointed email to the manager on duty I recieved a call from the GM today. I tried to be constructive in my critic but it really seems like he is the only person with full service Hyatt experience at that place. I'm wondering how and when they will balance the debit out.

skywalkerLAX

I never said that but at least they have some staff that could bring a little service mentality into the team. If you read my reviews of the Andaz WeHo you will find my many critics of that property as well. I have to admit that the WeHo is roughly the same though considering they now had about a year to warm up and got stuck somewhere on the way.

cellis

i spent a night at this hotel about 2 years ago - so I can't personally vouch for its current operations... but I can certainly say that the physcial facilites are certainly higher than what I'd expect from a property offering that price/promotional benefit ratio. the nightclub vibe was just a bit of a bonus. it certainly exceeded any W living room / hotel club I've visited.

so were the comments a bit snaarky... sure, I admit to that. sorry. i'm blaming the latte from the new coffeehouse by the office.

this whole thread seemed a bit similar to the experiences/conversation that was had about the hotel victor a few months back. (ie a property built to be occupied at $400+/nt that is drawing nowhere near that today)

what I trying to get at is - hotels are in business to make money, and service deos cost money. that (and physical facilities) is what seperates the four points from the ritz.

double billing is certainly unacceptable, and a lack of response from accounting certainly takes that to another level. as for newspaper delivery and hazelnut ice cream... i'll stand by my possibly snaarky views.

as for andaz in general, the facilites seem nice - but the service is apologetic... and i've come to expect that as part of the brand culture. (at least based on a few stays at two different locations)

from what i've read in all of the review threads that experience seems to be the norm. again, andaz is no park hyatt. get used to it.

FD1971

Exactly, except that some staff members at W Hotels think that they are actually way too important to work in the service industry…

No, despite the rate differences, you can expect certain brands to have the same quality worldwide. Do you expect a Starbuck’s coffee to taste different, because you buy it at two different locations charging different prices? Do you expect an Audi to be different, only because they charge 25-30 % less in some markets ?

As pointed by out skywalker, if you decide to become a Hyatt Andaz, you are subject to certain standards which should not be different, if you are in town on a Thursday during a convention paying $ 499 or the next day, when they charge $ 99

Again, no.

When Starwood dreamed up W hotels, they had figured out that the average age of their premium/luxury brands customer is relatively high and that there is also a clientel looking for a more vibrant and upscale way of lodging, actually a growing niche serviced by many independent, often smaller boutique hotels, so Starwood mass-marketed and franchised the concept.

The same is true for Hyatt, the age of the average Park Hyatt guest is higher than 52, IIRC, so Andaz tries to appeal to customers with the same purchasing power, albeit 20-30 years younger, probably still demanding an almost perfect hotel, but different service features.

As pointed out by some posters already and supported by myself a few times, Andaz so far is not really competing. When the Andaz Liverpool Street Station opened, they were almost perfectly in line with the defined brand standards, unfortunately since then, they plummeted and the other new hotels are also way below the anticipated level of service.

Difficult to go ahead now, but Hyatt should either reposition the brand based on the current average rates or try to stick to the original game plan offering really upscale, urban lodging. The current approach ‘kind of minibar light, but still free and/or not free anymore but full - we do not need a reception, cause tablets will rule the planet anyway - our people are beautiful but grossly incompetent’ is not really generating any loyalty.

Threads like this one are a perfect exception of failed expectation management…, because of a mixture of poorly trained employees who do not understand the essence of the brand ( or maybe the whole service/lodging industry )

Once again and my recommendation for most US Hyatt properties, pick any three guys from the Park Zurich and let them takeover any US Hyatt. After a couple of months and several training sessions, the customer satisfaction ratings will skyrocket.

JFKSFOLAX_friend

Yes, hotels are a business. Yes, service does cost money.

But, no one stuck a gun to the hotel management's head forcing them to offer low rates and bonus points. HOTEL MANAGEMENT chooses the rates it offers...guests don't.

Properties must offer a service level consistent with the requirements of the brand. Four Points must offer a bottle of water, free internet, coffee, etc. regardless of the rate because those are brand standards.

If the brand requires morning paper delivery (or the front desk personnel ask at check-in which paper a guest would like), HOTEL MANAGEMENT must consider this when crafting its rate plans. Hotel Management must look at the brand standards and come up with rate plans whereby it can make money.

This is a hotel management issue. Don't blame the customer because he/she books a low rate.

ERQTraveler

Yes - the point is not the newspaper or ice cream. The point is the service issue. If you say a newspaper is going to be delivered and go so far as to ask which newspaper you would like, then deliver the paper! If hazelnut ice cream is described as part of the desert, then it should come with the desert! Do what you offer/promise and be consistent!

I would not have made such a big deal had I not received conflicting messages/promises from the front desk. I am more than able to get a newspaper from the front desk or the local stand if needed.

Overall when you add all the minor issues together, they become one large issue for the hotel. Andaz is not a Park Hyatt, but it is a service-related business.

ERQ

astan100

Just a few additions from my recent stay:

1) I was on the highest floor and there was definitely quite a bit of music from the club in there. I can sleep through just about anything, so it didn't bother me, but for people who come from quieter suburban homes, this might not be acceptable and I would consider asking for a lower floor or a room that doesn't face the side of the street where people trying to get into the club line up. this was on a Thursday (because San Diego is a rockin' kind of city)

2) The self serve wine bar there is incredible and a great way to burn some stay credits if you run out of ideas. They have some REALLY high end wines you can sample with 1.5 oz tastings. They have a Sauternes dessert wine from 2002 that costs 20 dollars for a tasting. Retail price on that thing is like 220 bucks for a 375 ml bottle, so the outrageous fee isn't really that far off. A lot of their selection comes from Italy and France too (Bordeaux, Burgandy etc) so it's a great spot for wine snobs with stay credit to burn.

3) They denied me late checkout. I got noon I think because they said they were full the next night. I didn't push the issue, but watch out...they don't seem to care too much about that particular elite amenity.

4) Points obviously posted wrong, but that's not an Andaz specific thing

5) Breakfast can be ordered to the room as a diamond amentity, but the service charge associated will still be charged to you. The food was good and arrived on time though.

Overall service seemed pretty decent other than the understaffed at the front desk thing everyone else complained about. The staff was quite nice though and even let me borrow a phone charger from the lost and found when I forgot mine.

As a final note, make sure to eat the cheese bread stick things at the front desk. If they have them that day, they are delicious.

JFKSFOLAX_friend

Regarding point number one, when I asked if a lower floor would be better due to the club on the roof, I was told that there is also a club in the basement so noise would still be an issue on lower floors.

Regarding point number two, I was also told that I could order breakfast via room service. However, the front desk did not warn me about the service charge still be in effect. That's fine. I love room service breakfast. I was just surprised to see the charge. Again, not a big deal, but the front desk should say "it's free, aside from the usual service charges."