Some experiences as a diamond
 

Last year with the help of some of the people in this forum I achieved the diamond challenge. I am now on a trip through Asia with my daughter and thought i might share a couple of experiences.

Used an upgrade at the Grand Hyatt in Singapore and was given the duplex suite. In the lead up to staying there emailed them asking for a roll away bed. They said yes but I would have to pay for this facility. Indicated my surprise in a return email and said charge was immediately withdrawn. The stay and service in SIngapore was excellent.

Now in Ho Chi Minh city - also requested a rollaway - the identical scenario happened again. End result no charge upgraded to a two room suite. But here's a nice touch - ordered a bucket of ice to the room and after 45 minutes no sign of it. Leaving for dinner bumped into the manager who asked how stay was going - told him great but strange thing about missing ice. We get back from dinner to find said ice bucket with complimentary bottle of Moet and a letter of apology.

Kudos Hyatt - well done.

I am glad you have been well taken care of, but am surprised at your surprise for originally being charged for a roll-away. I would expect to pay for a rollaway.

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There are differences in how the rollaway request is dealt with in the US vs. most of the rest of the world. I would never expect to be charged for the rollaway in the States (and never have been in more than 50 stays) but would have different expectations elsewhere. If the OP's experiences are limited to the US then his/her surprise is understandable.

I would only expect to be charged for a rollaway bed if a third person was using it. If there are only two persons and the hotel cannot provide a suite with twin beds, then one shouldn't be charged.

Huh? Are you saying that in the USA, you would be charged for the third person occupying the room but not explicitly the rollaway? Or that extra people would just be free, regardless of the beds, sheets, etc. being used? IMO there should be a rollaway charge and there should be a charge for additional people as either way it adds to the hotel's costs.

When staying at nice hotels, in most cases I'd expect to be charged for a rollaway bed... and staying as a Diamond at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong in the diplomat suite on a suite award with 3 people (suite only had a king bed), I was charged ~$50/night for the layway bed and extra person's lounge access which I thought was fair.

Agreed but in this case just two of us.

Glad to hear that you're enjoying Diamond, but I have to disagree about the rollaway bed charge. If I booked a room/suite with one king bed for 2 persons and then requested a rollaway bed, I would certainly not be surprised to be charged for it, anywhere in the world. As a Diamond I would also not be too surprised if the said they were waiving the standard charge as a courtesy, but it is certainly not an entitlement.

Of course, if I booked a room with 2 beds and for some reason the hotel could only provide a room with one bed, I would consider any offer of a complimentary rollaway bed to be insufficient.

I agree that there is often separate charges for the 3rd person and for a rollaway bed in rooms that have one king bed or 2 double beds, but in Japan I've seen many hotels that have twin bed rooms include the rollaway bed in the 3rd person charge.

Going by Ryanair's and other budget airlines' business model, then yes there should be a charge for anything extra. However, I would not expect this to be the case in high end hotels when there are only 2 people in the room. What extra costs does it add to the property? The rollaway beds are there anyway and were purchased for when there is a 3rd guest. The laundry charges are going to be the same as in a room with twin beds. The only extra charge I can think of is the manual labor in bringing the bed down from storage which may take 10 minutes, but that hardly justifies the ~£30 charge.

I do agree that a lot of hotels do charge for whenever you request a rollaway bed and for that reason some people are "expecting" it, but why SHOULD there be a charge :confused:.

On the contrary, for me I would expect to pay extra for a rollaway in a non luxury hotel, but if it is a luxury property I would expect the rollaway to be part of the extra charge I am already paying for the third person occupying the suite.

GH Fukuoka has a charge for a rollaway Y6,000 + Y6,000 for 3rd person.
GH Tokyo told me there would be a charge but they never charged me.
PH Tokyo does not have a charge.
I do not know about Hakone or HR Tokyo

I'm sorry, I was speaking generically rather than specifically Hyatt, and also not from personal experience, as it is always just the 2 of us. GH Fukuoka's charge seems outrageous, an extra ¥12,000 for a 3rd person, which would seem to apply to any type of room, either one with one king/queen bed or one with 2 twin beds; might as well get a second room to have the extra bathroom (although we always used the spa bath). There is no way to put 3 persons in either the king rooms or the twin rooms, so there are many hotels in Japan (not limited to Hyatt) that simply have a single charge for the 3rd person rather than the 3rd person + roll-away charge. There are other exceptions, such as the Tokyo Bay Hilton, and other hotels at TDR that have rooms with 4 or even 5 twin beds.

Why not ask for an extra TV or an extra fridge at no extra charge. And I wonder about the slave labor that could set up, make, unmake, and remove a roll-away bed in a total of 10 minutes. Minimum 30 minutes I would say, probably closer to 60 minutes since different departments might be involved. Would YOU do it for £30; I certainly would not.

Still, we're talking about knowingly booking a room with a king bed for 2 persons, when rooms with 2 beds are readily available, and then requesting a roll-away bed for the 2nd person at no charge. I say that without a doubt extra charges are more than reasonable, even if some hotels might waive them for elite members. Just because a guest might experience generosity from some properties does not mean that they are entitled to it at other properties.

Most hotels in Asia have not charged me for a rollaway.
I usually call from the room to request it, not at checkin.

For some reason, housekeeping just brings one in and does not care about notifying the front desk. I guess they really don't get paid whether they deliver the extra bed or not since they are fixed salaried employees. I usually do tip them.