Serious Privacy violation at Grand Hyatt Jakarta - What to do?
Mar 19, 2019, 6:28 pm
#46
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,992
I'm a bit confused by this...
If you have had previous issues at this hotel with the same person(s), why then, when you checked in did you not confirm that your status would be listed as "private" etc..?
Surly common sense would have been to speak with the manager on duty at check in, or even the GM, and confirm that they are aware of the situation in order that they can take the necessary steps.
Yes the hotel was wrong in giving out for your details, but in such a situation you need to share some responsibility. I am surprised that someone who travels as much as you, who has had this issue in the past is not more switched on.
If you have had previous issues at this hotel with the same person(s), why then, when you checked in did you not confirm that your status would be listed as "private" etc..?
Surly common sense would have been to speak with the manager on duty at check in, or even the GM, and confirm that they are aware of the situation in order that they can take the necessary steps.
Yes the hotel was wrong in giving out for your details, but in such a situation you need to share some responsibility. I am surprised that someone who travels as much as you, who has had this issue in the past is not more switched on.
Mar 19, 2019, 7:25 pm
#47
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 107
The hotel may have tried to reply ambiguously but politely, eg 'we'll pass along any message' which does not mean there was anyone to pass it to. Your stalker was just lucky.
if you can afford it hire a security firm to watch your back, not just at hotel but everywhere.
if you can afford it hire a security firm to watch your back, not just at hotel but everywhere.
Mar 19, 2019, 7:26 pm
#48
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 107
There was an event in Jakarta on the day this occured which anyone who knows me even moderately well could have guess I would be attending. Unfortunately that's not something I can easily change due to the nature of the events.
Mar 19, 2019, 7:28 pm
#49
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 107
So, to be clear, your plan is to switch 85-100 nights of your business per year if you don't get compensated for one hotel's poor process, but if you get compensated a certain number of points as part of an apology, you're going to go back to that hotel? This seems bizarre to me. I wish you the best of luck, but if this were really as important to me as you're saying it is to you, no amount of compensation would convince me to stay at the GH Jakarta when there are dozens of other hotels available, even if the GH is convenient.
Right now it's looking like escalate to corp, hopefully get some kind of apologize or comp to use at a different Hyatt property, and avoid GHJ in the future. Alternatively research status matches and switch brand loyalties.
Mar 19, 2019, 7:29 pm
#50
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 107
I'm a bit confused by this...
If you have had previous issues at this hotel with the same person(s), why then, when you checked in did you not confirm that your status would be listed as "private" etc..?
Surly common sense would have been to speak with the manager on duty at check in, or even the GM, and confirm that they are aware of the situation in order that they can take the necessary steps.
Yes the hotel was wrong in giving out for your details, but in such a situation you need to share some responsibility. I am surprised that someone who travels as much as you, who has had this issue in the past is not more switched on.
If you have had previous issues at this hotel with the same person(s), why then, when you checked in did you not confirm that your status would be listed as "private" etc..?
Surly common sense would have been to speak with the manager on duty at check in, or even the GM, and confirm that they are aware of the situation in order that they can take the necessary steps.
Yes the hotel was wrong in giving out for your details, but in such a situation you need to share some responsibility. I am surprised that someone who travels as much as you, who has had this issue in the past is not more switched on.
Mar 19, 2019, 7:29 pm
#51
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 1,676
Hello all,
I've had an incident at the Grand Hyatt Jakarta and the hotel staff seem uncaring or a bit oblivious to the seriousness of this. So, I'm hoping I can get some advice from this group as to how I should escalate this. I'm a Globalist member, and I've stayed at this hotel either using cash or points at least 10-15 nights a year for the past three years.
During my last stay, a troublesome person I wish to avoid called the hotel at about 2am to enquire if I had checked in. The hotel confirmed when I arrived, and when I was checking out. This caused a significant amount of hassle for me which I won't get into. Suffice to say, my evening and remainder of stay there was ruined.
Now, I could understand "these things happen", except this is the second time it did happen. The same issue occured in December of 2017. At the time, the hotel manager assured me I would permanently be marked as "private/incognito" so that no one could ever call up to enquire about my status. Obviously this did not happen, or their process failed.
I raised my concern to the front desk staff, and they attempted to act concerned but obviously did not understand the significance of why this was a problem. I asked to speak with management, but only had contact back from another local manager in the hotel. I was offered 20% off of a night's stay in the future. Ha? Honestly, I'm not sure what I should expect or ask for, but this seems almost pathetically considering nightly room rate is sometimes as low as $135 USD.
Any advice or suggestions how or who i should escalate this issue to? I'm a globalist, so not sure if there is a special method there. A free night may be nice, but honestly I would rather be somehow convinced something is being done so this doesn't happen again.
And please. Let's not derail the thread with speculation about who or what this troublesome person is all about. It's probably not what you think, and it's not significant to my point. But yes, it did literally cause me to lose sleep, drastically change my agenda, and cause significant stress the next few days.
I've had an incident at the Grand Hyatt Jakarta and the hotel staff seem uncaring or a bit oblivious to the seriousness of this. So, I'm hoping I can get some advice from this group as to how I should escalate this. I'm a Globalist member, and I've stayed at this hotel either using cash or points at least 10-15 nights a year for the past three years.
During my last stay, a troublesome person I wish to avoid called the hotel at about 2am to enquire if I had checked in. The hotel confirmed when I arrived, and when I was checking out. This caused a significant amount of hassle for me which I won't get into. Suffice to say, my evening and remainder of stay there was ruined.
Now, I could understand "these things happen", except this is the second time it did happen. The same issue occured in December of 2017. At the time, the hotel manager assured me I would permanently be marked as "private/incognito" so that no one could ever call up to enquire about my status. Obviously this did not happen, or their process failed.
I raised my concern to the front desk staff, and they attempted to act concerned but obviously did not understand the significance of why this was a problem. I asked to speak with management, but only had contact back from another local manager in the hotel. I was offered 20% off of a night's stay in the future. Ha? Honestly, I'm not sure what I should expect or ask for, but this seems almost pathetically considering nightly room rate is sometimes as low as $135 USD.
Any advice or suggestions how or who i should escalate this issue to? I'm a globalist, so not sure if there is a special method there. A free night may be nice, but honestly I would rather be somehow convinced something is being done so this doesn't happen again.
And please. Let's not derail the thread with speculation about who or what this troublesome person is all about. It's probably not what you think, and it's not significant to my point. But yes, it did literally cause me to lose sleep, drastically change my agenda, and cause significant stress the next few days.
While I sympathise with your issue, I would say that it is a difficult situation for the staff. That they know you are staying there suggests they know you reasonably well. I can imagine a scenario where this person calls the front desk and says "Is Mr/Mrs X there now?"; the front desk robot says "I can't disclose that information"; person says "I am the wife/brother/ etc and need to talk to them urgently"; what are the staff to do. They will be stuck. They should just stick to the line "I'm afraid I can't assist you", but they probably would say "please hold on while i consult with my manager" and hey presto your stay is leaked.
Mar 19, 2019, 7:30 pm
#52
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 107
Years ago, when the Hyatt on the Bund in Shanghai first opened, I stayed there because it was convenient for my work concerns in that immediate area. At that time, and for a period of about 1.5 years, I had to do some quite confidential work/visits into Shanghai. I ended up staying at HOTB at least on a monthly basis for that 18-month period. During my second stay there, I already let the hotel know that I did not wish to receive any calls, I did not want any caller to know whether I was staying there, etc., etc. In short, the Reception, Operators, and any front line staff were not to acknowledge whether I was at this hotel or not.
The staff at HOTB did their job to perfection. Not once did any of the staff divulge my presence at the hotel. For the first half dozen stays, I even got an associate of mine to call the hotel while I was there to get the hotel staff to put the call through to me or to confirm my check in situation. No information given by the hotel during these tests. And for a few times that I was not even at the hotel, I got my associate to call and check anyway, and the staff gave the similar confidential response.
When my particular work ended, I did not stay at HOTB anymore for a few years. On one occasion after those years, I had the chance to stay there again. I was waiting for a friend to call me in my room to go to dinner, and that call never came. Eventually, my friend called my mobile to inquire where I was because the hotel could not find me as a hotel guest. I had completely forgotten about the confidential status of my stays, and after the few years of absence, the hotel still flagged my stays as such.
The staff at HOTB did their job to perfection. Not once did any of the staff divulge my presence at the hotel. For the first half dozen stays, I even got an associate of mine to call the hotel while I was there to get the hotel staff to put the call through to me or to confirm my check in situation. No information given by the hotel during these tests. And for a few times that I was not even at the hotel, I got my associate to call and check anyway, and the staff gave the similar confidential response.
When my particular work ended, I did not stay at HOTB anymore for a few years. On one occasion after those years, I had the chance to stay there again. I was waiting for a friend to call me in my room to go to dinner, and that call never came. Eventually, my friend called my mobile to inquire where I was because the hotel could not find me as a hotel guest. I had completely forgotten about the confidential status of my stays, and after the few years of absence, the hotel still flagged my stays as such.
Mar 19, 2019, 7:38 pm
#53
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 107
Indeed --- how did they know you were in that hotel in the first place? Sounds like you have a leak somewhere else.
While I sympathise with your issue, I would say that it is a difficult situation for the staff. That they know you are staying there suggests they know you reasonably well. I can imagine a scenario where this person calls the front desk and says "Is Mr/Mrs X there now?"; the front desk robot says "I can't disclose that information"; person says "I am the wife/brother/ etc and need to talk to them urgently"; what are the staff to do. They will be stuck. They should just stick to the line "I'm afraid I can't assist you", but they probably would say "please hold on while i consult with my manager" and hey presto your stay is leaked.
While I sympathise with your issue, I would say that it is a difficult situation for the staff. That they know you are staying there suggests they know you reasonably well. I can imagine a scenario where this person calls the front desk and says "Is Mr/Mrs X there now?"; the front desk robot says "I can't disclose that information"; person says "I am the wife/brother/ etc and need to talk to them urgently"; what are the staff to do. They will be stuck. They should just stick to the line "I'm afraid I can't assist you", but they probably would say "please hold on while i consult with my manager" and hey presto your stay is leaked.
As mentioned above, there was an event in Jakarta that anyone who knows me moderately well could easily assume I would be attending. I can't change that.
My opinion is hotel staff should never divulge by name, but instead if someone calls that person should have to ask for a specific room number. In this age of emails, sms, whatsapp, and ubiquitous international roaming and wifi, how many people would actually have to call a hotel on a land line to find you? Anyone close should be in contact some other way.
Mar 19, 2019, 7:44 pm
#54
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,992
Yes, I did have an issue on a previous visit (15 months prior) but I did exactly what you said. I have an email "confirmation" from the manager at that time that I would perpetually in the future be marked private and the details of my stay kept private. Somehow that process failed, which is why I'm complaining.
Mar 19, 2019, 7:47 pm
#55
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 1,676
As mentioned above, there was an event in Jakarta that anyone who knows me moderately well could easily assume I would be attending. I can't change that.
My opinion is hotel staff should never divulge by name, but instead if someone calls that person should have to ask for a specific room number. In this age of emails, sms, whatsapp, and ubiquitous international roaming and wifi, how many people would actually have to call a hotel on a land line to find you? Anyone close should be in contact some other way.
My opinion is hotel staff should never divulge by name, but instead if someone calls that person should have to ask for a specific room number. In this age of emails, sms, whatsapp, and ubiquitous international roaming and wifi, how many people would actually have to call a hotel on a land line to find you? Anyone close should be in contact some other way.
I'm not taking away from the fact you actually requested that you be uncontactable. I was just saying it can be difficult on front desk staff, if the caller pulls the "I am the relative" trick followed up by the "I am good friends with the manager", it puts a lot of pressure on very low paid staff.
In any case, I hope this gets resolved to your satisfaction going forward.
Mar 19, 2019, 8:30 pm
#57
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: LAS ORD
Programs: AA Pro (mostly B6) OZ♦ (flying BR/UA), BA Silver Hyatt LT, Wynn Black, Cosmo Plat, Mlife Noir
Posts: 5,992
I can imagine a scenario where this person calls the front desk and says "Is Mr/Mrs X there now?"; the front desk robot says "I can't disclose that information"; person says "I am the wife/brother/ etc and need to talk to them urgently"; what are the staff to do. They will be stuck.
Mar 19, 2019, 11:18 pm
#58
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Wellington
Programs: AirNZ Airpoints Elite
Posts: 121
With all due respect, on a serious matter like this why are you making flyertalk your place of complaint or advice seeking?
If as appears you are a VIP or known person why don’t you just escalate it with Hotel chain management or local management?
If as appears you are a VIP or known person why don’t you just escalate it with Hotel chain management or local management?
Mar 20, 2019, 12:11 am
#59
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 107
I'm not a VIP, just a frequent traveler with status at a chain. Did you read my post? I'm not complaining here so much as asking other similar frequent travelers what their expectations are about situations like this. I did complain to the hotel, and was wondering if my expectations were too high. Judging by most replies, they're not too high and I am right to be upset by this.
Mar 20, 2019, 4:41 am
#60
Join Date: Jul 2015
Programs: HH Diamond, HGVC, WN RR, National Exec, Avis Preferred
Posts: 1,055
Rules keep honest people honest. Devious people will find away around them. I think you need to come up with a better strategy than relying on a FD agent who may or may not be aware of your situation, let alone handle it effectively.