TheTakeOffRush

Lawyering up seems straightforwardish (if maybe overkill and certainly expensive). But unless you're a celebrity, how much traction is likely via social media?

whimike

The photo is perfectly clear and the gray bar with elevator button is clearly visible and what I was referring to. If your camera is able to see this why aren't you? Why do you need to feel around for the button?

BrightlyBob

Utterly awful situation. I'd pack and leave for another hotel keeping all my receipts and picking it up with IHG on my return. It doesn't cost much to sue in the small claims court for any claim under $5k or go to arbitration. You should easily win, although be careful of hyperbole such as the feeling around for the lift button, it's a big hole. In my view that picture speaks for itself, no need to add the descriptive eggs! Good luck...

HHonors OUTSIDER

This my point also. It appears that on the button side of the wall it is a construction zone. If it's not a construction zone then move the wall to the right of button. It is not reasonable to ask anyone to put their arm through a hole in the wall into a construction zone for any reason.

Eastbay1K

Completely reasonable, plus a bucket of points after the fact.

But those suggesting lawsuits ... c'mon, the OP booked a hotel room at a modest property and got less than (s)he expected. A lot less. But it isn't like (s)he booked a luxury resort and was imprisoned in bed-less jail.

submonte

OP arrived night time, or? The photos are next morning - daylight. It was dark when he arrived. I think he saw nothing but a construction zone in the dark. I would have felt faint if this would have happened to me.

This is a scandal. Incredible what things are possible.

Jon Maiman

Even if the OP used hyerbole in describing the elevator call button, they didn't in the description of the overall situation. It is unconscionable that neither the property itself nor IHG gave him any advance notice and didn't proactively offer alternative accommodations. One of the reasons people book stays with major hotel chains is for the consistency and knowing what to expect. The property and IHG didn't not live up to their responsibility to the OP for this stay. Hopefully they will retroactively make it right in the long run.

I do agree with Eastbay1K that suggesting a lawsuit seems excessive. Paying for airmotive's stay at an alternate non-IHG property in the same area comparable to what a typical HIX should be or better and giving a very large amount of points for the inconvenience and lack of good faith does seem to be in order.

--Jon

airmotive

OP here. (A 'he' by the way, plus my wife who is here on a conference. I'm a tagalong, but had the misfortune of setting up the accommodations and flights for this trip).

About the photo of the button....
You'll notice it's taken at rather odd angle, and about 20 feet away from the elevator doors. That's so you can see the button inside. Pushing the button is a tactile exercise (unless you have 20' long, oddly angled arms). I'm pretty good at it now. But I did indeed arrive at the hotel around midnight, and the construction crews were gone and the lights dutifully turned off on that side of the wall that separated the construction zone from the guests. Yesterday, the construction crews boxed in the button and put a small light in the box. Originally, you were just reaching through the wall into the actual construction zone. But tons of dust and noise came through the holes, so now they've built a box around it.

A few more twists...

When I booked this room back in November when it was being marketed as a Holiday Inn Express on IHG's website, I booked it at $195 a night.
Now that IHG has "walked back" their claims, of this being a HIX, the price is 120/nt. It's being marketed as an "Independent ODL". I checked today and they've even dropped that moniker and just have a picture of a building with $117/nt.

I spoke with Ambassador customer relations yesterday afternoon while having lunch downtown. She had never heard of a hotel being listed an 'Independent'. She also noticed I was paying a higher daily rate than what was listed as the highest rate for any room, even though I had a standard room. (I wasn't upgraded because the staff didn't know what Spire was. They assumed it was the bottom tier with IHG. They've received no training whatsoever)
She seemed pretty aghast at the whole situation. She called the hotel and they agreed to reduce the rest of my stay to $129, but the manager would have to adjust the previous two nights from $195 back down to the lower price.

I got back to the hotel and spoke with the duty manager, who said he was not able to reduce the rates on the previous two nights. I gave him my business card with my cell, and ask to have the manager call me.

That was yesterday at noon.

It's about 9AM here now. Never heard from anyone at the hotel. I'm checking out this morning and moving to the Hilton where my wife's conference is being held. I was originally booked here for a week...but I'm done.
Last night I also submitted my status match application to Hilton HHonors.

Spire Ambassador swings Diamond over there I think.

Often1

First, hiring a lawyer is not worth it. Even if you get 100% of what you paid for the week, that is not going to cover much of a lawyer's time. So, forget that. You likely won't do much worse in SCC if you ever did go that route on your own.

Second, don't get bogged down in silly details such as the elevator button (7 posts to my count). The point is that the property and the rate were not as advertised.

Third, if the rate adjustment was satisfactory, that is the end of it. If the local manager did not get the rate adjusted as promised, simply dispute the rate difference for the two nights with a specific reference in the dispute to the # and name of your Ambassador and the verbal commitment. Don't make any reference to the local guy.

For the future - Do some research. Needless to say, not every property is a dump. But, if you don't travel to a location often, you do need to check places other than the property's own website. Given the rate you had originally booked for Honolulu @ January, that should set off alarm bells.

submonte

The Hilton Hawaiian Village? Saw it some nights ago on TV when I could not sleep - in Hawai-Five-0. There was a scene playing in a suite in the Ali´i boutique tower. I liked what I saw. This off-topic

HHonors OUTSIDER

Thanks for the update OP. We don't care that you overpaid for a dump and you will be living in the dog house when you get home because of your booking errors. We need updated pics of the new elevator push button box set up including the small light before you leave the property today. Thanks again OP.

airmotive

(This got a lot longer than I intended, but I'm setting here waiting to check into my room at the Hilton. So it got wordy. My apologies.)

Yeah, a lawyer was never in the cards for me. That was other folks chiming in.
The button wasn't a big deal to me, but was a good example of just how "under construction" the property is. Some folks seemed to latch onto it and play flyertalk's favorite pass-time: Attack the OP. I figured it was worth a response...so now there's 8 posts about the button.

Your last paragraph is actually what I'd like to respond to, because it makes a good point yet also serves as a caveat....

For perspective, here's my background.
My job takes me on 2-3 trips per month, almost all last-minute, and about half internationally. I could be in Dubai this week, Wichita next week, Dhaka the week after. When traveling last-minute to places such as Kiunga, New Guinea or Urumqi, China, I always manage to make a little time to vet where I'll be staying rather carefully. But even then, I've been stuck in the elevator for hours in the Port Moresby (New Guinea) Crowne Plaza, and had gunfire by the pool at the InterContinental Tamanaco in Caracas. Both events, while surprising, were nonetheless "within reason" for their particular location.

But by in large, the beauty of Holiday Inn Express is its homology. No matter where you go, it will be AT LEAST.....(fill in all those little things that every HIX has. Breakfast, newspapers, shampoo, ironing board, etc, etc). It's the McDonalds of hotels. There are differences on the menus at different stores, but no matter where you go, there will be french fries.

And so it was when I selected this HIX in November. The photos on IHG's website showed a palm-lined building with the familiar Blue and Green HIX sign above the modern entry-way. The property's description said the hotel was "Newly Renovated" (past tense). I've stayed at newly renovated HIX hotels before. I even took part in a soft-opening brand new HIX near my home. In both cases, there were hitches that needed to be handled, but they were easily handled. All met at least the minimum of what you would expect to find at a HIX. "There were french fries", so to speak.

But here's the catch. That Blue and Green HIX sign on this hotel's photo on IHG's website? It doesn't exist. Actually, after closer inspection, the entire photo is CGI!

When venturing into a side-street cafe in Calcutta for the first time, you need to be on your toes a bit. But booking a Holiday Inn Express in Waikiki shouldn't require the same degree of vigilance. That's the attraction of HIX (and McDonalds); it's not supposed to require a great deal of vigilance on the buyer's part.

So IHG has walked back their claim of this being a HIX. They've also walked back the price.

SanDiego1K

Personally, I'd want the entire stay comped. It's absolutely unacceptable what happened. You've lost precious days of vacation time at a property that was advertised to be something completely different than it is. I would be livid that I stayed somewhere that was completely unacceptable from a cleanliness, size, comfort standpoint.

whimike

+ 1

It is as simple as OP didn't get what he paid for, to me that is grounds for a complete refund.

Friendly Traveling Deathmerchant

I'm usually a Hilton pointslut, but just booked this hotel for tomorrow the 23rd. And NOW I come looking at Flyertalk for reviews.

Is there something huge going on in HNL right now? All the Hiltons were booked up for point stays and no availability for almost all but one Embassy Suites at a pretty high price.

After making a reservation, I noticed the non-standard feel and called the front desk. The description on Holiday Inn's site says "We're gonna have a free breakfast buffet and some amenities... sometime soon." I asked the front desk person if the breakfast was in play yet, and she said no. I asked if they were doing anything for guests in this interim time, and she sounded like "No... why would anyone care about that?" (When the Hilton Garden Inn restaurant was under construction, they sent guests vouchers for Duke's breakfast buffet).


Hmm.

Well.

I have until 4pm tomorrow to cancel, so I'll keep eyes open if there's any Hilton cancellations that pop up.

The parking IS ten bucks cheaper than most of the other Waikiki properties in the area at least. I saw a review on TA that said it was a small garage that you had to hunt for parking though.

Double Hmmmmm.

Anyway, if I do wind up there, I'll be sure to follow up with humorous tales of woe or otherwise.



TDM