ABG

The insanity of providing continental breakfast under FHR as per their contractual agreement? Maybe I missed something.

The purpose of programs like FSPP is to drive business away from FHR and programs like FHR, including Virtuoso.

bhrubin

I couldn't disagree more. If hotels wanted to drive business away from FHR, then they could offer the same type of benefits for all reservations. Pushing FSPP simple replaces FHR with Virtuoso.

Whenever I book on my own at such properties, I always ask for the same guaranteed FHR/Virtuoso benefits (or more)...and I always get them.

ABG

Maybe its the Brunello, but I think I am missing something bhrubin....my query is that I have trouble understanding how someone can be disappointed about the value of the FHR continental breakfast at a Four Seasons hotel, especially when you are acutely aware of a superior way to secure your booking which will solve the "breakfast issue".

I have no doubt as an SPG Plat you have wonderful arrangements on a Global basis in the whole *Wood/Marriott world. I'm specifically curious about this FS London Hotel.

bhrubin

I'm not sure what's confusing? I'm not taking about SPG hotels. When we stay at Aman or FS or Pen or other luxury boutique hotels offering FHR or Virtuoso benefits, I always negotiate those for myself without needing a TA. I often can negotiate even better benefits if it's low or shoulder season. For hotels that don't offer such benefits, I've usually been able to negotiate comparable benefits, regardless.

This is running off topic from my original criticism of this FS London for offering a pitiful continental breakfast benefit requiring a $10 upcharge for a full breakfast. It's FS being cheap and stupid IMO, since they can and should offer full breakfast benefit anyway. I stand by my criticism. That isn't "great service" by FS no matter how anyone slices it IMO.

Aventine

Yes, they should be giving a proper English breakfast!

RichardInSF

Room lifts are found in at least three different locations, for a total of four lifts. Today, at least two of the lifts (the ones they told me to use when checking in) were both out of order. No one appears to be working on fixing them.

Yesterday, the jacuzzi ("relaxation pool") broke while I was using it, all the jets turned off. They said that engineering would be called.

Today I can definitely hear construction sounds.

It's 2pm and my room has not yet been made up (they appeared at 3:15pm).

They forgot to deliver the newspaper I requested (the Telegraph) and offered me a Daily Mail instead.

This hotel is clearly not ready for prime time.

scented

Have you spoken to Charlie about these issues or anyone else from management?If not, please do. Hope the rest of your trip will be smoother.

Aventine

How hard is it to get a widely distributed domestic daily...

That's pretty bad.

RichardInSF

You talked me into it (it didn't take much). I don't know who Charlie is but I asked for the GM's office and got a female's voice mail so left a message. I do not have high hopes. Nothing huge has gone wrong but so many smaller things that the lack of concern must extend to the top.

hannisen

Good to hear nothing major has gone wrong, but it kinda sounds like a death by a thousand cuts scenario... Not as serious as dying of course, but when too many small things go wrong I find it can almost be more annoying than when one major thing happens (unless that major thing is really major). Also harder to ask for / get compensation for small things.

scented

Hope they will turn your experience around... I would be very surprised if Charlie Parker, the hotel's GM, wouldn't contact you. He is usually exemplary.

The things you have described should not happen at this stage of their opening. It isn't exactly soft opening anymore and they should know better, or at least, care! You're the guest!

Aventine

Four Seasons prides itself on getting all the details right. I hope the property comes through for RichardSF!

MacMyDay

Not in my experience. I was hoping to go back to Ten Trinity a few weeks ago now that their suites are open, but after my rather eventful opening night experience, they have refused to honour their own agreement and to upgrade me to one from an Executive (i.e. the one category down from a suite). They offered an upgrade from Superior to Executive, which I said wasn't what we agreed and wasn't what I wanted. Their counter offer was to offer free breakfast if I booked a suite. I mentioned I could get that for free with any FHR/Virtuoso/FSPP booking, plus they'd have to pay 10-15% commission, and I'd get other benefits too. So they just retracted the offer and went back to the original offer. I refer this to my own business, where a client would complain; it would be like me offering them £200 compensation, only for them to say it's not enough, so I offer them £70 compensation or something that is in fact worthless, for them to say it's even worse, and then go back to the original offer.

At FS Prague they never even responded to our feedback.

We're heading to FS Florence next week and if things are similar to Ten Trinity and Prague, I won't ever go to another FS again.

chinmoylad

Have you spoken to the GMs at respective properties?

Aventine

I guess I've been lucky with Lubosh in Seoul and Jose in Paris. Hope next week goes better for you Macmyday. I gave up on FS HK because they also made me an offer of something pretty much worthless! "hey we moved you so you should pay for the night (despite sewage smells, musical hotel rooms and a spider web)". I paid but I'll never go back. That place can sleep with the fishes.