Being "walked" from a Four Seasons
Feb 24, 2019, 4:55 pm
#46
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: LIT
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My wife and I are staying at this property in two weeks- We did book through FS on a “third night free” promotion. If we are walked, I will demand the nearby STR or there will be a chargeback issued.
This is unacceptable for a five-star hotel- plain and simple. Getting walked happens, but the service recovery is beyond poor.
This is unacceptable for a five-star hotel- plain and simple. Getting walked happens, but the service recovery is beyond poor.
Feb 24, 2019, 5:08 pm
#47
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Join Date: May 1998
Location: Palo Alto, CA, USA
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My wife and I are staying at this property in two weeks- We did book through FS on a “third night free” promotion. If we are walked, I will demand the nearby STR or there will be a chargeback issued.
This is unacceptable for a five-star hotel- plain and simple. Getting walked happens, but the service recovery is beyond poor.
This is unacceptable for a five-star hotel- plain and simple. Getting walked happens, but the service recovery is beyond poor.
Feb 24, 2019, 6:05 pm
#48
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 1,656
Wrote an email to corporate and sent the same letter via twitter, got a call from a manager at the Four Seasons Mexico City earlier today but a resolution is still pending. Not sure if the call was prompted by these or by my TA review. Will keep everyone updated.
Last edited by FAA1996; Feb 24, 2019 at 7:17 pm
Feb 24, 2019, 6:07 pm
#49
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From "a manager"? I thought you had dealt with the GM upon your return to the Four Seasons after the first night.
Feb 24, 2019, 7:14 pm
#50
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Join Date: Aug 2010
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We were walked by a "Front Desk Assistant Manager", dealt with a "Hotel Manager" upon our return, and got a room service amenity from a/the "General Manager". Reading this from their business cards and message card from the amenity. The call today came from the "Hotel Manager" I have not had any contact with the "General Manager" except the card in our room.
Feb 24, 2019, 7:19 pm
#51
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We were walked by a "Front Desk Assistant Manager", dealt with a "Hotel Manager" upon our return, and got a room service amenity from a/the "General Manager". Reading this from their business cards and message card from the amenity. The call today came from the "Hotel Manager".
Feb 24, 2019, 7:51 pm
#52
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Once a few years back I had a situation at the FS Philadelphia (a total power outage that was pre-scheduled but not mentioned until I checked in). At check out, I complained, and all I got was a "sorry, thoughts and prayers" kind of thing. Wrote a letter to Kathleen Taylor (then CEO) and it all rolled downhill from there. Got a letter from one of her minions with an upgrade certificate plus a full refund of my stay at the FS. So escalation seems to be the best option here.
Feb 25, 2019, 1:44 am
#53
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Europe
Posts: 2,598
Once a few years back I had a situation at the FS Philadelphia (a total power outage that was pre-scheduled but not mentioned until I checked in). At check out, I complained, and all I got was a "sorry, thoughts and prayers" kind of thing. Wrote a letter to Kathleen Taylor (then CEO) and it all rolled downhill from there. Got a letter from one of her minions with an upgrade certificate plus a full refund of my stay at the FS. So escalation seems to be the best option here.
Feb 25, 2019, 2:11 am
#54
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FS has been very good at recovery in my experience. We had a lot of dining issues at one a couple of years ago (restaurant was already closed for renovations, chef then quit leading to 1 hour wait times for whatever you ordered, served in a meeting room). GM called me personally after I complained and comped the whole stay, including all meals, spa treatments, horse riding and 3 nights in a suite.
Turned up at FS Hampshire recently to find the pool unexpectedly out of action and got a 25% discount on our suite as compensation.
Turned up at FS Hampshire recently to find the pool unexpectedly out of action and got a 25% discount on our suite as compensation.
Feb 25, 2019, 2:33 am
#55
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FS has been very good at recovery in my experience. We had a lot of dining issues at one a couple of years ago (restaurant was already closed for renovations, chef then quit leading to 1 hour wait times for whatever you ordered, served in a meeting room). GM called me personally after I complained and comped the whole stay, including all meals, spa treatments, horse riding and 3 nights in a suite.
Turned up at FS Hampshire recently to find the pool unexpectedly out of action and got a 25% discount on our suite as compensation.
Turned up at FS Hampshire recently to find the pool unexpectedly out of action and got a 25% discount on our suite as compensation.
Last edited by Aventine; Feb 25, 2019 at 2:39 am
Feb 25, 2019, 3:01 am
#56
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,225
I spoke to the night manager when we checked in, his first offar was to put us in the Marquis Reforma for all 4 nights as he said it was a similar property. He walked us over and I told him it was ridiculous he thought we would be mollified with getting that property while we had paid for the 4S. At this point they agreed to move us back for our last 3 nights and provide a good will gesture for our troubles but I also asked for a refund for the difference in price for the first night.
the second day when we moved over, the GM, or acting GM came out and told us that a dinner would be what's they could offer and nothing else. That's when I wrote my travel agency AAVacations and requested the difference in price from them. They apologized and looked in to it, but then came back and said that the 4S gave them this reply: "compensation offered of dinner Sunday night for everyone including margaritas. Carelli also expressed they had given you transportation to and from the resort as well and felt the property is the same quality as their resort so they are not offering any additional compensation for your stay." We dont reLly drink, so the margaritas are irrelevant, also the "transportation to and from the resort" they gave us was to the other hotel and back for us and our bags. I find it funny that management itself thinks both properties are of the same quality, yet the 4S can charge 2x the price for it.
the second day when we moved over, the GM, or acting GM came out and told us that a dinner would be what's they could offer and nothing else. That's when I wrote my travel agency AAVacations and requested the difference in price from them. They apologized and looked in to it, but then came back and said that the 4S gave them this reply: "compensation offered of dinner Sunday night for everyone including margaritas. Carelli also expressed they had given you transportation to and from the resort as well and felt the property is the same quality as their resort so they are not offering any additional compensation for your stay." We dont reLly drink, so the margaritas are irrelevant, also the "transportation to and from the resort" they gave us was to the other hotel and back for us and our bags. I find it funny that management itself thinks both properties are of the same quality, yet the 4S can charge 2x the price for it.
Feb 25, 2019, 3:48 am
#57
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https://press.fourseasons.com/mexico/hotel-team/ian-ciappara.html
Feb 25, 2019, 4:26 am
#58
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,225
Some are just lost causes and that's what this Mexico City case sounds like. The GM is an outside hire and it's his first FS hotel! Explains many things about how this escalated and wasn't immediately nipped in the butt.
https://press.fourseasons.com/mexico...-ciappara.html
https://press.fourseasons.com/mexico...-ciappara.html
Feb 25, 2019, 6:31 am
#59
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I'm sorry to hear that you had such a bad experience. From what you've explained the GM's response was poor. Regardless of which channel you make your reservation when you book to stay at a Four Seasons you expect them to take care of you and it really doesn't sound like they did. Did you give them a specific suggestion of where you would like to be re-accommodated other than the Marquis Reforma? I'm trying to ascertain whether they offered the Marquis Reforma you instead asked for the St Regis and they turned down that request. I would certainly take it up with corporate and the General Manager of the property. Hotels sometimes think that they can offer you poor service recovery whilst on property and if you don't walk that means you accepted it as recompense - it absolutely does not. I would not bother to take it up with your travel agent as they will have limited scope to resolve the issue. Take it up with Four Seasons Corporate who will be able to do a lot more for you. Last summer I had a very poor stay at a well known property in London. They did not offer any rate reduction despite all the issues and so once I checked out I took it up with the GM directly. Sure enough they refunded our entire stay without quibble. Sometimes it's a question of spelling out exactly what you expect. The best GMs are proactive, others are not and you need to be assertive.
Feb 25, 2019, 6:31 am
#60
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Industry standard (at least in the U.S.) in a "walk" situation is for the hotel to pay for the first night. Guests pay nothing. They return to the original hotel for successive nights and are upgraded and given an apology letter from the GM with room service amenities.
Four Seasons is a U.S. chain, so they should follow a similar procedure. I suspect they didn't want to go through the hassle of refunding the money, partly because it was a package and they're not supposed to reveal the rate.
HOWEVER--they could easily have offered you the equivalent in points of a free night at the Four Seasons for each of your room. They should have given you that PLUS the free meals.
Definitely raise a stink with corporate and anyone else who will listen.
Four Seasons is a U.S. chain, so they should follow a similar procedure. I suspect they didn't want to go through the hassle of refunding the money, partly because it was a package and they're not supposed to reveal the rate.
HOWEVER--they could easily have offered you the equivalent in points of a free night at the Four Seasons for each of your room. They should have given you that PLUS the free meals.
Definitely raise a stink with corporate and anyone else who will listen.
Industry standards: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/18/b...ng-travel.html