homemadeCheeseoneverything

On March 1st I had a night stay setup and my assistant went to check me in for me. I often do hotel runs and like to build up points and stays. They charged my credit card for the night but they do not want to give me a stay credit or my points. I send an email to the GM requesting his involvement into the matter. He was busy so he offered to meet me on a friday instead. I am here now at the Aloft Bangkok and the front desk manager clarified that he will not credit my stay. I asked the front desk manager if he could send me an email in writing. Here is a copy and paste of the email.
__________________________________________________ ________

Dear ****************,

Regret to inform you that as per the SPG terms and conditions as attached as in www.spg.com/t&c, you may earn starpoints on eligible room charges for up to three (3) rooms per stay provided and stay in one of the rooms.

As the period as informed, you did not physically stay at the Aloft Bangkok - Sukhumvit 11, therefore, your stay was not eligible to be credited as stated as attached terms and conditions.

Thank you very much for your understanding,

Live Life Aloft!

********** *********** (Mr.)
Front Office Manager l Aloft Bangkok - Sukhumvit
35 Sukhumvit Soi 11
Sukhumvit Rd., Bangkok 10110
Tel +66 (0) 2207 7000 ext 5400 Fax +66 (0) 2 207 7059
Direct +66 (0) 2 207 7095
alofthotels.com/bangkoksukhumvit11 - a new tWistSM in travel
__________________________________________________ ___________


I paid for the room and booked the room doing a mattress run. Honestly the Front Office Manager showed no interest in talking to me to resolve the issue. This property is for party and a cheap stay for now. I also did a mattress stay checking in on the 6th and checking out on the 7th with no one staying in the room. He explained that he will not credit me that stay as well. I find this to be really unfair and I find that they are being unreasonable.


FTer's, I understand that there are terms and conditions, but I have never had issues with getting stay credit when the mattress runs before.

The front desk manager was being being polite about everything, but he knew that he was screwing me so to me it's similar to being spit on.

I sure others had great stays here at this property, but the platinum treatment is very poor here. I explained to the front desk manager that I will do my best to voice my opinion on this property and do whatever I can to warn family, friends, work, and groups I belong with to not stay at this property. I myself don't believe what they are doing is right. I was nothing but up front and honest with the staff here at this property and asked before hand when I first checked in to this property on my first stay that I might not be able to come and check in. I also informed that that I would be sending my assistant to check me in. The front desk said it was fine and also this front office manager said it was fine when he called me to confirm the credit card charge when I couldn't make it to check out the other times when my assistant came to check me in. I feel cheated because these were mattress runs and I got confirmations that it was ok if it was alright for my assistant to check me in since I am busy and often ill to travel too much from liver and kidney failure.

I encourage platinums to avoid this category one hotel Aloft and instead stay at any other property like the Grande Sheraton instead with excellent platinum recognition.

My assistant noticed a camera crew recording for Aloft purposes without asking our consent. The front desk manager said they did not record, but we insisted that they prove it. We found that they did record us. I don't want my face promoting this Aloft. I'm surprised they lied about it instead of saying that they would delete it.

yosithezet

If you were not present either at check-in or check-out then you won't get credit. Seems pretty clear and fair. Nothing new or unusual unless I'm missing something.

As for Plat recognition, I think they are providing what a Plat should expect at any Aloft, no?

homemadeCheeseoneverything

Your missing the fact that I confirmed it was alright for my assistant to check in for me to get credit,

If you read my posting, I mentioned that I asked them if it was alright if my assistant checked in for me for the stay credit during my very first check in. I was told that it was alright. Now they will not give me the stay credit. I find that to be deceitful. I also did confirm for my stay on the 6th if its alright for me not to come to check out and get the stay credit. I was told yes by the a female night duty manager. So I don't see how this would be tolerable behavior.

Keyser

sorry homemadecheeseoneverything but the t&c are extremely clear here....if you don't stay then you don't get credit....doesn't matter what the property says....i also find it hard to believe that the property will agree to give you credit in such a situation....

on another note, you keep saying that you told the property your assistant would be checking in on your behalf....did you also tell them that you won't be staying at the property????

homemadeCheeseoneverything

Yes I mentioned that and I also offered to come by at night when I spoke to the night manager on duty. She said that it was not necessary for me to come because of my health condition. She confirmed that it will be alright. I again offered if I should still go to make sure, and she confirmed that it was alright not to come but instead come the next day which I am doing now waiting here. The thing was is that I also did pop in a few times the day of check in or the day of checking out so I did technically stay at the property.

There's nothing in the T&C stating that I have to sleep in the bed.

This is about the property management saying one thing and doing another.

yosithezet

In Bali my friend checked in and when I arrived I swapped her credit card with mine. You need to show up and make them aware you are staying in the room. So either at check-in, check-out or sometime during the stay you need to present yourself and make sure you are registered as a guest in the room. I don't think they were being deceitful. I think they just assumed a second shoe would drop where you would show up and make them aware you were staying at the property.

"That's the game, yo." -- Bodie

homemadeCheeseoneverything

I have spoken with the GM and we had a very productive chat. I'm glad I spoke with him in regards to the issues I mentioned earlier on this forum. . He mentioned that he will speak with the staff in regards to misinforming me about the stay credit.

homemadeCheeseoneverything

By definition they told me something that was not true and I ended up losing a stay because of it.

homemadeCheeseoneverything

I do have a confusion on what a stay is. The GM explained that you must stay the night in the room to qualify for a stay. I asked what the situation would be if someone partied all night and didn't spend the night and had to check out by the time he got back to the hotel. In that situation it is considered a stay and he mentioned again that the reason there was an issue with me was that my assistant checked in for me using his passport.

I'm just trying to clarify. What is considered a stay?

Dr. HFH

I would have guessed that you must be physically present either to check in or check out. Both isn't necessary, but neither is unacceptable. What's the difference between what you did and my having a friend who lives in another city check in "for me" there in a room which I reserved in my name? I don't see the difference, and the latter is clearly not entitled to credit. At the end of 2009, during the double stay/night promotion, I used to go to a local Aloft, check in, then leave. I got all my credit; but I was physically there to check in. I think that's the difference.

Keyser

a stay is where you check in yourself, pay for the room yourself & preferably check out yourself....

yosithezet

The key here is that you never registered as the primary guest in the room. That can be done at check-in, check-out or some other time during the stay if you cannot be present during those two events.

Kalboz

So, in a nut shell, this property (GM) does not allow a phantom stays. Fair enough ... thanks for the warning!

phlashba

Sorry, but I don't have any sympathy when the T&Cs are very clear that you must be present at some point during the stay --- otherwise it is not a "stay".
This is really not complicated.

cur

Oh god, not another one of these posts.

Someone tries to game the system, the system follows the T&C thereby hindering the person from gaming it, then that person joins FT with the sole intent of broadcasting his imagined injustice. Without doing anything productive for the community, he then proposes that everyone should join him in his preposterous boycott.

Asia SPG hotels are great to platinums, please don't ruin the goodwill of hotels for the rest of us whom actually physically check into hotels that we want to earn credit for.

..and btw, of course you would find the "platinum treatment" to be "poor". Not only did they follow the T&C to your dismay, IT'S AN ALOFT!!!! CHEAP! 30-60% CHEAPER THAN FULL SERVICE SPGS! GREAT BASIC ROOM! NO UPGRADES AS PER THE T&C! Not that the T&C matters much to you.

"Similar to being spit on"? Good lord.