ZenWorld

What is wrong with this hotel?

I am at this hotel right now, and I am experiencing the exact same issues. "Upgraded" to spectacular room (which btw is same size as Wonderful room), and yet Cool Corner Rooms, Studio Suites & Marvelous Suites are all available for sale right now on www.spg.com.

I checked in at almost 6pm, so perhaps they are still trying to "sell" their Suites. Or perhaps the inventory updating is so poor that many categories of room types, they forgot to remove. (I doubt it, and if someone books a Suite now, I wonder what happens. Maybe it will indeed be available.) And since this is a weekday, I would be surprised that the in-house reservation team have "forgotten" to update so many higher category inventories during office hours.

And I too received a pre-placed envelope addressed to my name in the "upgraded" Spectacular Room, exactly suggesting the same thing; they have no intention to honor the SPG Platinum upgrade policy. Naughty? Or blatant disregard of SPG rules?

And with the rest of the Starwood in Bangkok giving complimentary breakfast to Platinums, W Bangkok is the odd one out to insist this as a Platinum amenity.

And the rate of W is almost close to St Regis Bangkok and much more expensive than Sheraton Grande and Westin Bangkok.

TravelinSperry

I don't understand why any flyertalker bothers staying at this property. Scrolling through this thread shows issue after issue. Buyer beware.

remymartin

+1. Too bad, W and Bangkok should belong in the same sentence.

3rdworldresident

still place to avoid for me.

nongsom

If rate of this W not go down to 3xxx thb with BRG it's not worth to stay here
Many bad thing for this property.
-service
-breakfast
-transportation
-plat benefit

Even fourpoint after devaluation of plat benefit still worth more than W.

mario33

Doesn't St Regis do it as well now, and the Aloft right from the beginning ?

And over at Royal Orchid Sheraton, "General" Hardie commands that the proper place for platinums to have their breakfast is in the lounge, even if you are willing to give up your 500 points

yosithezet

Yep. This is a topic where a lot of people have a misperception of what "everyone else" is doing.

Keyser

same here....

TravelinSperry

True, but most of the higher end hotels in BKK offer free breakfast in addition to Plat amenity. Only St Regis and ROS do not.

Le Meridien, Sheraton Grande (Luxury collection), Westin and Plaza Athenee all offer breakfast in addition to Plat amenity.

I don't think 4P and aLoft are competitors to the W (they are a lower price/value brand). In fact, the chain even defines them so by only offering you 250 points rather than 500 for the remainder.

So basically you have 3 (higher end) BKK hotels who take your points and 4 (higher end) who do not. Thus for me, the W (and ROS) are out, always (not solely for breakfast, but because of issues as described in this thread). Only the St Regis rises above it's poor breakfast policy and is worthy of consideration in spite of its shortsighted policy.

Always Flyin

Is this Hardie who used to be at the Westin Bangkok?

If so, I had a discussion with him years ago about free in-room internet access to those staying on the club floors. His response was that I should stay somewhere else if I didn't want to pay for internet.

I was less than impressed.

seanthepilot

It is the same man, indeed. Keith Hardie, General Manager, Royal Orchid Sheraton

Mr Hardie told me that platinums in Bangkok have been spoiled. And he is intent on "aligning" the benefits that the hotels here provide, to match the benefits that American Starwood hotels provide, which is only the platinum benefits described in the program, and nothing more. His quote to me was that the problem was the inconsistency. That I shouldn't be upset for being told that I can't have breakfast downstairs (while I was eating breakfast downstairs), I should be upset because the breakfast that I'd been given for years shouldn't have been given in the first place.

I think that he forgets how many great 5 star hotels he is competing with in Bangkok.

TravelinSperry

What a jerk this Hardie sounds like. just vote with your $'s and never stay at the ROS. I don't

Always Flyin

It is not all negative. He is a hands-on manager and is frequently on the floor and readily available to guests. He is amiable and addresses issues.

His management style, however, is somewhat like Smisek's at United. He gives Platinums (and I assume all guests) what he is obligated to give and no more. The hotel, however, was well managed.

What he was unwilling to do was incur additional costs he didn't need to or cut profit items (e.g., internet costs), even though the direct competition was doing so (at the time, it was the Conrad that had started providing internet for free on the Club level).

For me, the effect was that I stopped staying at the Westin and the Conrad saw more of my business. Was the internet the only reason? No, but it was indicative of why I left.

That's the problem with such management styles. When you cut below what the competition is offering, and prices are similar, a percentage of customers will leave. Based on the posts I am seeing here about the W Bangkok, that seems to be happening there.

AJLondon

I too had a run-in with him at WGS almost ten years ago that left a very very sour taste in the mouth. Incredibly arrogant man. I promised myself never to return at a property where he is the GM. ROS is thus now on my do-not-stay list.

kudroz

deleted