St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort [Master Thread]
Aug 17, 2021, 11:06 am
#4396
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 655
I'm sorry to hear of your predicament and am not impressed with the way Marriott or the hotel is handling this.
I'm guessing you already checked what is currently available to book with points so you can see if canceling your reservation and rebooking is worth it.
According to the pricing and number of points needed for a beach villa it is actually an upgrade over a regular (sunrise) OWV. According to the hotel the order is: GV > OWV > BV > SUNSET OWV > STR OWV and then 2 bedroom villas. So they probably meant to tell you that they can give you a 1 level upgrade to BV but not further to a Sunset OWV (which I'm not condoning and think they should definitely give you a an ambassador).
You should tell Marriott to at least give you back/downgrade you to the OWV originally booked. Then I would reach out directly to the hotel and talk to them about complimentary upgrade as an Ambassador.
Another thought I had was that if Ambassador upgraded you to BV maybe first try asking the hotel directly for complimentary 1 level upgrade to the Sunset OWV?
Hope you can work things out.
I'm guessing you already checked what is currently available to book with points so you can see if canceling your reservation and rebooking is worth it.
According to the pricing and number of points needed for a beach villa it is actually an upgrade over a regular (sunrise) OWV. According to the hotel the order is: GV > OWV > BV > SUNSET OWV > STR OWV and then 2 bedroom villas. So they probably meant to tell you that they can give you a 1 level upgrade to BV but not further to a Sunset OWV (which I'm not condoning and think they should definitely give you a an ambassador).
You should tell Marriott to at least give you back/downgrade you to the OWV originally booked. Then I would reach out directly to the hotel and talk to them about complimentary upgrade as an Ambassador.
Another thought I had was that if Ambassador upgraded you to BV maybe first try asking the hotel directly for complimentary 1 level upgrade to the Sunset OWV?
Hope you can work things out.
Aug 17, 2021, 5:10 pm
#4398
Join Date: Aug 2021
Programs: United / Marriott
Posts: 4
I'm sorry to hear of your predicament and am not impressed with the way Marriott or the hotel is handling this.
I'm guessing you already checked what is currently available to book with points so you can see if canceling your reservation and rebooking is worth it.
According to the pricing and number of points needed for a beach villa it is actually an upgrade over a regular (sunrise) OWV. According to the hotel the order is: GV > OWV > BV > SUNSET OWV > STR OWV and then 2 bedroom villas. So they probably meant to tell you that they can give you a 1 level upgrade to BV but not further to a Sunset OWV (which I'm not condoning and think they should definitely give you a an ambassador).
You should tell Marriott to at least give you back/downgrade you to the OWV originally booked. Then I would reach out directly to the hotel and talk to them about complimentary upgrade as an Ambassador.
Another thought I had was that if Ambassador upgraded you to BV maybe first try asking the hotel directly for complimentary 1 level upgrade to the Sunset OWV?
Hope you can work things out.
I'm guessing you already checked what is currently available to book with points so you can see if canceling your reservation and rebooking is worth it.
According to the pricing and number of points needed for a beach villa it is actually an upgrade over a regular (sunrise) OWV. According to the hotel the order is: GV > OWV > BV > SUNSET OWV > STR OWV and then 2 bedroom villas. So they probably meant to tell you that they can give you a 1 level upgrade to BV but not further to a Sunset OWV (which I'm not condoning and think they should definitely give you a an ambassador).
You should tell Marriott to at least give you back/downgrade you to the OWV originally booked. Then I would reach out directly to the hotel and talk to them about complimentary upgrade as an Ambassador.
Another thought I had was that if Ambassador upgraded you to BV maybe first try asking the hotel directly for complimentary 1 level upgrade to the Sunset OWV?
Hope you can work things out.
I registered an account solely to comment on this... I just had the SAME problem as a Platinum Elite. I'm leaving in a few weeks checking in Aug 30.
I booked a SUNSET OWV on points. When they deducted my points they downgraded me to a standard OWV. No email, no call, nothing.
I have an email in to St Regis and an open ticket with Marriott to find out what happened. Good news is.. I have an email from marriott + st regis confirming my stay in a sunset OWV.
Aug 17, 2021, 5:12 pm
#4399
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 221
I registered an account solely to comment on this... I just had the SAME problem as a Platinum Elite. I'm leaving in a few weeks checking in Aug 30.
I booked a SUNSET OWV on points. When they deducted my points they downgraded me to a standard OWV. No email, no call, nothing.
I have an email in to St Regis and an open ticket with Marriott to find out what happened. Good news is.. I have an email from marriott + st regis confirming my stay in a sunset OWV.
I booked a SUNSET OWV on points. When they deducted my points they downgraded me to a standard OWV. No email, no call, nothing.
I have an email in to St Regis and an open ticket with Marriott to find out what happened. Good news is.. I have an email from marriott + st regis confirming my stay in a sunset OWV.
keep us posted on how it goes please
Aug 17, 2021, 7:24 pm
#4400
Join Date: Nov 2007
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy Platinum, Hilton Honors Diamond, Delta Gold
Posts: 4,351
I registered an account solely to comment on this... I just had the SAME problem as a Platinum Elite. I'm leaving in a few weeks checking in Aug 30.
I booked a SUNSET OWV on points. When they deducted my points they downgraded me to a standard OWV. No email, no call, nothing.
I have an email in to St Regis and an open ticket with Marriott to find out what happened. Good news is.. I have an email from marriott + st regis confirming my stay in a sunset OWV.
I booked a SUNSET OWV on points. When they deducted my points they downgraded me to a standard OWV. No email, no call, nothing.
I have an email in to St Regis and an open ticket with Marriott to find out what happened. Good news is.. I have an email from marriott + st regis confirming my stay in a sunset OWV.
You were outright downgraded from sunset to sunrise which is worse and should obviously be corrected.
How many points did you book the Sunset OWV for? Was that the amount of points deducted from your account?
Aug 17, 2021, 9:07 pm
#4401
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 655
It's not exactly the same issue. OP booked a standard (sunrise) OWV and wanted to upgrade to a sunset one but Marriott said they can only give him a 1 category upgrade to a beach villa (which to him was a downgrade because he preferred an OWV; see my post to see the order in which this property considers their villas for upgrades).
You were outright downgraded from sunset to sunrise which is worse and should obviously be corrected.
How many points did you book the Sunset OWV for? Was that the amount of points deducted from your account?
You were outright downgraded from sunset to sunrise which is worse and should obviously be corrected.
How many points did you book the Sunset OWV for? Was that the amount of points deducted from your account?
anyway long story short I think I talked to enough managers of managers and now am getting some traction to get my initial room back, but certainly hasn’t been easy.
Aug 18, 2021, 7:03 am
#4402
Join Date: Nov 2007
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy Platinum, Hilton Honors Diamond, Delta Gold
Posts: 4,351
Thinm it’s actually the same issue. I booked a standard overwater villa and when they took the points (after I asked to see if I could upgrade to a sunset villa like I’ve done before at the resort for a nominal fee) they ended up downgrading to a garden villa (because there “was no more overwater villas available” when the points were taken despite them still selling them for $ and me having one confined) and then after I complained said they’d give me a beach villa to make up for it (which still didn’t quite make up for it).
anyway long story short I think I talked to enough managers of managers and now am getting some traction to get my initial room back, but certainly hasn’t been easy.
anyway long story short I think I talked to enough managers of managers and now am getting some traction to get my initial room back, but certainly hasn’t been easy.
Aug 18, 2021, 9:59 am
#4403
Join Date: Aug 2021
Programs: United / Marriott
Posts: 4
Update #1
Not good news. I received an email from St Regis that I was indeed downgraded. St Regis claimed that my reservation was a "Point's Advance" reservation. They suggested that because of this, they didn't guarantee my room. By the time my points were deducted... Sunset overwater was "fully booked". As a result, they moved me to a normal OWV. No email, no call, nothing. I found out by logging into my Bonvoy.
Here's what I said back:
1. This wasn't a points advance. At the time of booking I had over 1.1m points in my balance. This booking was ~600k. Even if it were some sort of an advance (which i've never heard of), I read the fine print on this and nowhere does it say anything about their ability to downgrade my room. It ONLY states that the amount of points used may increase or decrease in alignment with the points deduction. I even provided screenshots showing the banner I received upon booking... and noted that I read all of the fine print.
2. On June 2nd, I received confirmation of my room selection as Sunset Overwater in writing. I took a screenshot of the email for them and shared it.
3. On August 3rrd, I received a re-confirmation of my room selection as Sunset Overwater in writing. Same thing, took a screenshot and shared the email.
Overall, I'm very disappointed as I very specifically chose the Sunset category. I escalated this to the GM... I'm giving them an opportunity to make it right... then I'll weigh my options.
Stay tuned.
Not good news. I received an email from St Regis that I was indeed downgraded. St Regis claimed that my reservation was a "Point's Advance" reservation. They suggested that because of this, they didn't guarantee my room. By the time my points were deducted... Sunset overwater was "fully booked". As a result, they moved me to a normal OWV. No email, no call, nothing. I found out by logging into my Bonvoy.
Here's what I said back:
1. This wasn't a points advance. At the time of booking I had over 1.1m points in my balance. This booking was ~600k. Even if it were some sort of an advance (which i've never heard of), I read the fine print on this and nowhere does it say anything about their ability to downgrade my room. It ONLY states that the amount of points used may increase or decrease in alignment with the points deduction. I even provided screenshots showing the banner I received upon booking... and noted that I read all of the fine print.
2. On June 2nd, I received confirmation of my room selection as Sunset Overwater in writing. I took a screenshot of the email for them and shared it.
3. On August 3rrd, I received a re-confirmation of my room selection as Sunset Overwater in writing. Same thing, took a screenshot and shared the email.
Overall, I'm very disappointed as I very specifically chose the Sunset category. I escalated this to the GM... I'm giving them an opportunity to make it right... then I'll weigh my options.
Stay tuned.
Aug 19, 2021, 7:11 am
#4404
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 655
Update #1
Not good news. I received an email from St Regis that I was indeed downgraded. St Regis claimed that my reservation was a "Point's Advance" reservation. They suggested that because of this, they didn't guarantee my room. By the time my points were deducted... Sunset overwater was "fully booked". As a result, they moved me to a normal OWV. No email, no call, nothing. I found out by logging into my Bonvoy.
Here's what I said back:
1. This wasn't a points advance. At the time of booking I had over 1.1m points in my balance. This booking was ~600k. Even if it were some sort of an advance (which i've never heard of), I read the fine print on this and nowhere does it say anything about their ability to downgrade my room. It ONLY states that the amount of points used may increase or decrease in alignment with the points deduction. I even provided screenshots showing the banner I received upon booking... and noted that I read all of the fine print.
2. On June 2nd, I received confirmation of my room selection as Sunset Overwater in writing. I took a screenshot of the email for them and shared it.
3. On August 3rrd, I received a re-confirmation of my room selection as Sunset Overwater in writing. Same thing, took a screenshot and shared the email.
Overall, I'm very disappointed as I very specifically chose the Sunset category. I escalated this to the GM... I'm giving them an opportunity to make it right... then I'll weigh my options.
Stay tuned.
Not good news. I received an email from St Regis that I was indeed downgraded. St Regis claimed that my reservation was a "Point's Advance" reservation. They suggested that because of this, they didn't guarantee my room. By the time my points were deducted... Sunset overwater was "fully booked". As a result, they moved me to a normal OWV. No email, no call, nothing. I found out by logging into my Bonvoy.
Here's what I said back:
1. This wasn't a points advance. At the time of booking I had over 1.1m points in my balance. This booking was ~600k. Even if it were some sort of an advance (which i've never heard of), I read the fine print on this and nowhere does it say anything about their ability to downgrade my room. It ONLY states that the amount of points used may increase or decrease in alignment with the points deduction. I even provided screenshots showing the banner I received upon booking... and noted that I read all of the fine print.
2. On June 2nd, I received confirmation of my room selection as Sunset Overwater in writing. I took a screenshot of the email for them and shared it.
3. On August 3rrd, I received a re-confirmation of my room selection as Sunset Overwater in writing. Same thing, took a screenshot and shared the email.
Overall, I'm very disappointed as I very specifically chose the Sunset category. I escalated this to the GM... I'm giving them an opportunity to make it right... then I'll weigh my options.
Stay tuned.
Aug 19, 2021, 9:29 am
#4406
Join Date: Aug 2021
Programs: United / Marriott
Posts: 4
Update:
Something is clearly wrong with points booking and I can't tell if its just this resort. I spoke to Bonvoy yesterday, they can see that my room was changed... and they said it looks like it was "done from the internet"... meaning me. Clearly, this was not the case.
I ended up asking the Bonvoy rep to upgrade me to a Sr. Regis Suite using my own points. She did... and even that modification appeared on her side as if I made the change from an internet browser. She agreed something was clearly wrong and a case was opened.
Local St. Regis got back to me. They basically stated that they do not know why it was a "points advance" reservation and to their knowledge... the way it works is that if points are not deducted, Marriott deducts points and books a room based on availability when I'm 14 days away from my stay. In this case, sunsets were sold out when they deducted my points and they placed my into a OWV. Being that Sunset is sold out there doesn't seem to be anything that they can do to put me into the originally booked category. All this said, they're doing a few things to make up for the inconvenience.
Unfortunate experience so far but it is what it is.
Something is clearly wrong with points booking and I can't tell if its just this resort. I spoke to Bonvoy yesterday, they can see that my room was changed... and they said it looks like it was "done from the internet"... meaning me. Clearly, this was not the case.
I ended up asking the Bonvoy rep to upgrade me to a Sr. Regis Suite using my own points. She did... and even that modification appeared on her side as if I made the change from an internet browser. She agreed something was clearly wrong and a case was opened.
Local St. Regis got back to me. They basically stated that they do not know why it was a "points advance" reservation and to their knowledge... the way it works is that if points are not deducted, Marriott deducts points and books a room based on availability when I'm 14 days away from my stay. In this case, sunsets were sold out when they deducted my points and they placed my into a OWV. Being that Sunset is sold out there doesn't seem to be anything that they can do to put me into the originally booked category. All this said, they're doing a few things to make up for the inconvenience.
Unfortunate experience so far but it is what it is.
Aug 19, 2021, 9:44 am
#4407
Join Date: Nov 2007
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy Platinum, Hilton Honors Diamond, Delta Gold
Posts: 4,351
Pool and deck are bigger too. Deck didn't matter much (had a cabana which I believe regular doesn't) but the larger pool was nice. By water, if you mean the ocean water then it depends which you get - sunrise or sunset ones the water is similar to neighboring villas, and the ones at the top (I think north facing) I read that sometimes the water can be more rough. Otherwise, I don't believe there's much of a difference in the water between STR and regular villas.
Aug 23, 2021, 12:29 am
#4408
Join Date: Aug 2021
Posts: 10
Hi All.. I have a reservation in the month of Sep. I have been trying to reach the hotel ppl to check on a few things. I had emailed them at the non-reservation email id about 4 days back but haven’t gotten any reply yet inspite of a followup. Do they actually take this long to get back?
I have also tried calling them up at their contact number (+960 676 6333) but I’m getting the number is not available
. Any other way to reach them??
I have also tried calling them up at their contact number (+960 676 6333) but I’m getting the number is not available
. Any other way to reach them??
Aug 23, 2021, 12:37 am
#4409
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: KSA
Programs: Marriott AMB, Skywards Gold
Posts: 3,737
Hi All.. I have a reservation in the month of Sep. I have been trying to reach the hotel ppl to check on a few things. I had emailed them at the non-reservation email id about 4 days back but haven’t gotten any reply yet inspite of a followup. Do they actually take this long to get back?
I have also tried calling them up at their contact number (+960 676 6333) but I’m getting the number is not available. Any other way to reach them??
I have also tried calling them up at their contact number (+960 676 6333) but I’m getting the number is not available
. Any other way to reach them??the email is [email protected]
Aug 23, 2021, 1:50 am
#4410
Join Date: Aug 2021
Posts: 10
Usually they will reach out 2 to 3 days after the reservation made as they need to collect information regarding the seaplane transfer, etc.
the email is [email protected]
the email is [email protected]
I reached out to them regarding a Covid protocol related query - if tourists with Covid recovery within last 3 months are exempt from quarantine in close contact cases (helpful in deciding whether to take insurance). Hopefully the delay is because they are checking with relevant authorities and coming back.