shawneve

Does anyone have email address of a guest relations manager (or GM)
I am planning a family vacation next summer and will be booking two rooms (5 of us)
I am contacting my preferred hotels to see if they will grant lounge access for all of us.
I'm LTPP and my wife is Gold so hopefully they are generous.

Happy

Seriously doubt they would give you excess lounge access with the price they charge for access on additional guest outside entitlement (whether by elite benefits or by paying Club Room rate).

Elite in the room, Elite + 1 guest. No elite in the room, pay access. You do know Gold in the new program does not have any meaningful benefits in terms of lounge / breakfast, right? So split the bookings would not help.

It does not matter whether you are LTPP or just PP / P. LT does not seem to play a role at that property.

We spent 5 days just a week ago. They are very formal with printed sheet for "Club Guests" on what you are entitled - that is for those who PAY for the Club Room. We were given this sheet even though our room was booked with points and I am PP. Because Elite benefits go by the same terms and conditions for Club Access. Right by the Club door on the wall, there is a permanent notice on how to upgrade to gain Club Access. I cannot remember the rate now but it definitely is not trivial amount... With the evening lounge offering, (raw oysters and King prawn every evening), no way they would give you free access for additional guests.

AUD15 is accessed per guest per day if you want full buffet breakfast at Feast at 1st floor (nothing to write home about but more comfortable seating for eating than at the lounge and a cook to handle egg dish request as well as noodle request). It is also among the Welcome Amenity options for Plat Premier that you can choose from. Elite + 1 guest. Make sure the front desk marked the folio if you choose this Welcome Amenity, so there will not be any surprise later.

Given the hotel is owned by Chinese Insurance company (and flies its flag alongside of the Sheraton flag), I doubt the GM would go outside the norm to give you much extra as the Club Access is not cheap and you are asking for 3 additional guests.

Happy

The name has formally changed on the wall facing the main entrance. Lounge access benefit though, remains the same as the Sheraton's, at least that was during our 5 nights stay a week ago. They honored all the Marriott elites benefits according to the rules - the Welcome Amenities incl options of points, stuffed animals, and upgraded to buffet breakfast downstairs that normally is AUD15 per person per day - so I guess this is considered the F&B option in the Welcome Amenity options.

shawneve

I guess this falls under 'it doesn't hurt to ask'
I reached out to the guest relations manager at St Pancras and was given Chambers Club access for everyone for 5 days.
I am also going to be using SNAs on one of the rooms. (the one I won't be in) therefore if it clears to an upgraded room that includes access,that could be another avenue.
Is late August a busy time in Sydney?

m0hamed

Under SPG you could upgrade a room to a club room for 1,500 points. You could also get breakfast downstairs if the lounge was busy or you asked the staff nicely who give vouchers.

Happy

Certainly does not hurt to ask. Just that this property is owned by mainland Chinese company so the way they handle things would be quite different from Western companies.

Late August is end of Winter in Sydney. No idea whether it would be busy of not as we normally either be in late May/early June (for the Vivid Sydney festival) or in Summer time. Both times hotels are in high occupancies.

btonkid12345

I think it hurts to ask. And it's not like you are asking for 1 extra person - you are asking for 3 extras! They are running a business after all, and not a charity.

Have I received club access on a 2nd room booked under my name? Sure. But it's always been done at the Front Desk, and with the property offering it to both of my rooms without asking. I certainly was prepared not to receive it because the Elite benefits are clear, and the difference in price, were they to charge me, wouldn't be large enough to deny friends/family lounge access. Always went back to/promoted these properties that went above and beyond.

Asking in advance though? For an exception larger than the number of guests entitled to lounge access on the original room? Wow. This is why elite members get a bad wrap - because a Manager would look at that request and say, this person is LTPP, so they know the rules, and can certainly afford the additional lounge access if they've stayed 500+ nights with the chain - so why grant it? Especially this far in advance? It would almost come across as holding them hostage, saying either give me this freebie, or I won't stay with you.

Maybe some Managers would just feel bad for the guest who would even have to waste an email in advance to ask (lounge access has never been a make or break for my hotel choice) and just do it because the cost isn't coming out of their own pocket.

Finally, late August is a very busy time at this Sheraton. I was there this past August and in chatting with the Lounge Manager, was told they have 50-75 Platinum guests who stay there nightly.

Happy

Good point.

I too, believe asking for 3 additional free access is over the top. It is not like to check in advance if it is possible to accommodate one extra person in a 2 guests room with a cost or could be complementary because of the real need and a real factor to determine which hotel to book.

2 out of 5 evenings in the middle of the stay the lounge were very busy, there were small wait for guests who came around 6 to 6:30. While other evenings the lounge was 70 to 80% full but no wait.

I imagine Summer time is the least busy time due to business world slows down and families travels abound - school holidays start from 2nd week of November thru out the East Coast cities IIRC. Being a prominent hotel in Sydney CBD would get less guests during Summer time due to slow down business activities.

m0hamed

This couldn't be more wrong. The hotel is often at 100% from Nov through to Feb (including Lunar New Year) and then March for Mardi Gras.

And why are people writing essays on the merits of asking? It's up to the poster. It really doesn't affect you.

Happy

Front desk told me Vivid Sydney time was one of their busiest periods when hotel solidly booked to capacity the 3 weeks from late May to Mid June. That is outside the periods you mentioned.

In short, the hotel is very popular year round.

m0hamed

I was responding to your false post that Summer isn't busy. But it appears you have a need to feel that you're right, even when giving wrong information.

Adding a separate data point doesn't support your earlier comment.

shawneve

Contacted in-house reservations and they offered connecting rooms and lounge access for everyone. However they want $110 AUD / night for the extra bed. My guess is that it normally doesn't cost that much and they are recouping the cost of offering the lounge access.

rick253

I think you should be pleased that they have given you lounge access for 5 people. As for your comment regarding the extra bed, AUD110 is the standard charge at this hotel. So I think your comment re recoupment is invalid.

Happy

My post about Summer may be the less busy time is just my assumption, as I said "I IMAGINE", never mean it to be a fact or anything like that. Just to make it clear to everybody.
It is an ASSUMPTION, not an information. I cannot control how you interpret the correct meaning of "imagine" though.

Because the periods you said would be very busy, plus the Vivid Sydney time, I came to the conclusion the hotel is very popular year round - that may not be too far from the truth.

Since you brought out an accusation, we might as well to set records straight.

For the records, hotel was busy but definitely not near100% occupancy in November, judging by the FACT that they opened up award bookings for the whole month of November. It was only available for the Fri to Sun thru Nov when I was checking the whole time between Sept and Oct. Then I found the whole Nov was opened up. I changed my booking when we were already on the road, about 3 weeks before arrival. I believe hotel would not open up reward nights rather close to arrival time if it is near 100% full, because there is no longer SPG program rule but Marriott's.

Furthermore they were able to put us in a corner room at check in (no pre-arrival email ever came thanks to the mess of merger. I had no opp nor need to contact hotel before arrival.) I specifically asked about Front Desk what was the occupancy and she said about 85%, even there was a conference in the form of incentive trip meeting of some sort by an international insurance company's Greater China region being held at the hotel at that time. On the TV program there were 2 big messages from the 2 top regional Chinese execs addressed to the attendees of the incentive trip for good wishes etc that constantly rotated among the program selection. The hotel was definitely NOT your affirmation 100% booked in November. Then we chatted about the Vivid Time and she said it usually was booked solid those 3 weeks.

We checked in just before 4pm, there was NO other guest around. We had lots of chitchat, were shown the stuffed animals and had some jokes, spent well over 15min at the front desk - NOT any guest came to check in, during this allegedly near 100% occupancy time that you were so affirmative,

Talk about wrong information one gives.

m0hamed

Your anecdotes are only factual to yourself.