Rolling Stone

That's odd - I was upgraded last night and I'm on the Club Floor. There was no question at all when I checked in.

I suspect there may be more to this story. There have been times that I couldn't be upgraded, but this hotel always seems to be busy and they have told me at check in if they couldn't. They didn't seem to have a problem giving you access to the lounge, so they did acknowledge you as a Platinum. And I've learned a long time ago that just because a large parking lot looks empty it doesn't mean that the few suites and Club floor rooms are also empty.

I concur with the others - ask to speak to the GM and tell him the clerk's name that checked you in.

fly co to see the yanks

i stay there all the time and am always upgraded to a "deluxe" room...not a suite but it's fine for my purposes. the staff there is EXCEEDINGLY friendly (though not the most competent bunch i have run across). but, they definitely try and that matters a lot.

the hotel's GM (mark faubert, i believe...pronounced "faux-bear") is proactive. i am sure a conversation with him would fix the matter. you can also call the front desk and leave him a voicemail.

if a conversation with the GM doesn't fix matters (i would be highly surprised by this result), i would: 1) check-in, 2) go to your un-upgraded room, 3) go onto spg.com to check if there are suites (assuming spg.com is functioning (a big "if")), and 4) call corporate services. that should also fix your problem.

as a side note for people that don't want to use Search, the hotel has a nice gym and the executive club hours are quite impressive. again, every member of the staff is over-the-top friendly. this property has become my hotel of choice in the minneapolis area, although you can't go wrong with the one in minnetonka either.

unfortunately, i have moved much of my september business to hyatt since i got a lame 500 series promotion (double stays...after i already qualified for 2006 platinum).

agrater

I am in exactly the same situation. Starwood should either dangle lifetime status (like Hyatt) or carryover excess nights/stays to the next year (like Hilton, if I recall correctly).

fly co to see the yanks

i actually rarely move business from starwood but FFN is too good to pass up. and, i have so many starwood stays this year...too many, in fact.

all things equal, i prefer starwood. even when all things not equal, i usually pick starwood.

ElmhurstNick

Sounds like a classic time to invoke the Sheraton Service Promise...

high_flyer

I feel for the OP and understand why he/she feels upset. Especially on a Sunday, which sucks to be travelling, but regardless, what Service Promise? Guaranteed upgrades because you walked out into the parking lot and it was empty?

The hotel doesn't guarantee anyone an upgrade regardless of plat status. It's first come, first serve as I understood it?

Maybe a group came in and booked all club level rooms for a convention that came in on bus from the airport and got a great rate?

I don't get the "new rules" statement. Did the OP specifically ask what the new rule was and get it documented?

fly co to see the yanks

there's a real easy way to do some investigation. simply go onto spg.com. if club level rooms/suites (non-select suites) are available for your whole stay, then i would immediately call the platinum concierge.

having stayed at this property extensively over the past few months, i do know that they are packed all the time. and, while the hotel might have been 99% empty on the night you checked in, you have to make sure there are upgraded rooms available for your whole stay. the hotel isn't going to put you in a better room and then ask you to move.

so, yes, the capacity of the parking lot on a particular night is pretty irrelevant.

fenger

Out of the half dozen front desk clerks I've worked with at this property, only one was somewhat incompetent and gave me a lie about room availability out of more than 15 check-ins here. I found out about the lie when I returned after finding the south-tower room unacceptable and another desk clerk checked me into a deluxe north-tower room immediately w/o even asking.

I've been upgraded once to the club room level (7th floor) out of the 15 stays I've had there, and was offered another time for a jacuzzi suite (but refused since all I really wanted to do that night was crashing into the bed at midnight). Knowing how packed the hotel is all the time after these many stays, I've accepted as the norm. However, blatantly telling Plats. that they no long offer to even "attempt" to upgrade Plats, is simply unfathomable and clear violation of the T&C of the SPG program. Like others have said, I would confirm with management about this supposely new rule before I take it seriously and go up the chain within SPG.

TahitiBoy

What you were told was a bunch of hooey. My best friend is one of the Platinum supervisors, and I can assure you he is not told me of any so-called policy changes.

fly co to see the yanks

good friend to have.

did you get a good targeted promotion?

Nanook37

I stayed here a couple of months ago and was moved to the club floor without asking. Sounds like you just got a bad CSR.

A320 EOW

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050831/315690.html?.v=1

Press Release Source: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

Landmark Hotel in Minneapolis Joins Starwood's Prestigious Luxury Collection
Wednesday August 31, 3:39 pm ET
The IVY Hotel + Residences Will Add a New Luxury Experience to the Vibrant Minneapolis Downtown Market

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 31, 2005--Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT - News) announces a long-term agreement with The IVY Hotel + Residences, a luxury mixed-use development with historic origin, to join Starwood's prestigious Luxury Collection portfolio of hotels and resorts. The IVY Hotel + Residences, a Luxury Collection Hotel, will be built to include three distinct structures - a high-rise residential tower and a mid-rise hotel tower - surrounding the ten-story historic IVY Tower landmark as the centerpiece of the project. Featuring 136 guest rooms and suites and 88 luxury residences, the development will also include a destination restaurant, 4,000 square feet of meeting space, a 17,000-square-foot resort-quality spa and wellness center, and upscale retail space. The development is scheduled for completion in spring 2007.

"The IVY Hotel + Residences marks The Luxury Collection's entry into the Midwestern United States and will be a perfect compliment to our existing Luxury Collection hotels, which are renowned for their distinctive landmark hotels, considered some of the finest in the world," stated Stephen Alden, senior vice president of The Luxury Collection. "This hotel will offer outstanding accommodations, spa services and is located in one of the most dynamic growth markets in the United States."

"Redefining luxury, The IVY Hotel + Residences will offer a new level of hospitality experience to the many executives and visitors to the elite Minneapolis corporate headquarters such as American Express and Target, as well as the Minneapolis Convention Center," according to Paul Wischermann, president of Wischermann Partners, a Minneapolis-based hospitality consulting and hotel management firm involved in several Twin Cities hotel development projects. "The historic significance of the IVY Tower + Residences will lend character, distinction and a timeless quality to the project's positioning and design while marking the rebirth of one of Minneapolis' most important and treasured historic landmarks."

The IVY Hotel + Residences will be situated in the heart of the city's vibrant downtown section, steps away from Orchestra Hall, Nicollet Mall, and will integrate Minneapolis' skyway system and provide convenient climate-controlled access to the Minneapolis Convention Center and all of the city's downtown connected buildings. The historic IVY Tower will provide the signature experience for Minneapolis hotel guests, where the majority of the luxury guest suites will be located. The solid, masculine character of the "little tower" will be balanced with plush furnishings, elegant fabrics and classic art pieces to create a true luxury experience for guests. All guest rooms will feature distinctive bathrooms with separate rain forest showers and oversized soaking bathtubs and 42-inch flat-screen panel televisions.

The IVY Tower will host a first floor restaurant, which expands into the garden level, the hotel lobby and lounge, and a three-story atrium. The second level introduces the spa and wellness facility spanning an entire floor throughout all three towers. The third level features state-of-the-art meeting space, business center and access to the convention center. The residential and hotel components will occupy the fourth level and up.

To sophisticated travelers worldwide, The Luxury Collection delivers the finest hotel experiences through their unparalleled attention to their guests' needs and preferences, their exceptional and distinctive properties and seamless integration of the customs, culture and environment of each property's locale.



Source: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

mpagefromord

This is a good addition to the *wood family as Minneapolis/St. Paul is not the best market for them . . . particularly since Le Meridien location downtown is not going to be part of the family
Does anyone know where the Ivy is located?

Nanook37

Finally a decent (hopefully) Starwood hotel in Minneapolis...

bigjim

I believe that it is downtown, near the convention center possibly...