TCnSanDiegoCA

It's not difficult to understand. Your expectations are unreasonable. Manager's gestures were appropriate.

signothetimes53

Oh please.

The very fact that I complained at all could have been enough to get her fired. No guest who calls in a complaint or problem to management can know with any certainty the consequences of that call. By your implied standards, I should just be quiet and never bring problems to the attention of management, just because somebody is "down the food chain", in your words, and works very hard.

And "an attempt to do the work in the time allotted by the hotel" that results in the destruction of a guest's personal property is the very definition of carelessness.

KittyCat

For what it's worth I guess, as fail to see why it's so hard to see why many consider the 'apology request' a bit off: have 50-ish professionals working for me, if a client complains I take that very seriously, apologize on my staff's behalf (as the manager did in your case as well), try everthing reasonable to set it straight to the client (again, as the manager did in your case), and then deal with the professional in question internally. I'm 100% sure that if I would send them out for 'apologies' in the sense suggested here, I'd have zero staff left in no time - the kind of apology approach that might work to teach an under-10-years old is definitely not going to cut it.

Does this undermine your right to complain of force you to be quiet as a client ? Of course not. Are you entitled to being upset ? Of course. Would you want to be 'sent out' by whoever your boss might be to be berated and belittled for every mishap you cause ... don't think so, everyone makes mistakes every day.

sc flier

If the hotel were to have already fired her, should they have told you so or kept that as internal information?

The point is that when hotels cut the amount of time allotted for each room, they force the housekeeper into an inability to be as careful. I certainly don't know if that's an issue at this hotel.

signothetimes53

I didn't ask that question, nor would I expect an answer from the hotel if I had asked it. It was *just* a cheap $20 alarm clock, but it was still broken, it still caused me some personal hassles, and it was done so in a manner that could have and should have been avoided. And all I wanted was a simple apology from the person who broke it. I wasn't thinking, "boy, I hope I can get this person fired" or some such foolishness.

Ah, but that's a different point altogether. If a hotel has unreasonable standards for their housekeepers, it reflects on the quality of service the hotel provides to their guests, and that would or should or could be reflected in the hotel's overall consumer ratings. While Le Meridien Etoile has some negative ratings at various sites, there are also positive ratings, including my own, since I've stayed there on 3 occasions, and 2 of them were generally positive.

The only standard I can apply is my personal experience as a long-time Starwood Platinum customer, and as a repeat guest at that particular hotel. The conclusion I have drawn is that this particular housekeeper's act of damaging my alarm clock was out of the norm, not routine, both for this hotel and for Starwood properties in general. I've had a lot of strange things happen in hotels I've stayed in, but this is the first overt damage to my personal property that has occurred.

Accidents happen, yes, and I "get" that some of you think asking for an apology, instead of compensation, was inappropriate. My 800 nights over the last 13 years in a Starwood property somewhere suggested otherwise to me. C'est la vie...

sc flier

I wasn't suggesting that you had any intention to get her fired. But if they had fired her and you were demanding an apology from the person that they'd fired, what should they have said to you? If you don't expect them to tell you that the housekeeper was fired, what could they have said to have satisfied you?

signothetimes53

You are dealing in the hypothetical. Who knows, maybe I would have expected an answer to that question, even if I answered that query differently earlier in this thread.

But I didn't ask it, didn't even think about it. It was midnight when I discovered the broken alarm clock after a long day out and about, so thinking about that sort of minutiae was beyond me then, and perhaps still is now.

LH-AC

I just finished a 2 night stay at this hotel It is, in my opinion, a good hotel (but then again, I had nothing of mine broken). The location, is a little bit far, from central Paris, as indicated by others, but can reached within 8-10 metro stops (you can find the metro stop around the corner from the hotel). Also, there is a mall and a grocery store directly across from the hotel as well as restaurants in the area. The room is nicely appointed. If the price is right, I would not hesitate returning to this location the next time I'm in Paris.

TCnSanDiegoCA

I also had a recent two night stay here and agree with the previous post. I had booked an Executive King room, and that's what I got, located on the 7th floor. Platinum benefits I received were the 500 point welcome amenity and free internet; not surprised that I didn't get a complimentary breakfast but I was a little surprised the hotel didn't offer a free cup of coffee in the morning. There was a coffee vending machine on the floor, but I didn't use it.

No complaints about the hotel or room, hotel is pretty busy though, presumably due to the large convention center across the street. Saw several busses unloading/loading while I was there. My room was fine, appeared to have been renovated in the last 2-3 years, but did have a bit of wear such as scuff marks on the walls.

I used the Air France bus across the street for the trip to CDG. 15 Euros one way, took about 55 minutes, paid the driver when I boarded. I took the 5:45pm bus (week day) and traffic was pretty heavy at that time.

pindento

Quite a while ago, prepaid in advance a King room ... thinking it was just going to be my wife and I. Turns out our teenage daughter is going to be coming along for this leg of the trip.

I haven't stayed at LeM Etoile, it lists rollaway beds, so I'm hoping worst case scenario (I'm platinum) that we're not rotating on the floor

Seriously, how concerned should I be? It's 4 nights pre-paid in Aug, and assuming the hotel were to allow a change to the pre-paid res, I'm gonna get spanked on rate at this point.

KittyCat

Would advise to get in touch with the hotel nonetheless: rooms are not particularly over-sized (to put it mildly), not sure a rollaway fits in all configurations. With room confirmed & Plat, I would expect the hotel to be able to accomodate fairly easily without insane charges

idainc

We had a 3 night stay at this hotel beginning May 10th. I booked the stay using points (36,000) but eventually was able to get the room for $120 / night / + tax using Priceline. What a steal ! We were upgraded to Executive level at check in.

The room was refurbished and small but very functional. For marital harmony we agreed to pack the bags one at a time. Everything was clean and fresh and we had no complaints about the location of the property or the room. All staff was friendly. Everything in the hotel was wildly expensive which we expected. Across the street in a mall on -1 there was a wonderful supermarket. Easy RER and Metro access.

I’ll add that the wait staff in the Jazz club brings things you didn’t order ( we speak French) and I’d also add that you really have to very carefully watch the final check out process. It just wasn’t accurate in our case. On our return I wrote the Mgr. on both counts and received an offer of points which only seemed to post AFTER contacting Starwood and the lurker.
All in all a great stay, just pay careful attention with money. Not unusual in Paris.

ramsfan

have not stayed here for over a year, but have some Paris travel and am returning and staying tonight for 3 nights. Very disappointed the executive lounge is gone with its platinum check in, free breakfast, nightly drinks and, best of all, view of eiffel tower --although you had to look for it. When i passed on this lament at check in i was told how great the free internet benefit for platinums was. Oh well..........

I just came in from Baucharest where as a gold the Hilton wowed me re upgrade, internet, lounge (breakfast , great pre diner snacks & drinks) super friendly staff (not an expectation in Paris).

In my year of gold with Hilton through an Air Canada Super Elite promo i am having more wowing experiences than at SPG, where i have been a loyal platinum for years. Still I like SPG better re awards (fair points compared to Hilton where too many properties are graded too high and SPG cash & points blows the Hilton copycat away) but on a pure hotel stay basis SPG is comming in second even at platinum to gold. A choice looms for me.

I wonder if others are thinking this too.

CIT85

Your experiences are very dependent on the region of the world. SPG hotels in Paris do not have lounges (except for Sheraton CDG). Le Meridien Etoile is also one the worst in terms of Plat upgrades.

Germany, on the other hand, has great SPG properties, with most of them having very good lounges.

China has great SPG properties and excellent Plat upgrades. I would also include Seoul, Sydney and Bangkok.

Hilton Gold and Diamond have breakfast benefit which comes in handy when the hotels do not have lounges.

But overall, I prefer SPG over HHONORS.

darcyt

Husband and I are taking iPads (no laptops) to this hotel. I am platinum, so wifi should be free. Will wifi for his iPad be free as well? It always has been in the US, but I'm not sure about Europe.