Westin Calgary, AB, Canada [Master Thread]
 

Been meaning to post this for a few days, but too busy travelling. I stayed at the Westin in Calgary on last Friday (booked thru SPG site)and asked for upgrade to club floor or atleast the club access. Was denied by desk clerk (whose name I have)saying that "there are simply too many ammenities on our club level to upgrade you"

Unfortunatly, at the time I wasn't armed with the T&C's of the SPG program to argue, because he wasn't budging. Consider yourself warned!!

Marc

Thanks for the information, mtacchi. I have asked the Hotel Coordinators to contact the hotel about this issue going forward.

Sincerely,

William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services

[email protected]

Stay at the sheraton eau claire Randy Stupanski the manager knows how to take care of SPG. Even though Westin won Hotel of the year FWIW I believe the Sheraton is Tops and am staying there next week vs. the Westin.

the Eau claire won't provide a Club level room to platinum memebers, only lounge access. Lurker should look into this as well. seems to me that some properties simply create different guidelines

Posted by seiko:
"the Eau claire won't provide a Club level room to platinum memebers, only lounge access. Lurker should look into this as well. seems to me that some properties simply create different guidelines"
This is not really true. It's an all suite hotel, but they have some Jacuzzi suites on different floors--much better than the Club Floor rooms. So you may get a better room on a non-club floor. You alwyas get access to the club lounge.

I have been upgraded to club rooms at the Eau Claire a number of times, and when I haven't I have always been given club access. Just this past weekend I was upgraded to a 2 bedroom club level suite. As a note, I beleive that the GM's name is Randy Zupanski.

In comparison, I have never received a decent upgrade at the Westin, despite numerous discussions with front desk staff. Instead of always trying to fight with them for an upgrade or even club access, I simply moved my business to the Eau Claire, which imho is simply a better hotel.

Adrian

I know I should have stayed at the Eau Claire, but the Heavanly Bed was calling my name. Next time.

I find it a bit discouraging that SPG raises the Plat standard (which I have no issue with meeting) and then takes away benefits for plat members. Any benefits that may still exist are at the whim of the hotel as to whether or not they will comply with SPG's T&C's.

Marc

FYI - The Sheraton Eau Claire is owned by Fairmont!!

Great hotel. My upgrades there are always Jacuzzi suites. Better than many rooms on the club floor. Always get lounge access.

Club level at the Westin is a trial type. No lounge, free international long distance there are some threads on the properties trying this. I have been given these rooms in Vancouver Westin BAyshore. I prefer the tower rooms and as I don’t need the free calls I turn down the upgrade.

Sheraton in Calgary beats the Westin.

Cattle, your thoughts?

I'm starting to tire of hotel reports where properties don't comply with SPG terms and policies for Gold and Plats.

I understand that the hotel industry has a high turnover rate; but when a manager trains his front desk staff, don't they train them about the upgrade policy?

I hate 'fighting' or 'asking for' what SPG says I'm to receive as a 'thank you' for my business.

In a post earlier this week about the Four Points at SFO (on 2 separate nights no less), I just about had to 'beg' them for an upgrade...and that was at a few minutes before midnight each time. Do you think they were saving the room for a revenue stay at that time??

I think it's time the training department fixed this 'fixable' problem.


http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/thumbsup.gif to all the hotels out there that do the right thing. Maybe this group (Russell in NYC, Diplomat Amy, the Palace in San Francisco) can lead training sessions.

I think I can safely guarantee a 1% - 2% spike in business if this were to happen.
We'd all stay a lot more if hotels 'got with' the program.

Dan

It's hard to imagine that the habitually non-upgrading hotels do so out of a lack of training/understanding, or that it's accidental. Some (like the Pulitzer in Amsterdam) may have legitimate capacity issues, but at (a small number of) others it really seems like they've decided to make their own rules. Even the non-compliant often have the rules sticker right there on their computers. Makes you want to peel it off and read it to them.

Thats the deal @ the Westin in Calgary. He said it was "their policy" not that he didn't understand SPG's policy. The hotel, in this case, simply decided to create it's own rule. Doubtless, Starwood is powerless against these vigilanty hotels. I know they have hotel coordinators call, and remind them of the policy, I have heard that they actually will fine hotels $$$ as well. Regardless, if compliance is still not forth comming then what? Simply advertise the fact to other frequent travellers, and every stay at the Sheraton Eau Claire.

That is just awful http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

Stay at the Eau Clair. I proposed to my wife there (on a free weekend no less but she didn't know LOL) They bent over backwards to help out with it. They had 2 weddings that evening and were sold out so we got a standard suite. As we were escorted to our room we were asked if we prefer regular or down filled pillows!!!! They put the ring in the room when we went out for dinner and also put a bottle a champagne in the room with a congratulations note.

Mrs Cattle didn't even see it all sitting there when we got back and when and sat on the couch. I had to call her over to the table to ask her if she knew anything about the stuff on the table. LOL you should have seen her face. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

dmgt please email me. I managed to loose all of your info when my old computer broke a few months back http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif Hope you are keeping well http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

This problem could be virtually eliminated if Starwood would copy the 1-800-CheckIn thing that Hyatt does. They don't even need to do it for everyone, just for PLATs.

If you could call ahead of arrival and arrange room assignemnt with the concierge the problems with hotels failing to upgrade would virtually disappear.

And as far as enhancements go, this has got to be one of the cheaper things they could do.

Yeah, the Westin Calgary is a strange property to say the least. Their SPG floor is one of the more basic ones I have ever come across and they claim to have upgraded you when they indeed have not. I stay at the Sheraton Eau Claire or, god forbid at the new Hyatt to avoid the surly fron desk clerks at the Westin.

I hope that Starwood Lurker will let us know what he finds out.

While I'm glad to know this, it is a bit distressing since I spent a couple thousand US on that hotel last year and encouraged other folk to book their stays as well. I will keep the Sheraton Calgary in mind next time rather than "fight" (assuming I am Plat then.