Nov 10, 2014, 10:41 pm
Last edit by: skywalkerLAX
** Hotel will leave the Starwood / Marriott chain on June 30th 2017 as per information by the General Manager (June 11th 2017) **
SPG INSTANT AWARDS
SPG INSTANT AWARDS
Great Wall Sheraton, Beijing, China [Master Thread]
Apr 10, 2007, 11:11 am
#31
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Toronto
Programs: AC SE MM, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,101
Similar to the Towers in HK, can you use 1,500 points to upgrade to Elite at this hotel? Hopefully someone can try it out and let us know how Elite it is!
Apr 11, 2007, 10:36 am
#32
Company Representative - Starwood
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Marriott Employee Level
Posts: 31,593
Well, yes and no. No, I don't think you are being too harsh. We appreciate the input we get, even if it happens to be negative. Yes, I think you may be asking too much from SPG to out which rooms are available for complimentary Platinum upgrades because that does not get decided by us and it would be much too unwieldy to put this information online for 850 hotels/resorts. Also, the hotel decides what to call their room types, not us.
No, if you are going to complain about not being upgraded because it really has no merit if the hotel is operating this as a hotel-within-a-hotel concept. Yes, if you want to tell the hotel that they should really change the name of the room so future SPG elites are not confused like you were.
Sincerely,
William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services
[email protected]
...Should I make a call to the Corporate Services to file this trivial “complaint”?...
Sincerely,
William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services
[email protected]
Apr 11, 2007, 12:00 pm
#33
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2000
Posts: 17,425
While I agree in principle I understand the confusion around these special cases. I too wish it was more clear on both sides.
However, as I've posted before, I think the lounge at this hotel and free food/drink offerings are among the best in the world I've had - especially at the price range of the hotel. And the Junior Suites are relatively roomy and nice. Ms. and I rarely ate dinner after having lots of lovely appetizers at the hotel... although the Hard Rock cafe next door was tempting
However, as I've posted before, I think the lounge at this hotel and free food/drink offerings are among the best in the world I've had - especially at the price range of the hotel. And the Junior Suites are relatively roomy and nice. Ms. and I rarely ate dinner after having lots of lovely appetizers at the hotel... although the Hard Rock cafe next door was tempting
If the "elites" are getting something better than this, it must be REALLY nice!
Apr 11, 2007, 8:24 pm
#34
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: ORD LAS HKG
Programs: Bonvoy LTT; IHG DiamondAmb; WoH Globalist; UA1K2MM; NationalEE; AvisPC; HertzPC
Posts: 703
I'm confused about this too: so there are 2 lounges in this hotel, "executive" and "elite"? As a gold, I paid 1500 extra points (on a cash & points award) for the executive floor, and access to that lounge. I can't imagine anyone complaining about the executive floor rooms (mine was thoroughly up to date), and the lounge there is excellent. Free evening drinks and hot and cold snacks (wide assortment), and a comprehensive breakfast buffet.
If the "elites" are getting something better than this, it must be REALLY nice!
If the "elites" are getting something better than this, it must be REALLY nice!
Mar 29, 2008, 11:31 am
#35
Join Date: Aug 2005
Programs: SPG, AA: PLAT; Hilton: Diamon, UAL: Premier Exec; IC_PriClub; 308 hours flying Boeing 707's
Posts: 242
2 night stay Trip Report
The worst hotel service I have ever received was at the Sheraton Great Wall Beijing. Of 100 Sheraton’s, 250+ Starwood stays and more than 600 hotel stays this is the one hotel that I left tired, hungry and upset, on a rate that included breakfast.
My father was a guest of the Chinese government to receive a lifetime research honor. My mother and I joined him, and rather than squeeze into a small room with him, I was loyal to Starwood. That was a big mistake. Despite remarkable treatment at the The Hotel Imperial, The Le Meridien Budapest, The Hotel Maria Cristina and the Sheraton Saporro on previous trips, my parents now want to double check the hotel I suggest after the singularly bad experience at the Sheraton Great Wall in Beijing. Here are the things I wrote down upon departure from the hotel:
Check in took more than an hour-and-a-half. I went to the front desk, was sent to the 13th floor, was sent back… and forth 3 times. At first my platinum status was not recognized, then it was, but I was told Starwood platinums do not get upgrades, then I was given an upgrade but it was a smoking room. I finally ended up in a Jr. Suite on a floor with teenagers partying all night. Doors were slamming, music was blaring, I was 15 years older than everyone else on the floor. My Mom was so furious at having to wait more than an hour to check in, that we kept the room and she passed out. My father and I were going to grab a drink before he returned to his hotel. We asked how long the bar was open, and we were told until the end of the hour. We agreed we’d handle the luggage (nice work by the bellman to stare at all the girls dressed up for their formal and ignore the hotel guests) and we’d make sure Mom was settled in. Dad and I returned to the bar half an hour before the time they were supposed to close and found that this was the night they were closing early to shampoo the rugs. When I asked the front desk agent if there was another place to get a drink, she said, not tonight, the bar is closing early for cleaning. I told her she was the one that told me it was open until the end of the hour, and she told me she assumed I meant each night. I have no idea why she wouldn’t think a guest checking in would want to know what time the bar closed on the same night they arrived… She suggested I go to the 13th floor lounge, where I’d already been turned away at check in, so Dad, now irate, and I went to try again.
After already completing 32 stays that year, I was told that I didn’t have access to the executive/platinum lounge. Tony (don’t know his last name) in the lounge told me it was only for Starwood’s most elite members and I should aspire to Platinum. His words: "Maybe you will achieve Platinum status for next year". I told him I had already re-earned it for this year and he asked me for my card, which I hadn’t received from Starwood, so he told me without a card, I had no access to the lounge. Suddenly, a platinum that I’d met at the Sheraton Palo Alto 3 years before vouched for me and dad and we entered as his guest! He told me he’d had trouble with their service as well and we enjoyed the complimentary coffee and tea.
The next day started just as poorly, since the requested wake-up call never came. We were woken by the noisy teenagers who had been there for their formal the night before. I found it odd that other guests had a newspaper hanging on their door. We did not. My Mom and I went to the lounge, but were turned away because they didn’t recognize me as an SPG platinum. My Mom and I went down to the restaurant, asked where we got the breakfast included in the room rate, were sent to the front desk, who told me that our weekend bed and breakfast rate did not include breakfast! After 30 minutes, I forced my way into the platinum lounge, put food in a paper bag and walked out to begin our day. Mom was embarrassed and I was disgraced. I’ve become so used to good Starwood service and this was disheartening.
When we returned, we tried to enter the lounge again, this time I just sucked it up and paid for access to the platinum lounge, which I should have had for free. Trying to learn more about breakfast, I spoke with Rosa Liu and Tony Zhou, who told me they did not show breakfast included in my rate, even though it was a “Weekend bed & breakfast rate.” They did tell me: “You are at a special rate of 1350 Yuan, which is less than 1700 Yuan and you should not expect to have any platinum benefits... you were upgraded to a Jr. Suite and we did not have to do that.” I guess that’s why it took me more than hour to check in. They made a big point of the fact that lounge access was a privilege, not a right because I was not paying a business rate.
I asked the hotel to mail the Sheraton post cards that they provided me. I was told this hotel does not participate. I would later see a different lounge attendant offer postcards to a different guest, and tell them they’d mail them anywhere in the world for that guest. I guess they were paying a business rate.
I asked the concierge at the front of the hotel for travel time to the Peking Acrobat performance that we were attending that night. The theatre is less than 4 km from the Sheraton Great Wall and we’d seen it during our sight-seeing, but I wanted to be sure. The concierge told me it would take 1.5 hours by taxi. I inquired why, and they said there may be traffic and they weren’t sure how you would get to the theatre. The theatre is visible from the same ring road as the Sheraton Great Wall, so I adjusted the time to 45 minutes, and we still arrived 20 minutes early. That was not a reliable concierge.
Late that night, upon returning from the show, a lounge attendant told me they’d identified I was a platinum and let me in to the lounge, which was now only serving coffee and milk. I asked them to set a wake-up call. They told me it was a “One time exception for 0730 wake up call.” I asked for delivery of coffee with the wake-up call at 0730, which the property advertises is standard for elite level guests. Again, I was told that even though my platinum status had finally been confirmed, I was not an elite level guest because I was on the eighth floor.
The wake up call came from the tour desk at 0715, saying something in Chinese. After a few minutes, I was told my tour bus is departing the hotel and I am the last person to get aboard. Not true since I was not going on a tour, I had a 1 PM airplane for Chicago. The real wake-up call, coffee and newspaper arrive at 0750, 20 minutes late. By then my Mom and I have begun to expect this from this property and by now, the rest should be smooth sailing. All we have to do is eat breakfast, meet up with my father and check out. What could go wrong?
We head down an hour before our scheduled meeting with my father, ask for breakfast in Trattoria, where the manager last night told us to go. We are told our rate does not include breakfast and Mom is sent to the executive lounge, where she charms her way in. After 40 minutes, the day manager confirms that my rate does include breakfast. By then I had 5 minutes to eat, but dad showed up early, so no breakfast again... When Dad & I returned, I spoke to Paul Yi, a manager about this horrible stay, he told me he will e~mail me with some sort of resolution. I never heard from him again.
Mom sagely told me to give extra time to check out. The line is full at the front desk, so I go upstairs to the lounge, which knows me well by now and I’ve been told can check me out. Check out there takes 30 minutes. Mom is close to a heart attack, because she likes to be at the airport 3 hours before. We though checkout would take a maximum of 15 minutes. To add insult to injury while I’m waiting to check out in the 13th floor lounge, an attendant tells another guest that they should invite their friends who are staying a different hotel. So I can hardly get in the lounge, I have to sneak my mother in, am charged for access, can’t bring my father, but other people can bring guests, just as the platinum I knew from a previous trip did with me. That is a glaring inconsistency… but as I was told, I’m not entitled to full platinum “Priveleges” because I’m not paying a business rate.
As soon as I disembarked the plane, I called Starwood for a copy of the reservation. It states clearly that it includes breakfast, though it now shows me as having booked two rooms and having three guests. Something is really wrong with this property.
Bottom line: This hotel should not carry the Sheraton flag. With service like this, I recommend Starwood drop their association and invoke breach of contract clauses. I have a flyer from the hotel mentioning how this property was lauded by a business magazine in Asia. When I return from my next round of travel, I will be sending that magazine a courtesy copy of this letter, since they need to know how poor this property treats their guests. I am posting this to Flyertalk and TripAdvisor as well. I have never felt so strongly about poor treatment at any of my 500+ hotel stays. I did not sleep well there (noisy parties) or leave with breakfast (included in the rate) and was treated poorly the entire time, down to Manager Paul Yi’s assurance that he would contact me after I addressed my concerns with him. I think the entire amount of money I spent there should be refunded and the property should not carry the Sheraton flag.
-- CaptainG
My father was a guest of the Chinese government to receive a lifetime research honor. My mother and I joined him, and rather than squeeze into a small room with him, I was loyal to Starwood. That was a big mistake. Despite remarkable treatment at the The Hotel Imperial, The Le Meridien Budapest, The Hotel Maria Cristina and the Sheraton Saporro on previous trips, my parents now want to double check the hotel I suggest after the singularly bad experience at the Sheraton Great Wall in Beijing. Here are the things I wrote down upon departure from the hotel:
Check in took more than an hour-and-a-half. I went to the front desk, was sent to the 13th floor, was sent back… and forth 3 times. At first my platinum status was not recognized, then it was, but I was told Starwood platinums do not get upgrades, then I was given an upgrade but it was a smoking room. I finally ended up in a Jr. Suite on a floor with teenagers partying all night. Doors were slamming, music was blaring, I was 15 years older than everyone else on the floor. My Mom was so furious at having to wait more than an hour to check in, that we kept the room and she passed out. My father and I were going to grab a drink before he returned to his hotel. We asked how long the bar was open, and we were told until the end of the hour. We agreed we’d handle the luggage (nice work by the bellman to stare at all the girls dressed up for their formal and ignore the hotel guests) and we’d make sure Mom was settled in. Dad and I returned to the bar half an hour before the time they were supposed to close and found that this was the night they were closing early to shampoo the rugs. When I asked the front desk agent if there was another place to get a drink, she said, not tonight, the bar is closing early for cleaning. I told her she was the one that told me it was open until the end of the hour, and she told me she assumed I meant each night. I have no idea why she wouldn’t think a guest checking in would want to know what time the bar closed on the same night they arrived… She suggested I go to the 13th floor lounge, where I’d already been turned away at check in, so Dad, now irate, and I went to try again.
After already completing 32 stays that year, I was told that I didn’t have access to the executive/platinum lounge. Tony (don’t know his last name) in the lounge told me it was only for Starwood’s most elite members and I should aspire to Platinum. His words: "Maybe you will achieve Platinum status for next year". I told him I had already re-earned it for this year and he asked me for my card, which I hadn’t received from Starwood, so he told me without a card, I had no access to the lounge. Suddenly, a platinum that I’d met at the Sheraton Palo Alto 3 years before vouched for me and dad and we entered as his guest! He told me he’d had trouble with their service as well and we enjoyed the complimentary coffee and tea.
The next day started just as poorly, since the requested wake-up call never came. We were woken by the noisy teenagers who had been there for their formal the night before. I found it odd that other guests had a newspaper hanging on their door. We did not. My Mom and I went to the lounge, but were turned away because they didn’t recognize me as an SPG platinum. My Mom and I went down to the restaurant, asked where we got the breakfast included in the room rate, were sent to the front desk, who told me that our weekend bed and breakfast rate did not include breakfast! After 30 minutes, I forced my way into the platinum lounge, put food in a paper bag and walked out to begin our day. Mom was embarrassed and I was disgraced. I’ve become so used to good Starwood service and this was disheartening.
When we returned, we tried to enter the lounge again, this time I just sucked it up and paid for access to the platinum lounge, which I should have had for free. Trying to learn more about breakfast, I spoke with Rosa Liu and Tony Zhou, who told me they did not show breakfast included in my rate, even though it was a “Weekend bed & breakfast rate.” They did tell me: “You are at a special rate of 1350 Yuan, which is less than 1700 Yuan and you should not expect to have any platinum benefits... you were upgraded to a Jr. Suite and we did not have to do that.” I guess that’s why it took me more than hour to check in. They made a big point of the fact that lounge access was a privilege, not a right because I was not paying a business rate.
I asked the hotel to mail the Sheraton post cards that they provided me. I was told this hotel does not participate. I would later see a different lounge attendant offer postcards to a different guest, and tell them they’d mail them anywhere in the world for that guest. I guess they were paying a business rate.
I asked the concierge at the front of the hotel for travel time to the Peking Acrobat performance that we were attending that night. The theatre is less than 4 km from the Sheraton Great Wall and we’d seen it during our sight-seeing, but I wanted to be sure. The concierge told me it would take 1.5 hours by taxi. I inquired why, and they said there may be traffic and they weren’t sure how you would get to the theatre. The theatre is visible from the same ring road as the Sheraton Great Wall, so I adjusted the time to 45 minutes, and we still arrived 20 minutes early. That was not a reliable concierge.
Late that night, upon returning from the show, a lounge attendant told me they’d identified I was a platinum and let me in to the lounge, which was now only serving coffee and milk. I asked them to set a wake-up call. They told me it was a “One time exception for 0730 wake up call.” I asked for delivery of coffee with the wake-up call at 0730, which the property advertises is standard for elite level guests. Again, I was told that even though my platinum status had finally been confirmed, I was not an elite level guest because I was on the eighth floor.
The wake up call came from the tour desk at 0715, saying something in Chinese. After a few minutes, I was told my tour bus is departing the hotel and I am the last person to get aboard. Not true since I was not going on a tour, I had a 1 PM airplane for Chicago. The real wake-up call, coffee and newspaper arrive at 0750, 20 minutes late. By then my Mom and I have begun to expect this from this property and by now, the rest should be smooth sailing. All we have to do is eat breakfast, meet up with my father and check out. What could go wrong?
We head down an hour before our scheduled meeting with my father, ask for breakfast in Trattoria, where the manager last night told us to go. We are told our rate does not include breakfast and Mom is sent to the executive lounge, where she charms her way in. After 40 minutes, the day manager confirms that my rate does include breakfast. By then I had 5 minutes to eat, but dad showed up early, so no breakfast again... When Dad & I returned, I spoke to Paul Yi, a manager about this horrible stay, he told me he will e~mail me with some sort of resolution. I never heard from him again.
Mom sagely told me to give extra time to check out. The line is full at the front desk, so I go upstairs to the lounge, which knows me well by now and I’ve been told can check me out. Check out there takes 30 minutes. Mom is close to a heart attack, because she likes to be at the airport 3 hours before. We though checkout would take a maximum of 15 minutes. To add insult to injury while I’m waiting to check out in the 13th floor lounge, an attendant tells another guest that they should invite their friends who are staying a different hotel. So I can hardly get in the lounge, I have to sneak my mother in, am charged for access, can’t bring my father, but other people can bring guests, just as the platinum I knew from a previous trip did with me. That is a glaring inconsistency… but as I was told, I’m not entitled to full platinum “Priveleges” because I’m not paying a business rate.
As soon as I disembarked the plane, I called Starwood for a copy of the reservation. It states clearly that it includes breakfast, though it now shows me as having booked two rooms and having three guests. Something is really wrong with this property.
Bottom line: This hotel should not carry the Sheraton flag. With service like this, I recommend Starwood drop their association and invoke breach of contract clauses. I have a flyer from the hotel mentioning how this property was lauded by a business magazine in Asia. When I return from my next round of travel, I will be sending that magazine a courtesy copy of this letter, since they need to know how poor this property treats their guests. I am posting this to Flyertalk and TripAdvisor as well. I have never felt so strongly about poor treatment at any of my 500+ hotel stays. I did not sleep well there (noisy parties) or leave with breakfast (included in the rate) and was treated poorly the entire time, down to Manager Paul Yi’s assurance that he would contact me after I addressed my concerns with him. I think the entire amount of money I spent there should be refunded and the property should not carry the Sheraton flag.
-- CaptainG
Last edited by CaptainG; Mar 29, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Mar 30, 2008, 12:53 am
#36
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: DE
Programs: UA 1K, SPG Plat, HH Gold
Posts: 287
Sorry to hear about all your troubles. They were quite extreme! I stayed one time in 2006 and that was the last time. Never returned. I didn't have service problem, but I wasn't impressed with the hotel either. The Westin Financial is much better (once got upgraded to a hugh executive suite, very impressed). At Sheraton, I was put in a "junior suite". It's just a larger room. Just don't expect too much from this hotel.
Mar 30, 2008, 4:10 am
#38
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Carlton VIC
Posts: 1,420
Piling on
I had one stay at this hotel last year. The treatment on check-in and shabbiness and sweltering heat in my room almost had me leaving immediately. I probably should have, but ended up staying there for three nights.
It's certainly possible that the Elite rooms are much nicer, but I can't imagine that the normal rooms have been refurbished any time in the recent past.
As others have mentioned, if you want to stay with SPG in BJ, the Westin is a much better property.
It's certainly possible that the Elite rooms are much nicer, but I can't imagine that the normal rooms have been refurbished any time in the recent past.
As others have mentioned, if you want to stay with SPG in BJ, the Westin is a much better property.
Last edited by michswiss; Mar 30, 2008 at 4:38 am
Apr 2, 2008, 6:29 pm
#39
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 6,359
The worst hotel service I have ever received was at the Sheraton Great Wall Beijing. Of 100 Sheraton’s, 250+ Starwood stays and more than 600 hotel stays this is the one hotel that I left tired, hungry and upset, on a rate that included breakfast.
My father was a guest of the Chinese government to receive a lifetime research honor. My mother and I joined him, and rather than squeeze into a small room with him, I was loyal to Starwood. That was a big mistake. Despite remarkable treatment at the The Hotel Imperial, The Le Meridien Budapest, The Hotel Maria Cristina and the Sheraton Saporro on previous trips, my parents now want to double check the hotel I suggest after the singularly bad experience at the Sheraton Great Wall in Beijing. Here are the things I wrote down upon departure from the hotel:
Check in took more than an hour-and-a-half. I went to the front desk, was sent to the 13th floor, was sent back… and forth 3 times. At first my platinum status was not recognized, then it was, but I was told Starwood platinums do not get upgrades, then I was given an upgrade but it was a smoking room. I finally ended up in a Jr. Suite on a floor with teenagers partying all night. Doors were slamming, music was blaring, I was 15 years older than everyone else on the floor. My Mom was so furious at having to wait more than an hour to check in, that we kept the room and she passed out. My father and I were going to grab a drink before he returned to his hotel. We asked how long the bar was open, and we were told until the end of the hour. We agreed we’d handle the luggage (nice work by the bellman to stare at all the girls dressed up for their formal and ignore the hotel guests) and we’d make sure Mom was settled in. Dad and I returned to the bar half an hour before the time they were supposed to close and found that this was the night they were closing early to shampoo the rugs. When I asked the front desk agent if there was another place to get a drink, she said, not tonight, the bar is closing early for cleaning. I told her she was the one that told me it was open until the end of the hour, and she told me she assumed I meant each night. I have no idea why she wouldn’t think a guest checking in would want to know what time the bar closed on the same night they arrived… She suggested I go to the 13th floor lounge, where I’d already been turned away at check in, so Dad, now irate, and I went to try again.
After already completing 32 stays that year, I was told that I didn’t have access to the executive/platinum lounge. Tony (don’t know his last name) in the lounge told me it was only for Starwood’s most elite members and I should aspire to Platinum. His words: "Maybe you will achieve Platinum status for next year". I told him I had already re-earned it for this year and he asked me for my card, which I hadn’t received from Starwood, so he told me without a card, I had no access to the lounge. Suddenly, a platinum that I’d met at the Sheraton Palo Alto 3 years before vouched for me and dad and we entered as his guest! He told me he’d had trouble with their service as well and we enjoyed the complimentary coffee and tea.
The next day started just as poorly, since the requested wake-up call never came. We were woken by the noisy teenagers who had been there for their formal the night before. I found it odd that other guests had a newspaper hanging on their door. We did not. My Mom and I went to the lounge, but were turned away because they didn’t recognize me as an SPG platinum. My Mom and I went down to the restaurant, asked where we got the breakfast included in the room rate, were sent to the front desk, who told me that our weekend bed and breakfast rate did not include breakfast! After 30 minutes, I forced my way into the platinum lounge, put food in a paper bag and walked out to begin our day. Mom was embarrassed and I was disgraced. I’ve become so used to good Starwood service and this was disheartening.
When we returned, we tried to enter the lounge again, this time I just sucked it up and paid for access to the platinum lounge, which I should have had for free. Trying to learn more about breakfast, I spoke with Rosa Liu and Tony Zhou, who told me they did not show breakfast included in my rate, even though it was a “Weekend bed & breakfast rate.” They did tell me: “You are at a special rate of 1350 Yuan, which is less than 1700 Yuan and you should not expect to have any platinum benefits... you were upgraded to a Jr. Suite and we did not have to do that.” I guess that’s why it took me more than hour to check in. They made a big point of the fact that lounge access was a privilege, not a right because I was not paying a business rate.
I asked the hotel to mail the Sheraton post cards that they provided me. I was told this hotel does not participate. I would later see a different lounge attendant offer postcards to a different guest, and tell them they’d mail them anywhere in the world for that guest. I guess they were paying a business rate.
I asked the concierge at the front of the hotel for travel time to the Peking Acrobat performance that we were attending that night. The theatre is less than 4 km from the Sheraton Great Wall and we’d seen it during our sight-seeing, but I wanted to be sure. The concierge told me it would take 1.5 hours by taxi. I inquired why, and they said there may be traffic and they weren’t sure how you would get to the theatre. The theatre is visible from the same ring road as the Sheraton Great Wall, so I adjusted the time to 45 minutes, and we still arrived 20 minutes early. That was not a reliable concierge.
Late that night, upon returning from the show, a lounge attendant told me they’d identified I was a platinum and let me in to the lounge, which was now only serving coffee and milk. I asked them to set a wake-up call. They told me it was a “One time exception for 0730 wake up call.” I asked for delivery of coffee with the wake-up call at 0730, which the property advertises is standard for elite level guests. Again, I was told that even though my platinum status had finally been confirmed, I was not an elite level guest because I was on the eighth floor.
The wake up call came from the tour desk at 0715, saying something in Chinese. After a few minutes, I was told my tour bus is departing the hotel and I am the last person to get aboard. Not true since I was not going on a tour, I had a 1 PM airplane for Chicago. The real wake-up call, coffee and newspaper arrive at 0750, 20 minutes late. By then my Mom and I have begun to expect this from this property and by now, the rest should be smooth sailing. All we have to do is eat breakfast, meet up with my father and check out. What could go wrong?
We head down an hour before our scheduled meeting with my father, ask for breakfast in Trattoria, where the manager last night told us to go. We are told our rate does not include breakfast and Mom is sent to the executive lounge, where she charms her way in. After 40 minutes, the day manager confirms that my rate does include breakfast. By then I had 5 minutes to eat, but dad showed up early, so no breakfast again... When Dad & I returned, I spoke to Paul Yi, a manager about this horrible stay, he told me he will e~mail me with some sort of resolution. I never heard from him again.
Mom sagely told me to give extra time to check out. The line is full at the front desk, so I go upstairs to the lounge, which knows me well by now and I’ve been told can check me out. Check out there takes 30 minutes. Mom is close to a heart attack, because she likes to be at the airport 3 hours before. We though checkout would take a maximum of 15 minutes. To add insult to injury while I’m waiting to check out in the 13th floor lounge, an attendant tells another guest that they should invite their friends who are staying a different hotel. So I can hardly get in the lounge, I have to sneak my mother in, am charged for access, can’t bring my father, but other people can bring guests, just as the platinum I knew from a previous trip did with me. That is a glaring inconsistency… but as I was told, I’m not entitled to full platinum “Priveleges” because I’m not paying a business rate.
As soon as I disembarked the plane, I called Starwood for a copy of the reservation. It states clearly that it includes breakfast, though it now shows me as having booked two rooms and having three guests. Something is really wrong with this property.
Bottom line: This hotel should not carry the Sheraton flag. With service like this, I recommend Starwood drop their association and invoke breach of contract clauses. I have a flyer from the hotel mentioning how this property was lauded by a business magazine in Asia. When I return from my next round of travel, I will be sending that magazine a courtesy copy of this letter, since they need to know how poor this property treats their guests. I am posting this to Flyertalk and TripAdvisor as well. I have never felt so strongly about poor treatment at any of my 500+ hotel stays. I did not sleep well there (noisy parties) or leave with breakfast (included in the rate) and was treated poorly the entire time, down to Manager Paul Yi’s assurance that he would contact me after I addressed my concerns with him. I think the entire amount of money I spent there should be refunded and the property should not carry the Sheraton flag.
-- CaptainG
My father was a guest of the Chinese government to receive a lifetime research honor. My mother and I joined him, and rather than squeeze into a small room with him, I was loyal to Starwood. That was a big mistake. Despite remarkable treatment at the The Hotel Imperial, The Le Meridien Budapest, The Hotel Maria Cristina and the Sheraton Saporro on previous trips, my parents now want to double check the hotel I suggest after the singularly bad experience at the Sheraton Great Wall in Beijing. Here are the things I wrote down upon departure from the hotel:
Check in took more than an hour-and-a-half. I went to the front desk, was sent to the 13th floor, was sent back… and forth 3 times. At first my platinum status was not recognized, then it was, but I was told Starwood platinums do not get upgrades, then I was given an upgrade but it was a smoking room. I finally ended up in a Jr. Suite on a floor with teenagers partying all night. Doors were slamming, music was blaring, I was 15 years older than everyone else on the floor. My Mom was so furious at having to wait more than an hour to check in, that we kept the room and she passed out. My father and I were going to grab a drink before he returned to his hotel. We asked how long the bar was open, and we were told until the end of the hour. We agreed we’d handle the luggage (nice work by the bellman to stare at all the girls dressed up for their formal and ignore the hotel guests) and we’d make sure Mom was settled in. Dad and I returned to the bar half an hour before the time they were supposed to close and found that this was the night they were closing early to shampoo the rugs. When I asked the front desk agent if there was another place to get a drink, she said, not tonight, the bar is closing early for cleaning. I told her she was the one that told me it was open until the end of the hour, and she told me she assumed I meant each night. I have no idea why she wouldn’t think a guest checking in would want to know what time the bar closed on the same night they arrived… She suggested I go to the 13th floor lounge, where I’d already been turned away at check in, so Dad, now irate, and I went to try again.
After already completing 32 stays that year, I was told that I didn’t have access to the executive/platinum lounge. Tony (don’t know his last name) in the lounge told me it was only for Starwood’s most elite members and I should aspire to Platinum. His words: "Maybe you will achieve Platinum status for next year". I told him I had already re-earned it for this year and he asked me for my card, which I hadn’t received from Starwood, so he told me without a card, I had no access to the lounge. Suddenly, a platinum that I’d met at the Sheraton Palo Alto 3 years before vouched for me and dad and we entered as his guest! He told me he’d had trouble with their service as well and we enjoyed the complimentary coffee and tea.
The next day started just as poorly, since the requested wake-up call never came. We were woken by the noisy teenagers who had been there for their formal the night before. I found it odd that other guests had a newspaper hanging on their door. We did not. My Mom and I went to the lounge, but were turned away because they didn’t recognize me as an SPG platinum. My Mom and I went down to the restaurant, asked where we got the breakfast included in the room rate, were sent to the front desk, who told me that our weekend bed and breakfast rate did not include breakfast! After 30 minutes, I forced my way into the platinum lounge, put food in a paper bag and walked out to begin our day. Mom was embarrassed and I was disgraced. I’ve become so used to good Starwood service and this was disheartening.
When we returned, we tried to enter the lounge again, this time I just sucked it up and paid for access to the platinum lounge, which I should have had for free. Trying to learn more about breakfast, I spoke with Rosa Liu and Tony Zhou, who told me they did not show breakfast included in my rate, even though it was a “Weekend bed & breakfast rate.” They did tell me: “You are at a special rate of 1350 Yuan, which is less than 1700 Yuan and you should not expect to have any platinum benefits... you were upgraded to a Jr. Suite and we did not have to do that.” I guess that’s why it took me more than hour to check in. They made a big point of the fact that lounge access was a privilege, not a right because I was not paying a business rate.
I asked the hotel to mail the Sheraton post cards that they provided me. I was told this hotel does not participate. I would later see a different lounge attendant offer postcards to a different guest, and tell them they’d mail them anywhere in the world for that guest. I guess they were paying a business rate.
I asked the concierge at the front of the hotel for travel time to the Peking Acrobat performance that we were attending that night. The theatre is less than 4 km from the Sheraton Great Wall and we’d seen it during our sight-seeing, but I wanted to be sure. The concierge told me it would take 1.5 hours by taxi. I inquired why, and they said there may be traffic and they weren’t sure how you would get to the theatre. The theatre is visible from the same ring road as the Sheraton Great Wall, so I adjusted the time to 45 minutes, and we still arrived 20 minutes early. That was not a reliable concierge.
Late that night, upon returning from the show, a lounge attendant told me they’d identified I was a platinum and let me in to the lounge, which was now only serving coffee and milk. I asked them to set a wake-up call. They told me it was a “One time exception for 0730 wake up call.” I asked for delivery of coffee with the wake-up call at 0730, which the property advertises is standard for elite level guests. Again, I was told that even though my platinum status had finally been confirmed, I was not an elite level guest because I was on the eighth floor.
The wake up call came from the tour desk at 0715, saying something in Chinese. After a few minutes, I was told my tour bus is departing the hotel and I am the last person to get aboard. Not true since I was not going on a tour, I had a 1 PM airplane for Chicago. The real wake-up call, coffee and newspaper arrive at 0750, 20 minutes late. By then my Mom and I have begun to expect this from this property and by now, the rest should be smooth sailing. All we have to do is eat breakfast, meet up with my father and check out. What could go wrong?
We head down an hour before our scheduled meeting with my father, ask for breakfast in Trattoria, where the manager last night told us to go. We are told our rate does not include breakfast and Mom is sent to the executive lounge, where she charms her way in. After 40 minutes, the day manager confirms that my rate does include breakfast. By then I had 5 minutes to eat, but dad showed up early, so no breakfast again... When Dad & I returned, I spoke to Paul Yi, a manager about this horrible stay, he told me he will e~mail me with some sort of resolution. I never heard from him again.
Mom sagely told me to give extra time to check out. The line is full at the front desk, so I go upstairs to the lounge, which knows me well by now and I’ve been told can check me out. Check out there takes 30 minutes. Mom is close to a heart attack, because she likes to be at the airport 3 hours before. We though checkout would take a maximum of 15 minutes. To add insult to injury while I’m waiting to check out in the 13th floor lounge, an attendant tells another guest that they should invite their friends who are staying a different hotel. So I can hardly get in the lounge, I have to sneak my mother in, am charged for access, can’t bring my father, but other people can bring guests, just as the platinum I knew from a previous trip did with me. That is a glaring inconsistency… but as I was told, I’m not entitled to full platinum “Priveleges” because I’m not paying a business rate.
As soon as I disembarked the plane, I called Starwood for a copy of the reservation. It states clearly that it includes breakfast, though it now shows me as having booked two rooms and having three guests. Something is really wrong with this property.
Bottom line: This hotel should not carry the Sheraton flag. With service like this, I recommend Starwood drop their association and invoke breach of contract clauses. I have a flyer from the hotel mentioning how this property was lauded by a business magazine in Asia. When I return from my next round of travel, I will be sending that magazine a courtesy copy of this letter, since they need to know how poor this property treats their guests. I am posting this to Flyertalk and TripAdvisor as well. I have never felt so strongly about poor treatment at any of my 500+ hotel stays. I did not sleep well there (noisy parties) or leave with breakfast (included in the rate) and was treated poorly the entire time, down to Manager Paul Yi’s assurance that he would contact me after I addressed my concerns with him. I think the entire amount of money I spent there should be refunded and the property should not carry the Sheraton flag.
-- CaptainG
Apr 4, 2009, 4:02 am
#40
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: somewhere north of stateside...
Posts: 4,153
Wow - this place is a bit of a dive. The rooms are really small and over-heated, there is an odd smell in the rooms (almost like scented candles) and I wasn't too impressed by the housekeeping either. The hotel seems to be filled with package tourists and airline crews.
Where the hotel is a huge let-down, though, is in the gym/pool. The equipment is extremely old, and the entire place looks bad. The men's changeroom is downright grotty (in the showers), and the wet floors looked like they hadn't been mopped all day. Probably the worst Sheraton I've stayed in.
The hotel needs a renovation from top-to-bottom, and until then I won't be back.
Where the hotel is a huge let-down, though, is in the gym/pool. The equipment is extremely old, and the entire place looks bad. The men's changeroom is downright grotty (in the showers), and the wet floors looked like they hadn't been mopped all day. Probably the worst Sheraton I've stayed in.
The hotel needs a renovation from top-to-bottom, and until then I won't be back.
Apr 4, 2009, 5:00 am
#41
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Carlton VIC
Posts: 1,420
The good news is that there are three other good SPG properties in the city. No need to stay at the Great Wall. It would be good to see the place refurbished to be able to compete more head-to-head with the Hilton just down the road. But if you absolutely need to be on the East 3rd Ring Road and want to stay at an SPG property, the Westin Chaoyang is your place.
Nov 30, 2010, 6:59 pm
#42
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Programs: AA Platinum, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 345
We just got back from a cash + points stay here. We were upgraded to a junior suite on the elite level and provided access to the elite lounge, which we really enjoyed. It seemed like the staff there really went out of their way to provide good service. They had a nice selection of three red and three white wines and when I switched to the Australian Shiraz after trying the Chinese wine, the staff member noticed and chatted with me about some of the feedback he was getting regarding the Chinese wines.
We found the food to be very good. The bacon and scrambled eggs in the morning along with a few types of dim sum were nice. I loved the dumplings and bao in the evenings.
We were flying out on the red eye and the staff was gracious enough to let us hang out in the lounge until closer to our departure time even though we had already checked out. I thought this property really went above and beyond for us and would definitely go back, since I think they are definitely trying hard to provide good service, especially in the elite lounge.
We found the food to be very good. The bacon and scrambled eggs in the morning along with a few types of dim sum were nice. I loved the dumplings and bao in the evenings.
We were flying out on the red eye and the staff was gracious enough to let us hang out in the lounge until closer to our departure time even though we had already checked out. I thought this property really went above and beyond for us and would definitely go back, since I think they are definitely trying hard to provide good service, especially in the elite lounge.
Nov 30, 2010, 7:35 pm
#43
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Programs: AC, AA, SPG, Hilton
Posts: 1,788
We just got back from a cash + points stay here. We were upgraded to a junior suite on the elite level and provided access to the elite lounge, which we really enjoyed. It seemed like the staff there really went out of their way to provide good service. They had a nice selection of three red and three white wines and when I switched to the Australian Shiraz after trying the Chinese wine, the staff member noticed and chatted with me about some of the feedback he was getting regarding the Chinese wines.
We found the food to be very good. The bacon and scrambled eggs in the morning along with a few types of dim sum were nice. I loved the dumplings and bao in the evenings.
We were flying out on the red eye and the staff was gracious enough to let us hang out in the lounge until closer to our departure time even though we had already checked out. I thought this property really went above and beyond for us and would definitely go back, since I think they are definitely trying hard to provide good service, especially in the elite lounge.
We found the food to be very good. The bacon and scrambled eggs in the morning along with a few types of dim sum were nice. I loved the dumplings and bao in the evenings.
We were flying out on the red eye and the staff was gracious enough to let us hang out in the lounge until closer to our departure time even though we had already checked out. I thought this property really went above and beyond for us and would definitely go back, since I think they are definitely trying hard to provide good service, especially in the elite lounge.
Dec 1, 2010, 8:45 pm
#44
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Programs: AA Platinum, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 345
Our room was average for a Sheraton. As most people know this property is the oldest international hotel in Beijing. It seemed to be updated in some respects, but the bathroom is still older. It did have two nice flat panel TVs and updated furniture. I found it a great value for the price compared to the Westin and St. Regis, which are obviously more expensive.
Dec 2, 2010, 12:09 am
#45
Join Date: May 2008
Location: 39°51'31"N 104°40'23"W
Programs: UA 1.5K MM/SPG Plat/Various Random Golds lol
Posts: 1,071
Our room was average for a Sheraton. As most people know this property is the oldest international hotel in Beijing. It seemed to be updated in some respects, but the bathroom is still older. It did have two nice flat panel TVs and updated furniture. I found it a great value for the price compared to the Westin and St. Regis, which are obviously more expensive.