St. Regis - Washington D.C. post renovation 2008 on [Master Thread]
Sep 16, 2009, 12:49 pm
#46
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i don't know whether the luxury collection or the st. regis are supposed to offer the platinum amenity points or not but i have received the points on both my stays at the st. regis dc & i also got the points on my most recent stay at a luxury collection poperty in india....
Sep 16, 2009, 3:47 pm
#47
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Perhaps Lurker could update this link with what one should expect with regard to aloft and element properties, when he has some time.
Sep 16, 2009, 3:54 pm
#48
Company Representative - Starwood
Join Date: Nov 2000
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Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
[email protected]
Sep 17, 2009, 2:58 am
#49
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Sep 18, 2009, 10:03 pm
#50
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They must have PLT fatigue at the St Regis. I would rather have 500 points than this special Platinum welcome amenity last week:
Bottle of still water, banana, and plum. If this is all the hotel can do why even bother????
Bottle of still water, banana, and plum. If this is all the hotel can do why even bother????
Sep 20, 2009, 6:41 pm
#51
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 544
Agree but they did import that sparkling water all the way from France. Was not very impressed by the St. Regis Washington D.C. It's been many years since I stayed here last and I used a FWN and it didn't seem to me like it should be ranked as one of Starwood's top properties. The room seemed tiny. There was a good amount of staff by the door but they never seem to hold the door for the guest and seem to linger and chat with each other. I had a double bedded room and since I was told that the hotel was 70% occupied, there were no upgrades to be had so it seemed I had a superior room and it was quite tiny.
It is one block from the White House and parking was readily available on the streets on the weekends. The health club is tiny but for $15, they will grant you access to the University Club. I didn't take advantage but FYI.
It is one block from the White House and parking was readily available on the streets on the weekends. The health club is tiny but for $15, they will grant you access to the University Club. I didn't take advantage but FYI.
Sep 21, 2009, 4:44 pm
#52
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: IND
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Posts: 434
Anyone have a manager e-mail?
I stayed here this past Friday-Monday and everything was fantastic. I wanted to let the manager know abut the exceptional service of the concierge in particular. Does anyone have an email to use? Thanks!
Also, I was using the FWN promo and was upgraded to the St. Regis Suite. Absolutely amazing.
Also, I was using the FWN promo and was upgraded to the St. Regis Suite. Absolutely amazing.
Sep 21, 2009, 6:58 pm
#53
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Sep 21, 2009, 8:32 pm
#54
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Sep 21, 2009, 9:39 pm
#55
Company Representative - Starwood
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Singapore
Programs: SPG
Posts: 4,002
I stayed here this past Friday-Monday and everything was fantastic. I wanted to let the manager know abut the exceptional service of the concierge in particular. Does anyone have an email to use? Thanks!
Also, I was using the FWN promo and was upgraded to the St. Regis Suite. Absolutely amazing.
Also, I was using the FWN promo and was upgraded to the St. Regis Suite. Absolutely amazing.
There is no published email contact for this property currently. Therefore, you may like to write to SPG with your compliments and my colleagues will forward them to the property respectively.
[email protected]
Thyetus Lee | Online Forum Coordinator(AP)
Starwood Customer Contact Centre (AP) Pte Ltd
Sep 22, 2009, 6:29 am
#56
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Thanks!
Thanks for the contact info.
In regards to being lucky, I got to hear most of the wedding reception that was on Sunday night as well I had originally had a reservation at the new W DC, but I was with my parents who I figured would appreciate the 'glitz' of the St. Regis versus the club of the W.
In regards to being lucky, I got to hear most of the wedding reception that was on Sunday night as well
I had originally had a reservation at the new W DC, but I was with my parents who I figured would appreciate the 'glitz' of the St. Regis versus the club of the W.
Sep 29, 2009, 9:15 pm
#57
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: SEA - DL DM/2MM, *A Gold, SPG Lifetime Plat, some other car and hotel stuff
Posts: 5,649
I spent three nights at the hotel this past weekend, all on Free Weekend Nights.
Headline: Disappointing overall, but perhaps because I had lofty expectations.
We checked in late on Friday evening. We were assigned to a "Deluxe" Room on the top floor, which was billed as an upgrade vs. the "Superior" Room on our reservation. I knew from the website that this was not much of a room, and asked about suite availability. However, the hotel was sold out, which I knew from looking earlier at the website. I was disappointed but we were getting what we'd been promised, so no real qualms here. I should note that suites became available later in our stay (I know from overhearing others at check-in). I didn't ask to switch, nor was a switch offered.
I guess that our Plat amenity was the fruit and water shown in the photo above by holtju2. We didn't touch the water nor the somewhat pathetic looking fruit. So the amenity wasn't much to talk about, but again so what... we weren't getting any less than we'd paid for!
I guess I have a bigger beef with some of the inattentiveness of the staff. There was just an overall lack of attention to detail that was pretty consistent. For example, the shower head wasn't properly fastened and one sink didn't drain properly. After we asked them to look into it, only the shower head was properly repaired. Another example: I asked them to send 10 hangers to the room, and they sent 8. No big deal - we could make do, but I'd expect a St. Regis to bring 2 more than requested vs. 2 fewer. Another example: Our first night, the turndown service didn't include chocolates or mints or anything. So I thought, "that's chintzy, but I guess they don't have them." Then the next night, there was ONE chocolate left for us. That seemed even odder than no chocolates... why would they leave ONE in a room with two occupants? So here is another example: On our final morning, the housekeeper knocked on the door around 10am or so. We hadn't hung up our sign, so that was no big deal. We said we'd be out in 20 minutes or so and checking out. She said she'd return later. 5 minutes later, a different housekeeper knocked on our door. I'd expect this at Holiday Inn Express, but again, not at St. Regis.
I realize this is a laundry list of minor complaints, but it indicates an inattention to detail that shouldn't happen at a hotel of this caliber.
A few more quirks:
**There was a wedding at the hotel one night. The small hotel lobby outside the ballroom was being used for the cocktail hour. This was pretty awkward. So we take the lift down from our guestroom, the doors open, and the wedding guests are literally feet away, which servers circulating with passed apps and drinks. It didn't bother us, but we certainly wouldn't want to host a party this way.
**There was no such thing as butler service there.
**No iron in the guestroom, which is only notable because there was no such thing as butler service.
Now I am just piling on, but the shower was good but not great. It only came straight down, and was concentrated in too small a space.
TV in bathroom: very cool.
Let's talk about parking for a minute. Free parking was easy and plentiful on the street during the weekend. From Friday night through Sunday night, we parked directly across from the hotel entrance. Meters are off all weekend. So far so good. On Monday, there is no parking allowed from 7-930am. This is the case for all the surrounding blocks. So our plan was to put the car in a garage Sunday night for the day. Plenty in the neighborhood offer 24 hours for $16-22. BUT, most are closed the entire weekend, and ALL are closed Sunday night. So the only remaining option was the hotel. Hilton on the next block will valet for $35. St. Regis charges $40. We chose the latter. Oh well. By the way, the valet on Sunday night suggested a specific neighborhood garage, and claimed it would be open. It was not.
At checkout, I asked the desk clerk for the GM's card, thinking I'd send a quick note outlining some of our disappointments. The rooms manager was nearby and overheard my request and asked if he could help me. He really handled things professionally and courteously. I told him that there were no glaring problems with our stay, but a litany of "little things" added up to an experience that was not consistent with the St. Regis brand as experienced elsewhere. I outlined just a few examples (turn down service, hangers, repeat visits of housekeeper, etc.). He was receptive and jotted down all the notes. He mentioned that the inconsistency of the butler service across properties is the most frequent complaint that he hears. He was one week on the job, and said he plans to address such issues. He asked how often we come to DC. I said it had been a few years, and wasn't a frequent destination for us. He said that he likes to right things by making improvements and inviting guests back to experience them. So he said that he hopes we will come back as his guest in the future! I was really floored by such a generous offer. Not sure when/how we will take advantage. It isn't clearly if he was offering a one-night comp vs a one-stay comp... I don't want to be ungrateful, but the former wouldn't do much good as we aren't likely to pay the fare on an add'l night. So we shall see how/if we make use of the offer. But I do appreciate it, and hopefully this manager will work to improve the overall service delivery which will benefit everyone.
Headline: Disappointing overall, but perhaps because I had lofty expectations.
We checked in late on Friday evening. We were assigned to a "Deluxe" Room on the top floor, which was billed as an upgrade vs. the "Superior" Room on our reservation. I knew from the website that this was not much of a room, and asked about suite availability. However, the hotel was sold out, which I knew from looking earlier at the website. I was disappointed but we were getting what we'd been promised, so no real qualms here. I should note that suites became available later in our stay (I know from overhearing others at check-in). I didn't ask to switch, nor was a switch offered.
I guess that our Plat amenity was the fruit and water shown in the photo above by holtju2. We didn't touch the water nor the somewhat pathetic looking fruit. So the amenity wasn't much to talk about, but again so what... we weren't getting any less than we'd paid for!
I guess I have a bigger beef with some of the inattentiveness of the staff. There was just an overall lack of attention to detail that was pretty consistent. For example, the shower head wasn't properly fastened and one sink didn't drain properly. After we asked them to look into it, only the shower head was properly repaired. Another example: I asked them to send 10 hangers to the room, and they sent 8. No big deal - we could make do, but I'd expect a St. Regis to bring 2 more than requested vs. 2 fewer. Another example: Our first night, the turndown service didn't include chocolates or mints or anything. So I thought, "that's chintzy, but I guess they don't have them." Then the next night, there was ONE chocolate left for us. That seemed even odder than no chocolates... why would they leave ONE in a room with two occupants? So here is another example: On our final morning, the housekeeper knocked on the door around 10am or so. We hadn't hung up our sign, so that was no big deal. We said we'd be out in 20 minutes or so and checking out. She said she'd return later. 5 minutes later, a different housekeeper knocked on our door. I'd expect this at Holiday Inn Express, but again, not at St. Regis.
I realize this is a laundry list of minor complaints, but it indicates an inattention to detail that shouldn't happen at a hotel of this caliber.
A few more quirks:
**There was a wedding at the hotel one night. The small hotel lobby outside the ballroom was being used for the cocktail hour. This was pretty awkward. So we take the lift down from our guestroom, the doors open, and the wedding guests are literally feet away, which servers circulating with passed apps and drinks. It didn't bother us, but we certainly wouldn't want to host a party this way.
**There was no such thing as butler service there.
**No iron in the guestroom, which is only notable because there was no such thing as butler service.
Now I am just piling on, but the shower was good but not great. It only came straight down, and was concentrated in too small a space.
TV in bathroom: very cool.
Let's talk about parking for a minute. Free parking was easy and plentiful on the street during the weekend. From Friday night through Sunday night, we parked directly across from the hotel entrance. Meters are off all weekend. So far so good. On Monday, there is no parking allowed from 7-930am. This is the case for all the surrounding blocks. So our plan was to put the car in a garage Sunday night for the day. Plenty in the neighborhood offer 24 hours for $16-22. BUT, most are closed the entire weekend, and ALL are closed Sunday night. So the only remaining option was the hotel. Hilton on the next block will valet for $35. St. Regis charges $40. We chose the latter. Oh well. By the way, the valet on Sunday night suggested a specific neighborhood garage, and claimed it would be open. It was not.
At checkout, I asked the desk clerk for the GM's card, thinking I'd send a quick note outlining some of our disappointments. The rooms manager was nearby and overheard my request and asked if he could help me. He really handled things professionally and courteously. I told him that there were no glaring problems with our stay, but a litany of "little things" added up to an experience that was not consistent with the St. Regis brand as experienced elsewhere. I outlined just a few examples (turn down service, hangers, repeat visits of housekeeper, etc.). He was receptive and jotted down all the notes. He mentioned that the inconsistency of the butler service across properties is the most frequent complaint that he hears. He was one week on the job, and said he plans to address such issues. He asked how often we come to DC. I said it had been a few years, and wasn't a frequent destination for us. He said that he likes to right things by making improvements and inviting guests back to experience them. So he said that he hopes we will come back as his guest in the future! I was really floored by such a generous offer. Not sure when/how we will take advantage. It isn't clearly if he was offering a one-night comp vs a one-stay comp... I don't want to be ungrateful, but the former wouldn't do much good as we aren't likely to pay the fare on an add'l night. So we shall see how/if we make use of the offer. But I do appreciate it, and hopefully this manager will work to improve the overall service delivery which will benefit everyone.
Sep 30, 2009, 3:21 pm
#58
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: ATL
Programs: Delta Platinum, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Gold, Avis First
Posts: 150
Similarly, spent last weekend there. I spent Thursday night at a friend's place, and they couldn't check me in early in the day. Even after 3PM my room was not ready, so they gave me another room, which was a very basic two double bed rooms on the 3rd floor , no upgrades there. Wasn't really hung up on service, etc. As mentioned before, trying to move the bride out of the way so I can get to the elevator is no fun. Parking was easy over the weekend. I did park on a side street Sunday overnight, where you don't have to move the car in the morning. But ended up getting a parking ticket in the morning for not feeding the meter. $25 still cheaper than valet though.
Sep 30, 2009, 8:58 pm
#59
used to be 'Flyfarfar'
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: SE
Programs: DL, AA, SPG, MR, HGP, IHG
Posts: 660
I was at the St Regis this weekend as well.
No platinum amenity, but we did get a suite upgrade which was fantastic. We checked in aroun 3PMish.
The party on Saturday spilled over into the lobby since it was raining and they couldn't have the cocktail party on the patio.
The daily champagne in the lobby was nice, although we were not informed of it until our last evening when we were in the bar.
We didn't request or expect much service so no complaints there.
No platinum amenity, but we did get a suite upgrade which was fantastic. We checked in aroun 3PMish.
The party on Saturday spilled over into the lobby since it was raining and they couldn't have the cocktail party on the patio.
The daily champagne in the lobby was nice, although we were not informed of it until our last evening when we were in the bar.
We didn't request or expect much service so no complaints there.
Oct 12, 2009, 4:51 pm
#60
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: MD
Posts: 384
Stayed here a few weeks ago for a night on a FWN, but we were only in the hotel & room for a short period of time, so this review won't be thorough.
Check-in went ...smoothly? ...but there was some strange look on the FD rep's face and a little whispered, troubled discussion. Whatever. I will say that we chose the St. Regis over the W for the room size (the DC's W's smallest room is about 65% the size of the St. Regis'). For the minimal cost the St. regis seems to be over the W, I would personally choose the St. Regis for our next visit. One of my concerns was the potentially "Grandma chic" decor of the St. Regis, but I will tell you that the St. Regis was just as nicely and tastefully appointed as any Four Seasons I've stayed in and the bathroom was beautifully done with some gorgeous tile work. (I was less impressed than others by the TV in the mirror as I first saw that in a much less classy hotel nearly 20 years ago.) We parked for free (weekend) on the street, a half block from the hotel.
On the negative side, our interaction the various staff members was as hit-or-miss as any Four Seasons Hotel. Also, the butler service listed in our res was never mentioned and never materialized. Turn down service was minimal, just bed turned and a shoe shine tray left on it. Alas, we didn't really use any facilities like bar, restaurant, pool or fitness center, so no insight on that...
Check-in went ...smoothly? ...but there was some strange look on the FD rep's face and a little whispered, troubled discussion. Whatever. I will say that we chose the St. Regis over the W for the room size (the DC's W's smallest room is about 65% the size of the St. Regis'). For the minimal cost the St. regis seems to be over the W, I would personally choose the St. Regis for our next visit. One of my concerns was the potentially "Grandma chic" decor of the St. Regis, but I will tell you that the St. Regis was just as nicely and tastefully appointed as any Four Seasons I've stayed in and the bathroom was beautifully done with some gorgeous tile work. (I was less impressed than others by the TV in the mirror as I first saw that in a much less classy hotel nearly 20 years ago.) We parked for free (weekend) on the street, a half block from the hotel.
On the negative side, our interaction the various staff members was as hit-or-miss as any Four Seasons Hotel. Also, the butler service listed in our res was never mentioned and never materialized. Turn down service was minimal, just bed turned and a shoe shine tray left on it. Alas, we didn't really use any facilities like bar, restaurant, pool or fitness center, so no insight on that...