ajamieson

I agree, there is ambiguity. I was pleased that he seemed willing to address it anyway.

alfagirl

The following is the response I received from the W South Beach re: upgrades to anything other than a Fantastic Suite. Goider's posts re: Oasis and Mega suite upgrades means that he is indeed one very lucky SPG member and books when the exceptions come into play. Also note that this is from an 'executive assistant' (I guess my plat status does not warrant a response from anyone farther up the food chain). I did send her a response over one month ago and she never replied.


"Hello Ms. Alfagirl:

Thank you very much for taking the time to provide us with your feedback. I wanted to personally follow up with you on the concerns you expressed regarding your recent stay with us.

We at the W South Beach strive to have the finest in guest services, food and beverage and accommodations. Therefore, the quality of the guest experience is of the utmost importance to us.

It is always a disappointment to hear from one from our guests that their needs were not met. While compliments are nice to receive, it is constructive criticism, such as yours, that helps us pinpoint areas where corrective measures are necessary to bring us closer to our service goal. I am glad to hear you received exceptional service from Marc Zuccaro. I have passed your comments along to the team!

I have investigated the issues you reported to us. I am sorry to hear of the negative experience you encountered with Mr. Didier Ambroise. It is correct that the Oasis room is a premium suite. SPG members are entitled to a complimentary upgrade, based on availability, up to a Fabulous Suite. Anything beyond a Fabulous Suite is considered a premium suite and would require an additional upgraded cost. At times when the hotel is at maximum capacity, rooms and guests do get shifted around, resulting in additional upgrades for SPG priority guests.
If your travels bring you back to Miami Beach, please let me know and I will ensure to prioritize your next reservation with us.

Again, I apologize for the disappointing experience you had while visiting our hotel. Please let me know if I may be of additional assistance.

Warm Wishes,

XXXXXXX
W South Beach

myperks

with all due respect, a little DYKWIA mentality? what would have been different if someone "higher up in the chain" responded and what has platinum status (ok, maybe a little) have to do with getting a response? Hopefully, everyone with an inquiry to a hotel will get a response.

going to miami during the summer and hope to stay at this property...

alfagirl

I disagree. They can see I am platinum (among other things) from my account, so they know all that they need to know about me. I mentioned it because someone else in this forum got a response from the GM of this property.
The fact that this person offered her services and then didn't respond when I took her up on it implies that this was a 'check the box' kind of response, which I think is unacceptable. If she had continued her interaction with me I would not have even mentioned her title in my comment. Usually those higher up in the chain make sure to follow through and make sure the customer is satisfied (could come with experience, education).
Platinum status has to do with loyalty. My company could take their business elsewhere. Others who book a hotel based on rate alone (for example) have different priorities.
Everyone should get a response when they make an inquiry, I never said or implied otherwise. We once did a test and the inquiry from the platinum got the quickest response 5 times out of 5.
Have a great time in Miami - the W is beautiful.

goider

I'm sorry if I have caused any confusion here. My original post never mentioned what kind of room I got upgraded from on my stay.

Back in September, I was upgraded from a standard studio (most basic room) to an oasis suite.

During my stay for WMC last week, I was upgraded from on oasis suite to a mega suite.

Hope this helps.

GINZ

I also stayed at the W last week during the Winter Music Conference.
I used my SPG points to book a Fantastic Suite. Based on the floor plan on the hotel web site, this suite appeared it would accommodate myself and my girlfriend, as well as another couple...the extra bathroom would be key.
We arrived early in the day and were told that the room was not ready yet.
We headed off the Loews for breakfast (which I suggest to anyone visiting SoBe! Try the Banana Split!!)

We returned around noon and after some prodding, the attendant was able to locate a Fantastic Suite that was ready.
We arrived in the room and I quickly noticed that this was nothing like the floor plan on line. I called the front desk assuming they just threw us in a lower suite.

I was told that the hotel has a few versions of what they call a "Fantastic Suite" and that the floor plan online was just one of them.
I explained why I chose that particular suite and how this one would not work for us...the other couple didn’t want to have to walk through our bedroom to get to the bathroom at all hours of the night.

Unfortunately the hotel was at capacity and we could not be accommodated with the room we wanted. I ended up accepting a refund of 7,500 pts per night of my stay...which I've only seen one credit of 7,500 so far but expect the other 15k shortly.

The other couple ended up going off on their own and booking a room at another hotel just for comfort reasons.

As far as the hotel, it’s gorgeous.
The bathroom was huge with a great shower. The sink didn’t drain all that well, but that wasn’t a big deal.
The bed was a dream to sleep in!

We only passed through the pool as it filled up quickly, but it was on the small side based on the size of the hotel, but it had a cool trendy feel to it.

I only ate at the hotel on my last morning for breakfast.
Very disappointing! VERY overpriced and mediocre food at best. Again, for breakfast, head over to the Loews hotel or down to Lincoln Rd. I paid over $50 for an omelets and a bowl of oatmeal!

Upon checkout I noticed a bunch of charges that were in error...valet parking, munchie bar charges that were not correct, etc...
It's taken a few repeat calls to clear the charges up, but it appears things should be in order soon.

Overall, I would stay there again, but only on award stays.
$500+ per night is a bit above my means for a quick Miami getaway.
I will say that the service I received from the front desk to the house keeping was superb!

JFKSFOLAX_friend

I don't know about you, but for the price point of this property, the "little" things noted above would start to annoy me. It's not like this hotel opened a month ago...or even two.

Incorrect bills...and, worse yet, multiple calls needed to resolve. Multiple calls to get a full refund of points. Mediocre overpriced food.

Hmmm....at this price point, the service should be flawless, no?

Peatisback

I kind of agree...

ajamieson

An update on the feedback I filed with CCS about this property. I have since received an email from an Executive Assistant at the hotel - not sure where he comes in alfagirl's food chain - promising a refund of 20,000 SPG points. While this is not what I paid for the stay (42,000), it is a good gesture in light of the denial of the upgrade even though a suite was available, the attempt to sell a late checkout and the other service kinks.

It is worth noting that I did have to 'push' CCS to get the property to respond as both seemed to think the GM's disclaimers about the hotel (posted earlier) were sufficient redress. Interestingly, the email promising the points came to the one I use for Flyertalk and not the one I had used for the original complaint file Furthermore, no thanks to CCS who sent five emails from four separate agents, none of whom had clearly bothered to read the original. This is the second time I have dealt with CCS in two years, and the second time the service has been akin to the worst Indian call centre you can think of.

At least we now know where we stand with regard to upgrades...

JFKSFOLAX_friend

Not to volunteer his services, but perhaps William can dig a bit into this aspect? This doesn't seem too good.

ajamieson

Quite possibly. The hotel responded promptly and, in the end, to my satisfaction; the emails from CCS read like they are written either by robots or very incompetent humans. I suppose the end result is what matters

Edit: please forgive my bad manners in forgetting to say 'thank you' to you and others who suggested I raise a file with CCS in the first place ^

Non-NonRev

In fairness to the GM's response, the use of "private" to describe the style of balconies at the W South Beach is very widely in hotel room descriptions. As an example, I looked at the websites of two hotels I have recent stayed at that have a similar physical structure (wide, mid-rise buildings with an individual balcony for each room), and both of those hotels, the Hyatt Century Plaza and the Sheraton San Diego & Marina, both use the exact word "private" to describe their balconies.

Plus, is there really a rational expectation of a completely secluded, obstructed-from-public-view balcony in any hotel located in an urban setting? Yes, the W South Beach is oceanfront, but it IS situated in a densely built-up urban space.

nfg05

I'm at the W SoBe every week and these things do annoy me. One example:

1. Was informed at check-in my rate included free internet.
2. When I tried to log on, the system was charging me although I put in my name. I called down to the desk who said that's normal and it will be credited when I see the final bill.
3. When I wait in line downstairs to REQUEST the final bill (they don't slip it under the door), the charge is still there.

Refunded the charge but this should not happen at a $500+ hotel.

Also, every time I call down for a wake up call they ask me if I'd like to order room service breakfast, although 9 times out of 10 I've already placed an order via the phone (not hanging it on my door) at least 30 minutes before asking for the wake up call.

JFKSFOLAX_friend

Yes, 100% agree. That would drive me nuts, especially since it is sooo easy to correct.

Not that big of a deal, in my opinion.

JBauer

Coming in for a weekend and must fly into FTL. I know it's only a 30 min drive, but don't want to rent a car then pay to park it. Anyone done this trip by taxi? Any other options? Shuttles to SB? Not interested in buses and do see there is a train...