Mayflower Hotel, Autograph Collection, Washington DC [Master Thread]
Jun 26, 2001, 9:01 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Lake Mitchell, AL
Posts: 41
Mayflower Hotel, Autograph Collection, Washington DC [Master Thread]
Has anybody stayed at the Mayflower Renaissance DC who would be willing to tell what kind of experience they had? Also, how convenient is it to sightsee from that hotel?
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Sandra
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Sandra
Jun 27, 2001, 7:44 am
#2
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Land of 10,000 Upgrades
Posts: 9,465
Mar 28, 2002, 11:25 pm
#4
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Programs: AA- Lifetime Platinum; Marriott - Lifetime Platinum: Starwood - Gold; IHG - Platinum
Posts: 2,201
I stayed there on an award/combination revenue visit March 2001. It was wonderful in every way. I liked its location. The rooms are lovely. We were a family of 4 and did not feel crowded at all. The lobby is vast and elegant. There seems to be a lot of thru traffic of pedestrians cutting the block. The staff was great. I cannot think of any negatives. I would go back without hesitation.
I did do a search on this board before I chose it over a year ago and I would suggest you do the same for some helpful info.
I did do a search on this board before I chose it over a year ago and I would suggest you do the same for some helpful info.
Mar 28, 2002, 11:28 pm
#5
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Programs: AA- Lifetime Platinum; Marriott - Lifetime Platinum: Starwood - Gold; IHG - Platinum
Posts: 2,201
Forgot to say that Sam is a bartender in the lounge. He does magic tricks which delighted my teenagers.
It was said that this bar was one of Monica Lewinski's favorite hangouts.
It was said that this bar was one of Monica Lewinski's favorite hangouts.
Mar 29, 2002, 12:04 am
#6
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: San Francisco
Programs: DL DM, 1MM AA PLT 2MM, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, and...Smiles Diamante
Posts: 2,783
Stayed there in January and was upgraded from a standard room to a junior suite -- I was Gold at the time. All in all, it was a very pleasant stay.
A search of previous comments will indicate that other folks have been happy with the Mayflower in the past as well.
A search of previous comments will indicate that other folks have been happy with the Mayflower in the past as well.
Apr 12, 2002, 11:42 pm
#8
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: NJ
Posts: 3,335
Walked at Mayflower. Thoughts?
Just got back from a visit to DC for a legal conference. The conference hotel was the Ren. Mayflower, at which I held a CONFIRMED, GUARANTEED reservation for 2 nights, Wed. the 10th and Thurs the 11th, checking out on Fri. the 12th.
I was at a court-ordered mediation in one of my cases in Scranton, PA all day Wednesday, and couldn't leave Scranton until about 5:30 p.m. Between dinner, construction delays on interstate, I arrived at the Mayflower at about 11:15 p.m. As it happened, just as I got to the front desk, the head of litigation for the insurance company client I had been representing in Scranton, and one of my partners, were passing by, so they all saw and witnessed what happened next.
Gave my credit card, reservation confirmation and Marriott number to the staff member (Aynab) at the Front Desk. He looked concerned. Let me check on this, he mutters, as he goes into the back room, and gestures for the other front desk person to come back there too. They are gone for about 5-10 minutes, while I am chatting with my client and partner.
Then, Aynab sheepishly comes out and announces that they do not have a room for me. I protest that I have a guaranteed reservation, confirmed with my credit card. Aynab confirms that I do have such a reservation, but that they are overbooked, and are trying to find me another room. I ask him--you mean you don't have ANYTHING left? No suite? Nothing? Nope, nothing, he tells me.
In a couple of minutes, they come back with the information that they have found me a room at the Capital Hilton, and will send me over there by taxi, and pay for the room there. Aynab also promises to upgrade me to a suite for the next night. I then have to apologize to my client and partner, and head over to the Capital Hilton by Taxi. My client very nicely volunteers to let me stow my heavy trial bag in his room until the next day.
I get to the Capital Hilton, give them the certificate that the Mayflower has given me, and they take a couple of minutes to check into it (I don't think the staff person had seen one before, and didn't know anything about it). They then offer me Room 1123. I go up to the room, to discover that it is a) small (hard to walk around the bed, because the room not very wide); b) a smoking room (which I hate-I call down to the desk and ask for another room, and they tell me this is all they have--I could definitely smell the smoke in the room, which irritated my eyes and sinuses); and c) right below a room whose toilet was running all night long, creating a lot of noisy pipes, waking me up constantly.
So, after a rotten night's sleep, I have to get up extra early so that I can again pack up, get in a cab, and get over to the Mayflower in order to get the continental breakfast at the conference, and be there for the start of proceedings at 8:15. I check my luggage, and by about noon, they have a suite available for me. I check into it, and it is indeed a very nice suite, with large living room and nice bedroom. They charge me the conference room rate for the suite for the night (about $215 or so, with another $35 in taxes, as I recall--don't have the receipt in front of me). Rest of the stay is uneventful.
So, my question--I lost time, sleep, whole incident was somewhat embarassing in front of one of my major clients, lost a night's stay credit for MR purposes, lost MR points I would have received, got put in a crappy smoking room, and just generally irritated the heck out of me at 11:30 at night when I had been working since 8 a.m. that morning in Scranton. What should I do? Any suggestions?
Let me add that, unlike the Doubletree incident with the infamous powerpoint presentation which made the internet some time ago, Aynab and his colleagues were genuinely apologetic about the whole thing. Got the name of the general manager of the Mayflower, George Cook, at checkout in the event I want to send a letter to him. I am not elite at Marriott this year, just a lowly MR member (albeit with a lot of lifetime stays and points to my credit). Thanks.
Djlawman
I was at a court-ordered mediation in one of my cases in Scranton, PA all day Wednesday, and couldn't leave Scranton until about 5:30 p.m. Between dinner, construction delays on interstate, I arrived at the Mayflower at about 11:15 p.m. As it happened, just as I got to the front desk, the head of litigation for the insurance company client I had been representing in Scranton, and one of my partners, were passing by, so they all saw and witnessed what happened next.
Gave my credit card, reservation confirmation and Marriott number to the staff member (Aynab) at the Front Desk. He looked concerned. Let me check on this, he mutters, as he goes into the back room, and gestures for the other front desk person to come back there too. They are gone for about 5-10 minutes, while I am chatting with my client and partner.
Then, Aynab sheepishly comes out and announces that they do not have a room for me. I protest that I have a guaranteed reservation, confirmed with my credit card. Aynab confirms that I do have such a reservation, but that they are overbooked, and are trying to find me another room. I ask him--you mean you don't have ANYTHING left? No suite? Nothing? Nope, nothing, he tells me.
In a couple of minutes, they come back with the information that they have found me a room at the Capital Hilton, and will send me over there by taxi, and pay for the room there. Aynab also promises to upgrade me to a suite for the next night. I then have to apologize to my client and partner, and head over to the Capital Hilton by Taxi. My client very nicely volunteers to let me stow my heavy trial bag in his room until the next day.
I get to the Capital Hilton, give them the certificate that the Mayflower has given me, and they take a couple of minutes to check into it (I don't think the staff person had seen one before, and didn't know anything about it). They then offer me Room 1123. I go up to the room, to discover that it is a) small (hard to walk around the bed, because the room not very wide); b) a smoking room (which I hate-I call down to the desk and ask for another room, and they tell me this is all they have--I could definitely smell the smoke in the room, which irritated my eyes and sinuses); and c) right below a room whose toilet was running all night long, creating a lot of noisy pipes, waking me up constantly.
So, after a rotten night's sleep, I have to get up extra early so that I can again pack up, get in a cab, and get over to the Mayflower in order to get the continental breakfast at the conference, and be there for the start of proceedings at 8:15. I check my luggage, and by about noon, they have a suite available for me. I check into it, and it is indeed a very nice suite, with large living room and nice bedroom. They charge me the conference room rate for the suite for the night (about $215 or so, with another $35 in taxes, as I recall--don't have the receipt in front of me). Rest of the stay is uneventful.
So, my question--I lost time, sleep, whole incident was somewhat embarassing in front of one of my major clients, lost a night's stay credit for MR purposes, lost MR points I would have received, got put in a crappy smoking room, and just generally irritated the heck out of me at 11:30 at night when I had been working since 8 a.m. that morning in Scranton. What should I do? Any suggestions?
Let me add that, unlike the Doubletree incident with the infamous powerpoint presentation which made the internet some time ago, Aynab and his colleagues were genuinely apologetic about the whole thing. Got the name of the general manager of the Mayflower, George Cook, at checkout in the event I want to send a letter to him. I am not elite at Marriott this year, just a lowly MR member (albeit with a lot of lifetime stays and points to my credit). Thanks.
Djlawman
Apr 13, 2002, 2:50 am
#9
Join Date: Jan 1999
Posts: 3,065
Just out of interest, when you knew you were going to be late arriving, why didn't you 'phone the hotel?
Did you give them an estimated arrival time when you booked (or the person who booked on your behalf)?
I appreciate the irritation, but in my view the fact that you were inconvienienced at 11.30pm is irrelevant - the time art that is - that is the time you chose to arrive.
If you are elite with Marriott, the compensation they shoudl offer you is pretty much detailed in the T&C's of their 'The Ultimate Reservation Guarantee'.
In such circumstances, I would not care about miles/points or stay credits, but that nights stay and associated expences shoudl certainly be on the house.
Nick
Did you give them an estimated arrival time when you booked (or the person who booked on your behalf)?
I appreciate the irritation, but in my view the fact that you were inconvienienced at 11.30pm is irrelevant - the time art that is - that is the time you chose to arrive.
If you are elite with Marriott, the compensation they shoudl offer you is pretty much detailed in the T&C's of their 'The Ultimate Reservation Guarantee'.
In such circumstances, I would not care about miles/points or stay credits, but that nights stay and associated expences shoudl certainly be on the house.
Nick
Apr 13, 2002, 7:44 am
#10
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Orange County, CA, USA
Programs: AA (Life Plat), Marriott (Life Titanium) and every other US program
Posts: 6,411
Since I almost never check into a hotel *before* 11pm, I disagree (respectfully) with the last comment. The Marriott guarantee says that an elite with a guaranteed room gets a room, no matter how late. (Now, if I was arriving after 3am, or something like that, I would try to call.)
In over 500 stays with Marriott there was only 1 time that they didn't have a room for me. (I had called to change my reservation - it was correct in Marsha (the main Marriott reservation computer) but the change didn't get transmitted to the hotel computer due to a glitch.) They were very apologetic and fully honored the guarantee - they paid for a room somewhere else that night and they had my check and my room night certificates waiting for me when I returned the next night.)
Re: compensation. See the Marriott Guarantee which, as the previous poster stated, is quite clear (and, IMHO, quite reasonable). The bottom line is that Marriott just about never "walks" an elite.
[This message has been edited by sbrower (edited 04-13-2002).]
In over 500 stays with Marriott there was only 1 time that they didn't have a room for me. (I had called to change my reservation - it was correct in Marsha (the main Marriott reservation computer) but the change didn't get transmitted to the hotel computer due to a glitch.) They were very apologetic and fully honored the guarantee - they paid for a room somewhere else that night and they had my check and my room night certificates waiting for me when I returned the next night.)
Re: compensation. See the Marriott Guarantee which, as the previous poster stated, is quite clear (and, IMHO, quite reasonable). The bottom line is that Marriott just about never "walks" an elite.
[This message has been edited by sbrower (edited 04-13-2002).]
Apr 13, 2002, 7:47 am
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2001
Programs: DL GM, AA Gold, Hilton Diamond, Bonvoy Plat
Posts: 12,171
It strikes me that while the situation stunk (literally), Marriott lived up to their end of the bargain. Had they not found you a room somewhere else, and not acted apologetic, you'd have more to complain about (like the "Yours is a Bad Hotel" presentation). I don't think you have any thing to be embarassed about, how is it your fault that they gave away your room?
Putting you in a suite for your subsequent nights was a nice touch.
[This message has been edited by skofarrell (edited 04-13-2002).]
Putting you in a suite for your subsequent nights was a nice touch.
[This message has been edited by skofarrell (edited 04-13-2002).]
Apr 13, 2002, 8:07 am
#13
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: SJC/SFO/OAK
Programs: DL PM, SW, Hilton, , UAL PM, AA Gold-skeptic
Posts: 1,632
Also, the problems with the room at the Hilton are an issue to be dealt with by Hilton. Marriott acted in good faith by walking him to the Hilton, which is by all accounts a fine hotel. If the poster had a lousy experience there, due to the condition of the room, it's Hilton's problem. Sounds like they kept the "last sell" room unoccupied for a reason, that being they didn't want to *iss off their own customers, but that doesn't validate putting you in there. They shouldn't have taken the "walked" reservation in the first place.
Apr 13, 2002, 8:44 am
#14
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: NJ
Posts: 3,335
I did not call the hotel ahead of time because I do not consider an 11 p.m. check-in with a guaranteed credit card reservation to be late. After all, that's why they tell you they have to have your credit card anyway, in case you have not checked in by 6 p.m., so that they will have some guarantee that they are going to get some revenue out of that room for a paying guest.
I have checked into literally dozens of hotels at 11 or 12 at night in the last 20 years, without a similar problem. The problem is not that I arrived at 11:15 p.m. They had my credit card guarantee, and I am quite sure that if I had not shown up, my credit card would have been charged for a night's stay (even though they had no available rooms).
Djlawman
I have checked into literally dozens of hotels at 11 or 12 at night in the last 20 years, without a similar problem. The problem is not that I arrived at 11:15 p.m. They had my credit card guarantee, and I am quite sure that if I had not shown up, my credit card would have been charged for a night's stay (even though they had no available rooms).
Djlawman
Apr 13, 2002, 9:45 am
#15
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: SJC/SFO/OAK
Programs: DL PM, SW, Hilton, , UAL PM, AA Gold-skeptic
Posts: 1,632
Guarantees don't mean anything in the world of hotels, unless you are an elite.
They will still overbook by a % of arrivals; achieving a "perfect sell" (no walks, no empty rooms) is the goal, which is a hard to come by commodity. They will charge the "no shows" no matter what; it's just gravy. In the hotel's mind, the chances of you actually showing up are a "calculation".
You have limited options to ENSURE that you get a room, even if you guarantee with a credit card: Become an Elite member of their program, or, call the Front Desk manager on duty after 3pm (the shift when the "walking" begins) and tell him/her that you are DEFINITELY coming, or, check in early if you can.
Even if you do the above, the best bet is to check in early (or have someone do it for you) or be an Elite...most programs have a "No-Walk Guarantee", in which they have to fork over big bucks if they don't honor the reservation. Most hotels will be content to walk non-elites while holding rooms for no-show elites (and in some cases waiving the no-show charge for the elite...) as part of the cost of doing business.
Trust me on this issue, I have a great deal of experience in this matter!!!
They will still overbook by a % of arrivals; achieving a "perfect sell" (no walks, no empty rooms) is the goal, which is a hard to come by commodity. They will charge the "no shows" no matter what; it's just gravy. In the hotel's mind, the chances of you actually showing up are a "calculation".
You have limited options to ENSURE that you get a room, even if you guarantee with a credit card: Become an Elite member of their program, or, call the Front Desk manager on duty after 3pm (the shift when the "walking" begins) and tell him/her that you are DEFINITELY coming, or, check in early if you can.
Even if you do the above, the best bet is to check in early (or have someone do it for you) or be an Elite...most programs have a "No-Walk Guarantee", in which they have to fork over big bucks if they don't honor the reservation. Most hotels will be content to walk non-elites while holding rooms for no-show elites (and in some cases waiving the no-show charge for the elite...) as part of the cost of doing business.
Trust me on this issue, I have a great deal of experience in this matter!!!