Sorry for the delay in responding, but we spent the rest of the time in London trying to enjoy our visit as much as possible, followed by a day in travel home and back to work today.

Let me try to respond the best I can to the various comments over the past day or two:

I told them that the only compensation that I felt would justify the night of no sleep would be for a refund of that night's lodging -- which I knew they could not do as it was prepaid through Priceline.

I wanted a good night's sleep. As it turned out, my partner was not asleep at the time -- although I didn't realize it. I was trying not to disturb him.

I STRONGLY disagree with you that the hotel did everything they could do. By the time I called the first time, they were aware of issues with that room. When hotel staff visited the room three times in the hour after my first complaint -- meaning there were obviously additional complaints being made by other guests -- they should have realized this was not a situation where someone was being a bit loud but a full-fledged party in an area of the hotel where other guests were trying to sleep.

One comment I overheard from a hotel staff member to the guest in the room was "If you wanted to hold a party, you should have rented a function room."

I paid exactly what the hotel told Priceline to offer the room for. I wasn't looking for turndown service. I wasn't looking for a chocolate on my pillow or a bathrobe. Just a good night's sleep.

Not quite.

On Sunday morning, I went down to the front desk and spoke with the desk clerk. She had heard about the issue the previous nigh and immediately offered us breakfast that morning and the following morning. I told her that is not something that would be of benefit to us and asked if the same group would be staying in the room in question the next night. When she said yes, I asked to speak with a manager.

When a manager arrived, I told him I expected to be moved to a new room and that the previous night had been the worst ever experience I had had in a hotel (which is true). At that point, he offered a room on the executive floor. I wasn't going to decline that, but there was nothing more (i.e. a refund) that the hotel could offer, as it was a Priceline stay.

I didn't ask to be moved to the executive floor -- I just wanted as far away from my old room as possible.

Greg

deleted, company policy

Reminds me of something that happened several years ago. (It was a Raddisson property.) There was a smell. At first it was in the hallway, but after awhile, it was overpowering our room. We tried to just wait for it to go away, but finally had to call the desk.

As I started to try to explain the smell, the desk clerk told me I didn't have to go into anymore detail. It seems that everyone but us and the person in the room next door had complained. Staff had been on the floor, but were trying to figure out if the smell was coming from our room or the other room, as we were the only two rooms from which there had been no complaint, and the smell was strongest at our doors! My call solved the mystery.

It turned out there was a disturbed person with something disturbing in the next room. Police, and then an ambulance, were summoned, and we were all moved to the other side of the hotel and comped.

Yeah, you can tell the difference in the voice at the front desk between them hearing a complaint for the first time and you being another proverbial straw on the camel's back.

After a complaint through the Marriott website, the personal assistant to the hotel GM emailed me.

The email contained an apology stating what happened was a "one time thing" and offering an upgrade if I ever return.

I replied that I felt this was unacceptable as the hotel did not offer the basic service they provide -- a good night's sleep. No response.

I'm very disappointed in this hotel's handling of the situation in many ways.

Greg

Sounds like you have wrung just about every ounce of blood out of that turnip...time to move on.

You keep saying this but, as several of us have noted, it IS possible and relatively easy for the hotel to do.

Perhaps you meant to say that you didn't know it at the time?

CJ, in case of the former, can you give me details on the latter...:D

Sounds like you have wrung just about every ounce of blood out of that turnip...time to move on.

+1

It sucks, they offered very reasonable compensation, you didn't accept, and now life goes on. I just don't think it's that big of a deal. If the hotel had not offered free breakfast I would have been peeved but once they did that I think that's about it. We have all had bad night's sleep due to loud hotel neighbors.

I don't know if it would still work but in 2003 I managed to cancel a Priceline hotel stay because my father had a health problem preventing him from traveling. At that time advertised policy was no refund with no exception...it appears they did (and maybe they do) exceptions.