Catman

If there is something missing or incorrect for those who were at this Sheraton please let me know.

Let me say: I think the fault for a less than spectacular stay lies NOT WITH STARWOOD but with the individual hotel.

It's little things that mean a lot to me. And it's those little things that got overlooked at the Sheraton New Orleans.

After the Flight from HECK! (Trip report to come later) I arrive at the Sheraton, really really desiring a nice big KING BED. I called earlier in the day and asked the hotel to hold a room, A KING BED ROOM!!!

It's 12:45am and the woman at the Starwood counter says "We are all sold out and all we can give you is a fold away on the 48th floor." I told her I booked this reservation through Starwood Vacations two and a half months ago and as a Platnium I should be getting a halfway decent room. She said "We don't block rooms for anybody."

She also said every single room was taken. I can come back later that day and get a new room.

I told her I have back problems and she said "Well We could give you a rollaway bed." SO I angrily and reluctantly took that bed and asked for the rollaway.

Checked my bags and got nice service there. After time with Quiet Lion and Hunnybear went to the 48th floor, the Hewey Long Suite. It's a parlor room with two bedrooms on either side. The room is very nice, nice view, big room, but that Fold away bed.

The rollaway never came. I decided to call it a night and just settle in the fold away bed.

Bed was ok, and luckily I didn't wake up with back spasms.

Then after waking up noticing: No robes and no Platnium ammendity kit.

So I went to the front desk and asked for both. They said ok we'll bring it later.

I also asked about changing rooms. The woman at the desk said "AH OH. We are completely booked and it will be difficult. If you can come back at 4pm we may have a room." I was so disgusted I said I'll live with the foldaway and reminded her I planend to write Starwood. She shrugged her shoulders.

Later heading Back to room for robe/amenity welcome kit: NOTHING.

Next day: Call and request them. Return later: NOTHING again.

Later that day: Third request: NOTHING. SO I gave up.

The icing on the negativity kit: video checkout did NOT work.

It's nice to be taken so seriously as a Platnium.

But the hotel has some positives:

*great Health Club as QUiet Lion and Hunnybear talked about. I walked through but did not use.
*Nice big bar and nice big lobby.
*The valet people are helpful if you need a cab or directions.

Maybe it was because I booked through Starwood Vacations??? If a booked a regular room I would have had better service?

So I have to give only ONE PAW and a LIMP TAIL to this hotel. Extremely disappointed.

Sorry Starwood but I think you need to take a closer look at this hotel. Thank you.

[This message has been edited by Catman (edited 02-21-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Catman (edited 02-22-2000).]

burkey

One paw, and a limp tail...

I have to agree with the Cat on this one. As only Gold with SW, I can't expect as much as Plat, but I do expect something. As the Cat said, no rooms were blocked for their elite guests, so I didn't even get a club floor room, let alone the king bed as requested upon making the reservations. No turn down service either, and my room carpet seemed to have been recently shampooed, and was sort of smooshy, and goopy to walk on. I had room service on two occasions, both of which were with prompt service 15-20 min, however the breakfast I had was average at best, but the worst part was the server didn't serve!! I was clearly going to eat right away, but he didn't set up the table, nor did he take the food from the warmer under the table-- it was that new self-serve room service I suspose. And lastly, no-go with the video checkout either.

Good things, as the Cat said were the bell service folks, good, prompt, and efficient. And also I needed a new iron in the room which was promplty delivered in 10 min. (I swear, I didn't break it... it turned out 1/2 of the electric outlet in the bathroom didn't work.)

GK

Guys, you had some serious bad luck. I hope you get some feedback from Starwood.

As you know I had a hysterical time over at the construction site soon to be rebranded as the W New Orleans. So when in town in future, that's my new recommendation. Solely on the basis that I had no lobby bar, no soap, no mini bar, no front desk, no elevator from the ground floor... but it was cool (you know I'm monochrome) and there were robes already in the room.

I should have sent the spare one over in a cab.. sorry guys.

MIKE MAHONEY

Sorry to hear about your situation
Mr. Catman.. Sounds like your
entitled to some type of compensation
my friend. Free nite or nites?
Similar situation happened to me in
Washington D.C. Sent a VERY specific
and very DIRECT disatisfaction letter
via overnight Federal Express to the
general manager of the hotel..With
the first sentence of my intro saying
"Is this anyway to treat one of your
best customers who spends THOUSANDS
of dollars out of HIS own pocket to
stay at hotels under your chain? Then
the specifics...on what occured..
COMPENSATION:Letter of apology and a
free weekend nite at that hotel.

SOLUTION: I will continue to do my
business with the hotel.: )

Regards,

Mike Mahoney

Catman

Also need to add (a positive

Poor Beckles did not eat anything with his family emergency. He hung out with us and later I took him and Burkey to my "suite." So I ordered room service for him and something for Burkey and me to snack on.

Food arrived in about 15 minutes and was still hot. Nice friendly room service attendant.

But again, the hotel still gets a One Paw up and a limp tail.

Loihi

CATMAN,
Never deal with the Front Desk. Most of them are good but when it really comes down to it the average FD only is there for about 6 mos to 1 year. Go to the FD manager or Front Office Manager. This usu. gets things done the right way. If it does not go to the GM

Catman

STARWOOD CARES!!!

Faster than the Road Runner I get this e-mail:

Mr. Blanchard (for the uninformed, that's my given name!)


I have reviewed your recent FlyerTalk posting describing your experiences at the
Sheraton New Orleans. I would like to take this opportunity, on behalf of Starwood
Preferred Guest, to apologize for the problems you encountered. I have taken the
liberty of forwarding a copy of your posting to our Hotel Coordinators, who are
responsible for property training and support, so that they may bring the matter to the attention of hotel management.

They also wanted to ask a question about what they thought was an error in my account.

THIS IS A FOUR PAWS UP REPONSE!! Thank you Hero at Starwood for caring.

That's all I ask of any compnay in customer service. Caring.

HEY! that could be a new campaign for Starwood.

THE WORD CARING IN GOLD AGAINST A SCREEN OF DIFFERENT IMAGES OF STARWOOD EMPLOYEES WHO CARE.

MIKE MAHONEY

Congratulations Mark, On getting that
quick response from Starwood.. I
applaud YOU> Starwood customer
service. I knew that Starwood would
get ahold of you. Based on previous
posts I have seen on the Starwood
board here at Flyer Talk. Way to go..
: )

Regards,

Mike Mahoney

shadow

Starwood CS comes through again...I think they are great! Glad to see they're still lurking here.

Catman, I'm glad you got a quick response, and would have been upset if you hadn't.

Eastbay1K

Yes, a response like that makes all the difference. I had a horrific stay at the Sheraton West Port Plaza a few months back, wrote what I thought was a well-crafted constructive letter to the general manager after my stay, and received absolutely no response whatsoever. I had a "joke" of a stay at a Hilton a few months ago and I e-mailed Hilton, and received absolutely no response.

DrAndy

Hi Cat,

Thanks for the report here. I'm presenting at a conference in NO next month & have been bugging my wife re: staying at a hotel where we could get points. She informed me that most of the 'points" hotels were too costly & weren't that good. When it comes to travel she knows best, & your report confirmed this!!




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QuietLion

Yes, there were an inordinate number of "minor" service problems last weekend at the Sheraton New Orleans.

1. No Platinum amenity.
2. Three times promised said amenity would be sent up (finally I got a bottle of wine for my trouble...very nice...but I wish they had just told me if they were out of amenity boxes, never did get a straight answer)
3. At least two lights burned out on the call buttons for the elevators.
4. No key in the in-room safe.
5. No robes in room...took two phone calls to get them and then they were REMOVED two days later and had to call again!

Diedre, the guest services agent at extension "4", was great, as was Anika the concierge. They seem to have a problem with blocking out good rooms for Platinums though. I would have been royally upset if Hunnybear and I had been assigned the living room of a suite with a fold-out bed. I thought that each of my concerns (except the dang amenity box) was addressed finally, but the agglomeration of minor issues resulted in a less than excellent experience.

TransWorldOne

Catman,

I believe that's the first time I've heard of someone getting stuck in a room without a bed! Am I correct in assuming this room was supposed to be a hospitality room or a meeting room, rather than a sleeping room?

rocky

Someone at Starwood must have given the hotel a scolding. I checked in today and was pre-assigned an executive suite. My only complaint is that it's so big that when the lady came for turndown (while I was napping) she couldn't hear me.

If anyone is in the Big Easy, drop me a note. I hate convention-going by myself.

QuietLion

rocky: I, and I'm sure Catman, are glad if our efforts paid off for you. Frankly the only reason I bother to give feedback about service problems is the hope that someone will care enough to improve them in the future so that I and others an continue to enjoy "my" hotel company even more.