dsokolik

Here's the situation. We have 2 rooms booked for 3 nights in a suburban Sheraton outside Milwaukee using cash & points. We are due to arrive on this Sunday. Today, I called the hotel today to request adjoining rooms and they advised me that on the first morning of our stay the entire hotel will be without power from 9am - 2pm.

There had been no communication about this power outage and we wouldn't have found out at all without calling today. We have had these rooms booked for quite some time as it is during the Milwaukee Summerfest and we wanted to make sure we had rooms.

I asked if the hotel would provide some sort of compensation for the inconvenience and was told point blank that they would not and they suggested that we look for rooms somewhere else.

I checked the other two starwood properties in the area and they don't have any cash & points rates available at all!!

I find it absurd that they wouldn't at least offer breakfast or some other sort of compensation to make up for the lack of power, hot water and the use of the pool for the day.

Would appreciate any thoughts on what would be appropriate in that situation and what else we can do to try to get them to react accordingly.

LovetoTravel83

Maybe it was unexpected, I was at a hotel once when the alarm went off and the power was shut down, we couldnt go up to our room and waited at the lobby for some time, compensation never crossed my mind.

Totoro

How is this unexpected if today is Wed, and they already know about a power shutoff scheduled for Sunday?

I would include water and electricity as two items that one can reasonably expect during a hotel stay. If you cannot find better rates at another property, I would show up anyway and inquire about breakfast or other compensation at check-in. At worst, you could file a legitimate complaint with corporate customer service after your stay.

platbrownguy

You are entitled to $0.

You stated that you are arriving on Sunday. You stated that the power outage is scheduled for 9am - 2pm on Sunday. That would indicate that the power outage will be over before you are even a guest at the hotel.

Frivolous complaints and unwarranted gifts of "compensation" only serve to increase costs for the rest of us.

Assuming, for the sake of arguing, that the power outage continues beyond 2pm and beyond check-in time, and the hotel cannot give you a room with power, you might then legitimately request cab fare to a comparable hotel and cancellation of your stay without penalty, or something to that effect.

I can't see any reason why the hotel should have to call guests arriving after a scheduled power outage to inform them of that morning's events.

Also, the fact that hotels may allow you to check in early does not diminish the fact that you are arriving before check-in time and therefore are entitled to nothing before check-in time.

millere2

This was my first thought as well but after re-reading the post I think the OP means the first morning as in Monday morning.

mattsteg

There seems to be a lot of speculation that the power outage is Sunday. My initial interpretation is that it was Monday, the first morning that the OP would be in the hotel. I don't see anything about arriving early on Sunday, either.

Assuming the outage is on Monday, I would think the property should be able to do something for you if you are inconvenienced by not having power. I do not think it's unreasonable to expect your hotel to have electricity, and especially if hotel availability is tight you may no longer have access to the same rates and options as you did when initially booking.

If the power will be out Monday morning, I don't see it as unreasonable to push for more compensation, or even the hotel searching for suitable alternative accommodation for you - I don't see it as all that different from walking a guest, to be honest, and would not consider similar compensation unreasonable. You reserved and are paying for a room with electricity. For sure the "pound sand" attitude you say you got is unreasonable if the power will be out on Monday. They should be proactive in dealing with this.

If it's Sunday, you're owed nothing.

alpen1

Having worked for a Marriott hotel in an area prone to many power outages I can honestly say that unless the outage was during an event or for an extended period of time, maybe 12 hours or more, the guest would get nothing aside from an apology for the inconvenience. YMMV

dsokolik

Thanks for all the responses so far.

I'm sorry if I wasn't clear in my original post, but I did say that the power outage is scheduled for our first morning there....meaning Monday morning after our Sunday check-in. I wouldn't complain about it otherwise if it wasn't going to affect us, give me a little credit platbrownguy.

It's obviously not unexpected if they know about it already and are informing guests. It is related in some way to some type of renovation/equipment upgrade/construction on the property, it's not something that the hotel has a lack of control over.

mattsteg, your point about tight availability in the area (and expecially the lack of SPG points & cash rates) is exactly why i'm upset. We don't have much of a choice other than to suffer there or pay more elsewhere....neither of which are a good option.

However, I don't expect any better results by contacting the hotel in advance. My previous conversation was with the front desk manager. Unless i'm missing something.....should I contact SPG directly?? Looking for advice on how to encourage the hotel to do something for us.

Jesperss

What exactly do you want the hotel to do? Comp the night?

They've given you fair warning already. If the power outage is going to be an issue then book elsewhere.

How would the hotel throwing a chunk of points make the situation tolerable? If it's such an inconvenience then nothing short of having power the entire time would suffice.

RogerD408

Yes, do contact Customer Care and see what they might be able to do for you. They may be able to transfer your rez to another property so have an idea of which one may be acceptable to you.

Maintenance has to occur from time to time, but appropriate accomodations should be made. I don't know the extent of the work scheduled and what options the property has, but they don't seem to be considering guests needs a priority.

Out of my Element

Sounds like a great time to go out and familiarize yourself with Milwaukee!

Maybe get them to comp your breakfast elsewhere, if you were going to be eating at the hotel club lounge.

Better than it happening at night!

Flews

This is sort of where I'm at on this one too. If you absolutely need power that morning, then you need to book a room elsewhere.

While it would be a nice gesture for the hotel to offer ALL its guests some form of minor compensation for not being able to watch TV or whatever for a few hours, I wouldn't be too critical of the property if it didn't.

Cheers,

Hhonor Gguard

deleted, company policy

craz

had a stay last night @ a 4 Pts. Checked in went up to my room, bathroom was clean, a/c was on full , bed wasnt slept in, nothing on the floor that didnt belong etc etc What am I entitled to and what should I be Demanding!

you know after all if a Hotel gives me everything they are suppose to, heck thats not my fault.

I just remembered the hot tub wasnt working, the fact that they dont have 1 shouldnt be my problem, it simply wasnt working thats all thats Important

dsokolik

Yeah, you got what you paid for.

In this situation, I WONT. Part of the basics that a hotel should be able to provide to their guests are electricity and hot water.

Why should someone be expected to pay the same rate for a period of time where those basic items will not be provided??

Not to mention the amout of time it will take for the AC to get the room back to a comfortable temperature in this heat.

For those who say just book elsewhere....If I could get a similar rate I would, but I can't and don't feel like I should have to pay more due to this.

If it were just me traveling on business, i'd be out of the room by 9am without a problem.....but this is a family trip, trying to get the wife and kids all up and out the door before 9am is a monumental task. And telling them they can't swim.....dealing with that alone is worth compensation.

My point here is that regardless of how much of an inconvenience it is, why should the hotel expect guests to pay the same for a room without these basic provisions...the room isnt worth as much without power and hot water.....they should offer something extra to make up for the missing value.

For all of the haters out there....would you pay as much for a room without a bed??