hillrider

LPM, be prepared to meet the law: http://www.ftc.gov/os/2012/11/121128...torsletter.pdf

Full thread at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...sort-fees.html

dcstudent

I refuse to pay resort fees. For that reason, I am unable to enjoy SPG properties in Hawaii and many other places. I hope this city "service charge" doesn't catch on or I may not be able to stay in hotels ever again.

But seriously, this is terrible. Who makes phone calls from the room phone? Also, why make me pay for a fitness center at all, let alone whether or not I use it? And internet is already free for me as a plat.

LPM's new slogan should be "LPM, where we do the bare minimum and stretch to make staying here as painful as possible.*"

*Subject to a $5 reservation fee, $10 front-desk fee, and a $7 elevator use fee.

Flews

Wow. A lot of outrage on this thread.

I wonder how many have actually stayed at Le Parker?

One of the reasons I stay there is because it is one of a limited number of *wood NYC properties that has a pool. Le Parker already charges a $10 daily fee, $15 for a family, to use the pool. So the new facilities fee, for us, actually saves us money. In fact, given what I spent for work calls on my last stay, I will ironically save quite a bit by paying this fee.

Carry on.

Cheers,

dcstudent

Flews, I have actually stayed and for you the $10 fee may be a good deal, but for me it's terrible. When I'm in NYC I'm out and about for work or pleasure, I'm not at the pool. I also have no need for local and 1-800 calls, I have a cell phone. Finally, I get internet as a Plat guest.

As such, the $10 fee is just a $$$ grab from me, it gives me absolutely no added value, but yet I'll still have to pay it.

It should be voluntary. If you want internet and the pool, sure, pay $10. But, don't make it a mandatory charge.

RLG

These are the same folks who offer a muffin and a cup of coffee as the platinum breakfast. Shouldn't be any surprise.

KSA_USA

I was actually thinking of trying this property next month. after reading this thread, I'll pass.

AJLondon

+1. ^

And yes, I too have stayed at this hotel multiple times over several years.

So, Flews, great that it works nicely for you, but please do have the courtesy to not dismiss other posts as either outrage or accusations of not having stayed at the property. Thanks.

tcook052

Agreed. My upcoming reservation weeks after this starts and the third week January shouldn't be a high season where I'd have to worry about access to facilities like the pool.

I did note the advisory but since I was planning on using the pool anyway during my stay the net effect to me is zero though as always YMMV.

TravelGuy1965

Another example why government regulation is becoming increasingly important in the travel industry.......

Its also a way to dilute the loyalty program.... Charge everyone including upper tier people for the perks they should get for free.

bdraco

If the price of the iced tea at the lobby restaurant wasn't enough to book away from here, this is.

wolfson292

This is also the same property where valet parking, means walking down the block yourself, carrying your own luggage in the rain, to a garage to pick up your car. The hotel refused to issue a refund of the difference in self and valet parking, but Amex felt bad enough about it and agreed it was fraudulent and they refunded the fee out of their own money.

Land-of-Miles

Looking at this objectively the organisation of the Parker is a very interesting model for a property. I have been thinking about this since my own most recent stay a couple of weeks ago.

Effectively they have a pretty basic but well equipped rooms which are decently sized but the property lacks a lot of the features you would expect of a proper full service hotel. Instead the space that would have traditionally been deployed to house them has effectively been handed over to standalone businesses.

The lack of a proper bar, restaurant or accessible gym arrangements is/was a fundamental fault. I was amazed that Sunday Brunch at Norma's was effectively just breakfast and thee were no alcoholic drinks available (or at least no menu or obvious means of ordering).

It feels like an attempt at a hotel form of low cost airline. Personally I prefer a hotel with a proper bar and somewhere I can get a proper breakfast if I choose without needing to make a reservation. Nice though the burger joint is the lobby ambience is awful with the burger joint queues and public transport style seating benches. I would prefer a proper hotel cafe/bar/restaurant. The room set up is good but not good enough to justify the lack of everything else.

If it were my property I would be concerned about this because they have the Parker sub brand running beneath the Starwood brand. I would certainly not be minded to stay at another Parker property if it followed a similar model.

LIH Prem

Rhetorical question I imagine?

You know that many of us stayed there when it was cat 4 and offered good value for points or c&p.

No doubt some people might benefit, but the problem is fee creep for things that should be included in the rate. Now it's just $10. How long until its $25 or more?

-David

Land-of-Miles

The whole issue of stealth fees which are unavoidable but which slightly reduce advertised headline rates are very familiar in the European LCC Airline market, which this property seems to emulate.

yvr76

I can't find the post, but William stated that this was unintentional, and that it would reappear in the T&C on next revision.

Has anyone called the property to find out if they are waiving this fee for Platinums? If the primary benefits are gym + internet, it's a bit ridiculous to have to pay it.