CD747

I'm sure we're all grateful for the input of our Starwood Lurkers on this board. Doubtless they do a lot to assist users. But I have heard from quite a few sources that there is correlation of accounts and activity on Flyertalk and I do wonder what precisely their involvement is, given that many public queries could be answered by anyone. To what extent is activity on FT monitored by our Lurkers? I noted a thread a while ago that included a lurker openly requesting Starwood IDs.

I'm sure we all appreciate that a lot of hot air gets discussed on this forum... some of it on the threshold of acceptableness... much of it that may or may not be true... and it would be interesting to know how active SPG is in tracking behavior. I certainly hope they would not consider offhand comments on this web site to be a springboard for account investigations etc, but with the number of people who have cited difficulties on here I'm not 100% certain! The ultimate worry is that, if this does indeed go on, it would have a chilling effect on discussions which is of course bad for all.

I would be grateful for your thoughts and reassurance!

Thanks!

KENNECTED

Honestly, we're all entitled to our opinions, but this sounds like a post with more to it. You cite several sources but don't provide, the sources.

Personally, I've found William (since he is the original), Thyetus and company to be professional at all times transparent. They are a wonderful "virtual" face of the company. The only things the haven't been transparent about are about certain corporate functions and I find that understandable.

As the Lurkers are known company representatives, do the discussions of their actions violate an FT T&Cs?

CPRich

I've been on this board for 10 years, and SPG PLT for about the same amount of time, following both quite regularly...

...and I have no idea what you're talking about. Can you point to "number of people" here who have cited "difficulties" correlated with FT comments?

Of course they do.

I've PM'd William numerous times for help, and am certain he and SPG know who I am, via FT handle and SPG account number. In fact, iirc (and I'd need to dig up the reference), there was a paper published relating SPGs correlation of social media activity of their members. Pretty much like almost any company with any semblance of a customer relations/marketing organization does these days.

I personally don't find this "chilling". Especially compared to Facebook stalkerazzi and other social media.

Getting Personal with Digital - Mastering the digital revolution in the lodging industry

IluvSQ

I have asked lurkers for help a couple of times, and of course PM'ed ( using my
FT nom de plume) and gave them my real name and account number.
So they could easily track my posts with and match them with my real name,
if they had the time and inclination to do so. So what?

WhatsInYourBackpack

Yet another reason for me to not bother figuring out how the twitter machine works (if things like Justin Beiber being on it weren't enough already).

TravelinSperry

Agreed. So what?

And the GM's do it too. I PM'ed a GM about a suggestion/complaint but didn't provide my real name. He PM'ed back and said Dear Mr. xxxxx (my real name!). So they definitely figure it out. It was a bit off putting at first, but so what? I'm not anonymous to Starwood, although solely for privacy (SPAM) reasons I prefer to be here. I post on Facebook to business pages and that shows my real name. And again, so what?

tfong007

I have also asked the lurker for help. Very positive experience.

roverkt

I think it makes sense for at least the Lurkers to have a way of keeping track of FT monikers with actual accounts, so that if a guest encounters issues it wouldn't be necessary for them to ask each time who you are in real life.

As to whether this information is used for other purposes is a grayer area, and I'm not sure if there's any legal/privacy issue raised by data mining on the basis of a guest's online persona.

From the perspective of a forum user though, one positive spinoff is that it encourages some degree of accountability in postings here, since one is no longer anonymous to SPG. If the content you post is in good faith and truthful I don't think there's a cause for concern.

On a side note, I've previously gone directly to a Lurker for an issue I faced with Starpoints at a property, instead of posting my woes here first, and I've found the issue to have been resolved quite effectively. This raises the question whether posting problems on a public forum should ever be the first resort to resolving it, although I still think some properties do deserve to be shown up for their gross failings, and of course stellar successes.

If they haven't already, properties should be aware that areas they lack in can quickly become a topic of discussion in public by a group of discerning travelers (and picked up by less frequent travelers who browse forums like FT), and that top line can be negatively impacted if no remedial action is taken.

BenSenise

this is an interesting and very topical subject with the current coverage of the snowden leaks.
it is absolutely possible and almost trivial to associate a forum ID with a real-life person. If you post that you stayed at the westin tokyo last friday and then some other time you post that you stayed at the westin paris on a certain date, it's easy to figure out who you are. there are technical means like your IP address on this forum (if the lurkers see them) to your IP address when you log into spg.com. there are many ways to do this so yes, it is feasible.
now the question is: do they blanket surveil forum posters? my guess is that it would not be economically beneficial for them to do so. if you're a trouble maker online and on their properties, perhaps. maybe if you're a super big spender and/or influencer they might keep an eye on what you say. i would be extremely surprised if spg has any interest in associating my FT handle to my real identity although it would be absolutely trivial to do so with the posts i have made about some of the properties i have stayed at. and personally, i don't mind if they do.

TravelinSperry

I did the same. I contacted a GM directly (he comments from time to time on his properties master thread) rather than complain here. I wanted to give him the opportunity to correct the issue first. He did. And he was very thankful I gave him the opportunity first rather than post it for all. Sometimes you have to give a hotel a chance to do right by us.

BigBopper

Yes, they in fact do connect us with our accounts. I believe William has stated so (it must have been 6 or 7 years ago and no clue what thread). However, my experience has been that we voluntarily give them our info when we have a problem (that they help solve) and then if we post about another problem they're proactive in solving it.

I'm not really big on being tracked and having notes written about me by a company but my experience with the Lurkers has been nothing but positive. If they're using the information other than anything I stated they're doing a damn good job of hiding it!

holtju2

The FT handle and your SPG number are recorded to an internal database that can be accessed other than Lurkers as well. So, if you don't want your online presence connected with your SPG account and other information, you should not be in contact with the Lurkers.

When I have time, I will request a data dump from SPG/Starwood regarding my account per EU legislation that they must furnish.

Dr. HFH

Authority?

holtju2

As high as it can get with SPG.

Vuelos

Yes, they do.