What is appropriate compensation?
Jan 18, 2014, 7:09 pm
#16
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It's not clear to me, but weren't you indeed upgraded to a suite, thus the SNAs were redeemed? I'm not excusing the agent for possibly lying to you, just trying to understand if indeed you were upgraded, just not to the type of suite you desired. 
Jan 18, 2014, 10:00 pm
#18
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Jan 18, 2014, 10:09 pm
#19
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i had a similar problem with a stay about 6 months ago....i applied 5 suite nights & only selected the option for a junior suite....i was upgraded 5 days out but the night before my stay i noticed that the reservation had changed to a grand deluxe room....since it was too late to cancel either the suite nights or the reservation, i asked the property to return my suite nights since that was not the room i selected....i was initially told it would not be possible but with the help of the lurkers i was informed that the property would try to honour the original upgrade otherwise they would either return the suite nights or give me points as compensation....
in the end the property upgraded me back to the junior suite so it all turned out well....
Jan 19, 2014, 5:23 am
#20
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I was faced with a similar situation last year. My SNA was confirmed but at the hotel, there was no such suite available. After some discussion, the GM unequivocally stated the SNA could NOT be returned to my account. Ultimately, we agreed to settled at 20K points.
BTW it was a 4 Points, most definitely not a St Regis!
Cleo
BTW it was a 4 Points, most definitely not a St Regis!
Cleo
This is a bad one for a phone call as it happened in the past and there's nothing to fix right now. I would shorten the OP to 3 declarative sentences and ask for the return of the SNA.
If you don't get it, you are at a cross-roads. You can sue (and likely spend more time, effort money & then lose than it's worth) or you can stop using SPG (or both). Six months from now when they call to ask why you're not staying with them, tell them.
Practically speaking the grass isn't much greener elsewhere.
If you don't get it, you are at a cross-roads. You can sue (and likely spend more time, effort money & then lose than it's worth) or you can stop using SPG (or both). Six months from now when they call to ask why you're not staying with them, tell them.
Practically speaking the grass isn't much greener elsewhere.
The property has made a gesture to correct the service failure... it's just not one I can accept because it requires 26 hours of round trip flying they're not offering to cover.
I do anticipate that we'll come to an agreement, I'm just trying to gauge what others think is fair so that I'm able to stand up for myself enough, and at the same time not ask for something that others would consider absurd.
Only junior suites and st regis suites were available for SNA, and I chose st regis suite.
when you were selecting the suite type to upgrade to, was there also an option for a grand deluxe suite & if there was then did you select it????
i had a similar problem with a stay about 6 months ago....i applied 5 suite nights & only selected the option for a junior suite....i was upgraded 5 days out but the night before my stay i noticed that the reservation had changed to a grand deluxe room....since it was too late to cancel either the suite nights or the reservation, i asked the property to return my suite nights since that was not the room i selected....i was initially told it would not be possible but with the help of the lurkers i was informed that the property would try to honour the original upgrade otherwise they would either return the suite nights or give me points as compensation....
in the end the property upgraded me back to the junior suite so it all turned out well....
i had a similar problem with a stay about 6 months ago....i applied 5 suite nights & only selected the option for a junior suite....i was upgraded 5 days out but the night before my stay i noticed that the reservation had changed to a grand deluxe room....since it was too late to cancel either the suite nights or the reservation, i asked the property to return my suite nights since that was not the room i selected....i was initially told it would not be possible but with the help of the lurkers i was informed that the property would try to honour the original upgrade otherwise they would either return the suite nights or give me points as compensation....
in the end the property upgraded me back to the junior suite so it all turned out well....
In my view, the difference between a regular room and a junior suite (the only kind available for SPG redemption) is 16k points/32k points, so the established baseline is about 16k points per category per night. I was downgraded one category and should either have the SNAs returned, as they were not honored, or the hotel should give me 32k points for the downgrade of 2 nights. My preference would be the latter as I don't often stay in properties with suites I really consider "worth it," though this hotel was an exception.
In reality, the price difference of [junior suite - standard room] is actually much smaller than [st regis suite - grand deluxe suite] for 4-5 random 1 night bookings, so I do find that to be more than fair.
I'm guessing that those 32k points cost the hotel about $500, however that likely pales in comparison to the money they made by selling my St. Regis Suite and dumping me into an available other suite. The marginal cost of our occupying the room for 2 nights can't really be more than $100-200.
The St. Regis Suite looks like it usually goes for about $1300++/nt and was probably even more expensive for NYE. So assuming the other guest stayed 2 nights as well, they conservatively made about $3000 out of their shenanigans and lied to me and said the grand deluxe was a further upgrade.
Last edited by DC777Fan; Jan 19, 2014 at 5:36 am
Jan 19, 2014, 12:17 pm
#21
Join Date: Jun 2011
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Contact the hotel and inquire about the number of points it would take to book into a St. Regis Suite for this upcoming NYE and NYD. Do not inform them of your prior situation, etc. Since NYE is considered a premium date, it may have a higher redemption rate (e.g. - it is 16,000 points for a standard room on NYE and 12,000 on NYD). I would push for the total difference between the standard room redemption and the St. Regis Suite redemption. While you were upgraded with your SNA, it was not to the room you booked AND you were lied to by hotel personnel. This is not something to be expected from the St. Regis brand, especially not one in one of the richest cities in the world.
If the amount is 32,000 points per night, I would request them to credit you with 64,000 points. The difference between the room you booked and the one you were deceivingly placed in was $800/night for the 2014/2015 equivalent dates (based on the flexible rates, which are surprisingly much lower than the pre-paid rates ... the latter puts the difference around $980). This $800 would buy you roughly 46,000 points direct from SPG (at a rate that is more expensive than what they would be able to purchase them direct from SPG), so don't even feel remotely bad for asking for 64,000 points from them... it is still a bargain even for the would-be financial difference in value of the two upgraded rooms.
P.S. - A one-night room comp is a ridiculous offer to a foreign guest (unless said guest was a regular at the hotel, which I gather you are not). If I were you, I would separate ANY emotions of being the seemingly nice guy you are from this particular transaction. They treated you like a business transaction and you should approach this situation with the same attitude.
If the amount is 32,000 points per night, I would request them to credit you with 64,000 points. The difference between the room you booked and the one you were deceivingly placed in was $800/night for the 2014/2015 equivalent dates (based on the flexible rates, which are surprisingly much lower than the pre-paid rates ... the latter puts the difference around $980). This $800 would buy you roughly 46,000 points direct from SPG (at a rate that is more expensive than what they would be able to purchase them direct from SPG), so don't even feel remotely bad for asking for 64,000 points from them... it is still a bargain even for the would-be financial difference in value of the two upgraded rooms.
P.S. - A one-night room comp is a ridiculous offer to a foreign guest (unless said guest was a regular at the hotel, which I gather you are not). If I were you, I would separate ANY emotions of being the seemingly nice guy you are from this particular transaction. They treated you like a business transaction and you should approach this situation with the same attitude.
Jan 20, 2014, 6:33 am
#22
Join Date: Mar 2007
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If nothing else, post a review on the property's website.
Cheers,
Cheers,
Jan 20, 2014, 6:49 am
#23
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Jan 20, 2014, 9:30 am
#24
Join Date: Jun 2011
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They allow you to guarantee a booking into a specific suite, if available and selected and accepted. Based on what was said, he selected a St. Regis Suite and his SNA request was accepted by the hotel. The hotel is in default of a contractual obligation at that point and should do everything they can to make things right. At the hotel, however, they attempted to deceive their customer. That's when the gloves would come off for me...
Jan 20, 2014, 10:49 am
#25
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I accepted their offer to deal with SPG and ensure the suite nights are returned as well as 16,000 points as an apology from the hotel (the cost of one night at their hotel in a standard room) for the "mix up" at the front desk. IMO I was made whole in terms of value, though lying about the downgrade still leaves a bit of a sour taste in my mouth.
Jan 20, 2014, 11:47 am
#26
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I accepted their offer to deal with SPG and ensure the suite nights are returned as well as 16,000 points as an apology from the hotel (the cost of one night at their hotel in a standard room) for the "mix up" at the front desk. IMO I was made whole in terms of value, though lying about the downgrade still leaves a bit of a sour taste in my mouth.
Jan 21, 2014, 10:07 am
#27
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Jan 21, 2014, 10:33 am
#28
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When it comes to receiving benefits... while it certainly has hiccups from time to time, I've found SPG Platinum generally better than the other programs.
Jan 22, 2014, 12:25 am
#29
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i agree....i was thinking the exact same thing when it happened to me....one shouldn't have to fight for a benefit one is entitled to through the program....
Jan 22, 2014, 1:07 am
#30
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I accepted their offer to deal with SPG and ensure the suite nights are returned as well as 16,000 points as an apology from the hotel (the cost of one night at their hotel in a standard room) for the "mix up" at the front desk. IMO I was made whole in terms of value, though lying about the downgrade still leaves a bit of a sour taste in my mouth.
Returning of the voucher and 16k sounds about right.