SensFan

If the police had removed the OP from the hotel then I am sure that we would have heard about it.

My bet is on the lowest of the low - Starwood Vacation Ownership.

spgplat21

LOL, I think this thread would be 10x more entertaining if only that were true.

ldsant

After 4 pages of some rough posts, here are a couple of ideas for the future:

Email the GM of the SPG property AHEAD of time explaining this is a special occasion for you and your wife (well you're going to have to wait a bit now) and have a discussion about how important this is. Sometimes having communication AHEAD of time alleviates some issues.

Book through airbnb.com. That way you'll have a place that you know what it looks like BEFORE hand. You'll have reviews, you'll have a person who can fix things, etc. It will save you $ and points as well.

Don't allow these petty things ruin an entire vacation. Greece? And you left because a shower didn't work? Seriously? Where did you go instead and what type of experience did you have?

jibi

No offense to some of the responses, but if I paid 240,000 points for an all-suite property halfway across the world for a major milestone celebration, I would have a big problem with basic functions, such as the shower, not working in the room. If the hotel plumber came by and informed me that it was a known structural issue and the supervisor came by and told me it was a feature of the shower, I would definitely call bullsh*t on the hotel representative and ask for a different room (much to my wife's dismay).

I'm not sure what else the OP did or what the OP said to the staff, but I'm pretty sure we're only getting one side of the story. However, the actions by the property owner were extreme and then some. I would not only ask for a full refund of my points redemption, but I would ask for a full refund of all expenses after the hotel displaced me and my wife. There is no excuse at all. Being one of the top destination hotels on Santorini over the years, the Mystique has had its share of DYKWIA guests on the extreme side, particularly with the celebrity crowd. I will almost guarantee that the OP is considered tame compared to some of the guests that have stayed here. The hotel owner has no excuses at all. None. Nada. He should have to pay for the displacement, alternate plans, evicted plans, etc.

With all of that said, what is SPG Corporate saying about this issue? I know it has only been a couple days, but I'm sure many are waiting to hear the outcome. OP better not leave us hanging.

CNWO4LIFE

This has got to be one of the best threads this year.

Dr. HFH

I have a box of hot Krispy Kreme doughnuts right off the line which says that there's much more to this story.


What did you expect/hope that the Consulate would do for you?


I can see wanted to Skype your parents, but had to? Any particular reason? And I agree. Not up to your or Starwood's standards? Sure. (Although you admit that they fixed it and had it working the next day.) But shameful? What's shameful about that?


It's obvious to me, -- retribution.


Excellent advice. I have done this and know of others who have, as well. More often than not the hotel goes out of its way to recognize special occasions for guests.

You should also reread the SPG benefits pages for Gold here. Apart from all the marketing hype, there aren't a lot of substantive benefits for SPG Gold.

MSPeconomist

I could imagine that someone in this situation would consider calling the USA consulate to ask whether Greek law allows the hotel owner to evict a guest in these circumstances and whether any compensation is required. It could be important to report the case immediately to Greek authorities and the consulate could potentially give one some useful quick advice about what to do, especially if one were concerned that locals would side with the hotel and try to protect its owner. One might also want to ask whether the guest could then be "blacklisted" through some sort of Greek hotel association.

Regarding the plan to leave Santorini, it's a generally very expensive island and the OP's points were all tied up with Mystique. Although we're not yet in the middle of high season, the OP could still be facing limited hotel availability for the entire stay and possibly rack rates, at least as far as he knew. A relatively inexperienced traveler could find it difficult to organize another acceptable place to stay instantly, especially without Internet and possibly without cell phone service on Santorini.

ADDED. The OP had understandably high expectations for the quality/luxury level of the hotel and its services. It's not unreasonable to expect a $700 hotel room, especially outside of major cities, to be perfect, although again here more experienced travelers would be more familiar with general price levels on certain Greek islands. However, the OP's expectations for GOLD treatment were clearly unrealistic and wrong.

LovetoTravel83

But the hotel did offer the OP a different room. A similar situation happened to me once in the Maldives, the shower did not have hot water, so the manager over that resort offered a different room that I took. The OP did not take the offer of a different room.

camsean

Really? So hotel owners should be able to throw guests out at whim?

fireworksboy

"Whim?" The owner offered a different room, it was refused. The owner offered 2 different suites for the following day (when they opened up), they were refused. Nothing was going to be acceptable to the guest. Probably best for both parties he moved on.

Btw, we are all hearing one side of the situation. One, very subjective side.

kasi

I would just call the nice guys from Academy over (aka Blackwater) and let them handle the situation for me. Police can then handle what is left - if anything. :-))))

ninamarie89

I worked in Customer Service in a certain fruit branded electronics company for five years and this story sounds exactly like my experience as a technician when a customer's phone wasn't functioning the way they expected it would.

Whoever mentioned that the issue was expectations hit the nail on the head. The OP had certain expectations heading into the situation and when they weren't met immediately, things got heated.

I can't speak on what exactly happened at Mystique because we're only hearing one side of the story, however as someone who has a fair amount of customer service experience under her belt, my advice to anyone who experiences issues with hotels, specifically the OP, is this:

• Stay calm. Raising your voice or making threats will not achieve any results.
•.Remember that the first person you speak to isn't always the person with the authority to rectify the situation. This can delay the resolution, as the first point of contact may need to consult with his/her manager or supervisor before proposing a solution.
• It always best to tell the customer service staff exactly what it is you want. If you're difficult just because you're upset, things will only get worse. If they don't have exactly what you want, let them know another option that you find suitable. They can't always accommodate every request, but they'll try.
• Most importantly, remember it is their JOB to help you and make you happy. That's all they want to do. They don't get paid any more money or have an easier day if you're unhappy. I always used to tell my upset customers that I was on their team and that we just needed to work together to figure out something that works for both of us. It doesn't hurt to say the same thing when you're a customer speaking to the staff.

All of this isn't to say you don't already know these things. Simply sharing my perspective as someone who has been on the other side of the situation.

RetailTherapy

Oh my.

My guess, along with so many others, is that we're getting the super-sanitized, fully draining tub type clean version of what really happened. My money is on the key word "disruptive" and how it was interpreted by the hotel management and owners. Even by the OP's description, management was very speedy to respond to concerns. Unfortunately, none of those things satisfied and unless I missed it, OP never quite expressed WHAT he wanted.

Eastbay1K

What I have learned from this thread, "How low SPG can go?" is that I cannot get this song out of my head.

arizonasungoddess

My reviews on tripadvisor have never posted immediately. There's always been some lag time. I doubt this review would have posted quick enough for the owner to read it.