Cathay Boy

The man got $3000+ back, SPG helped and it worked, it's a happy ending. The city was under a rush of conferences and hotels are selling out, this is the perfect time to jack up the prices and walk people. Airlines do this forever, did I hear anybody calling for boycott of airlines for doing this?

The only thing wronged here is lack of adequate compensation. Which has been corrected.

Flews

Really? I've certainly avoided hotels because of bad experiences posted on these threads.

Cheers,

UA-NYC

Airlines don't do this to their best customers, especially those who also pay the highest fares :-:

xolinlevh

really? Have you never read the DYKWIA threads?

clublounger

Yes, "really".

Every hotel on the planet has provided bad experiences. Eventually you'll run out of places to stay.

DSI

I wouldn't go because it is a dumpy mega-motel. That I consider the "CEO" Mr. Kimbell to be rude is just icing on the cake.

Flews

Fortunately I didnt say "every hotel"' but thanks for your concern.

Cheers,

UA-NYC

All the time.

Point me to the equivalent "I'm an UA 1K/GS AA EXP / DL Diamond on a full fare / paid C/F ticket and got IDB'd" posts if you can, as this is the hotel equivalent.

clublounger

Please don't misunderstand - I'm not concerned in the least.

Cathay Boy

this is flat out wrong, based on personal eye-witness explosive situations at the gates "typical DYKWIA screaming about either their status or the full-fare they paid, and then gets bumped", and well, posts here in FT from these DYKWIAs.

I have a relative that is United highest tier that bought full-fare and still got bumped (unless you're trying to tell me that day it's all full-fare pax with highest status) a few times by United on oversold flights (yeah, he wasn't happy and pull the DYKWIA card, only worked once, other times they just ignore him with threats of calling airport security)

So yes, airlines have been doing this for years.

Cathay Boy

My relative don't post there, but he is indeed UA 1K that buys full fare and gets bumped a few times.

dilbertsdaddy

This is one of the most amazing stories I've seen on FT.

Walking Plat - unacceptable
Walking prepaid - unacceptable
Walking $781 rate - unacceptable (yes I know it was a big week)
Not following walk policy - unacceptable

However, what is even worse IMO is the aftermath. Let's face it, had the OP not been persistent and known the right buttons to push this would have never been rectified.

I am not a fan of requesting someone be fired, but if there was ever a case for it, this GM is. Truly unbelievable. How does this guy keep his job? First he runs a shoddy operation, then he ignores his best clients, and now he has created a storm of online bad PR for SPG.

OP should send them a bill for the time he wasted trying to get this sorted. (using hourly billed rate).

yyznomad

As a fellow Lifetime Plat... (or human being?), this is absolutely unacceptable.

I have yet to be walked (and treated like pondscum to boot) but when time comes... not sure how I will feel.

DSI

As for DYKWIA I think we should use a couple of categories.

DYKWIA- My dad got me a job at this company and I'm gonna complain about the nuts.

DYKWIA- My company is paying for this and I wouldn't/couldn't pay for the hotel/airfare if it were on my dime.

DYKWIA- My company is paying for this and I would pay for the hotel/airfare if it were on my dime.

DYKWIA- I am paying for this but am paying for cheap hotels/cheap airfare on my dime.

DYKWIA- I am paying for this but am paying for better hotels and premium airfare on my dime.

The el-cheapo DYKWIA that expect everything for free. Yeah, those types are especially annoying. I expect first class upgrades and suite upgrades, but if it comes out of my pocket my standards are sheratons and southwest...

I think that DYKWIA attitude--if it ever comes about--should extend to no more than one is willing to pay themselves, because I think that is the true measure of how they value underlying goods and services.

Cathay boy: pretty crazy that your relative buys full F-fare and gets bumped. I'm assuming that they paid rather than their company.

This Mr. Kimbell sure seems awesome. Who thinks he's aware of this thread?

mikeef

Bingo. The hotel made a mint on this event and any compensation they had to pay in return was peanuts, especially since a lot of people who are walked would not take the time to complain. I know a bunch of people who went to this conference and can vouch that it takes over the city. They could easily have charged $981 per room and oversold the hotel.

FF, you a buy-sider?

William, I love you man, and some day when we meet, I'm going to give you a big, sloppy, wet kiss and buy you a drink. Okay, only one part of that sentence is true, since I don't drink. But in any case, the walk policy is one of the few areas in which HOT trails its competitors. Hilton and Marriott have much higher compensation levels for its top-tier members (although the customer service levels for SPG Plats are far above the others). If you are referring to how the hotels are penalized, we obviously have no data on that, but I hope it involves whips and chains (unless the GM likes that sort of thing).

Been there, done that. The old Westin in Aruba forgot to pick us up at the airport when we arrived at 1am (Transportation had been arranged.). We had a pair of sleepy 4-year olds. Once they realized how late it was and that they had the whole lobby area to themselves, they thought it was the greatest thing in the world and their energy magically returned. Mom and Dad, on the other hand...

Service recovery was outstanding and we had a great stay.

Bingo, although there is also the possibility that there was so much chaos at the hotel that they were just jamming people into rooms wherever they could.

I'm going to a conference in Boca next week (If any other FTers are going, and I'm guessing there are a few, please PM me.) at a Hilton property. The property itself is a Waldorf property, which means that it's tired and the rooms aren't great, but the service is outstanding. The organization rents out almost the entire hotel and I've never heard of anyone being walked.

Two other things that struck me:

A few people referred to the OP as a DYKWIA and I couldn't tell if they were serious or not. From this post, the OP struck me as one of the least DYKWIAy posters that I have heard and had every right to mention that they were a SPG 100 a dozen times. You showed remarkable restraint.

A number of people told the OP that they should have called the hotel to indicate that they would be a late arrival. Let's ignore the fact that the OP had pre-paid the room. If everyone on FT did everything that they advised everyone else to do prior to a trip, nobody would ever have time to travel, since they'd be so busy preparing.

Mike