donotblink

I reached out to Christopher Elliott immediately following my call today, and he said that people generally need to post on his forums before he get's involved, so I'll be doing that later today.

Is it permissible under TripAdvisor rules for me to write a review about the property if I haven't stayed there?

One thing I forgot to mention was that corporate said something to the effect of "since you're not willing to block nine rooms, it's hard for us to be of further assistance" I responded, wait a minute, let me do the math, that's about $2,500.00, sure I think I can do that. The guy I was talking to was clearly taken aback and said that the GM would need to agree to that, and that F&B minimums would still apply.

wharvey

I have to ask... why do you still want to give this hotel your business? You have been jerked around, given the bait and switch, told you were deceptive.... and you STILL want to give them your business?

I would be worried that they would find something wrong the night of the event... and that it would ruin your special night.

mikeef

I have to agree with wharvey. I love Starwood, but this particular hotel screwed with you on more than one occasion. Had they not okayed it to begin with, that would have been a different story. But they did, so it isn't. And then the story was "we're okay with it if you fork over the cash." More cash means less noise?

There is, of course, an easy solution: The hotel tells the OP to have a nice time, try to be cognizant of the other guests and boots the party if there is an issue. Case closed.

But for now, I'd take Hyatt up on the Andaz offer. I have to admit, I'd like to see that suite.

We did a blow-out for my 40th and I absolutely loved it. Enjoy your big day!

Mike

donotblink

Yeah, as soon as I can get into the Andaz penthouse and out onto the terrace, I'll be sure to take some pics and update you guys.

I think what makes me more angry than anything is that Starwood corporate is blaming me, the consumer for their error and saying that they really didn't do anything wrong.

Is this what they told that lady at the W South Beach who was assaulted on their property? (http://www.nj.com/burlington/index.s...it_claims.html)

Viking547

Sorry to hear, OP. I hope you end up having a good birthday bash, and I also suggest that you move beyond this property.

For all of you who say that the W isn't necessarily a party hotel and that you'd be on the phone with security if you hear any noise after 10pm, you clearly haven't stayed at many W properties on a Thursday or Friday night where the DJ's music will carry up 10+ floors until well after midnight.

RogerD408

... and there's the difference between a guest room booking and a highly profitable venue. As OP found out $'s speak...

cfabar1

The w hotels were designed to be party hotels. That's not my scen, even though I am their target demo. As such, I avoid them because they are always noisy.

goodo

I'm siding with the OP on this one, for most things at least and totally understand why he's not so eager to change locations and plans for an event next month.

The hotel has totally screwed him over and they're trying to get out of it. With the suite and adjoining rooms and with him agreeing to end the party at 11, I don't think a birthday party for 25-30 people is unreasonable. Yes there are other options, but it's the OP's decision what he wants to do.

Personally though i'd do anything not to have a party in a suite that looks like that

goodo

clublounger

Seriously, call it a day. Your experience isn't going to make an ounce of difference to most travelers. Most people aren't planning a 30 people gathering in their room. And most people won't make the assumption that because you had cross-communications with the hotel, then their simple room booking is going to experience difficulties. And I suspect Keyser is the only one that is SO affected by this story that he's willing to boycott this property.

Yup, you had a bad experience. It's gone on too long.

(Oh....sorry - I HATE raspberry )

donotblink

By "calling it a day" I give the hotel (and Starwood) license to do and say whatever they want.

Large companies should be responsible for any claims that they make about any product or service. Telling me to be as inclusive as I want in a suite suitable for a sizable gathering with a DJ booth, and offering to provide various other services is something that the hotel should be obligated to honor (or they can walk me to another comparable hotel that can honor this), they didn't tell me this shortly after I made my reservation, but more than six months later.

It's true, most travelers aren't looking for a penthouse or presidential suite in general, and I'm not saying my issue is a common one, but I think most people wouldn't want to do business with an organization who changes their story multiple times--regardless of the issue at hand.

Also, I think it's worth noting that the hotel has a large ballroom which they advertise as a great space for weddings. Do you think that a couple that is online researching wedding venues and comes across this discussion will be more or less likely to have their special day at this property?

I again want to reiterate that what I find most disgusting is that corporate says that they have really "done nothing wrong", that the hotel has made me a "great offer" which will require them to "take a loss" and that giving me a credit of any kind for my starpoints (which I think was a generous offer on my part) was against the terms of the program, and that an exception would not be made in this case.

On a lighter note, have you tried raspberry with dark chocolate gauche? The duo really does make for an amazing paring, even if you don't generally like raspberries.

RogerD408

I disagree here. Although I may never be planning my 25th again, I don't expect this is the only event where this property has pulled something like this and probably won't be the last. I do believe the OP was very upfront with the agent he spoke with and she understood very well what was wanted. It wasn't until the agent went to set it all up that things went sideways. If they won't support their own people just imagine how they will treat their guests.

If I was the OP (and even if not) I would be very hesitant to hold any events with the current property management. However, they should not get away with this scott-free. If he's not able to get connected with Elliott.org, then maybe also try a local consumer reporter. News at 11!!!

sweeper20

I agree with you on all points - good post. He told them what he wanted - Six months ago - they seemingly agreed at the time, and now they (the hotel) are backing out. I for one and grateful to read a review like this on Tripadvisor or the like, it does help me determine which hotels to work with and in this case, which hotels to avoid. As someone who works with meeting planners, this hotel will go on my list of places to avoid.

HHonors OUTSIDER

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 4.4.2; en-us; LGL31L/V100 Build/KOT49I.L31L10d) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Chrome/30.0.1599.103 Mobile Safari/537.36)

It looks like Corporate was a lot of help in willing to guess what the GM might or might not agree to. Hopefully Hyatt works out for you.

clublounger

Um, no. Read the OP. He first "told" the hotel about his plan a week prior to the start of this thread.

So, you get a "bad post" rating, I guess.

Keeping it 100.......

dcstudent

I agree that the hotel should not have made promises it couldn't keep. That said, we might as well get the timeline right. The OP rented the room 6 months ago, he first spoke to the hotel about his party plans 2 weeks ago.

That said, I don't think whether it is 6 months or two months matters. The hotel employee promised x. The hotel later reneged on the employee's promises, feigning interest in the experience of other guests. Then the hotel decides the original plan is ok, but only if the OP pays for 5K in food and beverage.

In the end, all the hotel cares about is $$$.