SJSharky

Can anyone tell me if this is legal?

Checking out of the Westin Galleria today, I find a $38 charge for telephone usage relating to 800 numbers.

Person at the desk tells me it's a new policy instituted this week. First 20 minutes of an 800 call is free. 10 cents per minute charge for each additional minute. Seems as though people are dialing in with modems and tying up phone lines. She says the policy will affect all Starwood properties.

However, how am I now free to choose my long distance carrier when making telephone calls from my room using 800-CALL-ATT? I thought there was some law which required free and easy access to alternate carriers than the one provided by the hotel.

I am irritated by this new policy and will be sending Starwood a letter.

Just FYI for all you Starwood guests.

--Ryan

[This message has been edited by SJSharky (edited 08-06-1999).]

doc

Legal? I'm not an attorney and laws can vary from state to state, but I sure agree it is extremely irritating- especially learning after the fact about the "surcharge". The hotels are constantly looking for new sources of revenue and Starwood just yesterday announced rather poor earning for the quarter- but they keep making such poor choices, which many would also regard as rather "sneaky."

With the current Starwood practice of not upgrading Gold members to Club level (compared to Hilton Gold and Marriott Black, which both do), Starwood goes down another notch in my book!

JustinCredible

I was upset while staying at Caesar's Palace in Vegas that I had to pay a $1 charge for accessing an 800 number.

Now they charge you like a toll call? I can see their logic but come on, enough nickel and diming-- especially when you are paying business rates.

Here-I-Go

Charging for local and 800 calls is offensive. The cheapest chains offer free local and 800 calls and throw in a breakfast. Starwood wants to make status membership (Gold, Platinum) feel like status means something. This is a good place to start. Let's make this thread resounding and clearly business and then make sure it gets to Starwood What say?

[This message has been edited by Here-I-Go (edited 08-06-1999).]

Flyaway

The Stockholm Sheraton and towers did charge for my toll free ATT access number. I had no idea that I would have been charged. However, at the Marriott London Heathrow and at the other Marriotts I have stayed at I did not pay for 1-800 service.

I am not sure why the Sheraton would charge a fee if the local telephone company is not charging the hotel a fee???

[This message has been edited by Flyaway (edited 08-06-1999).]

johna

This has been covered in other threads - the rule seems to be that they have to treat all 800 #'s alike, so if they charge for (or block) long distance access #'s, they have to do likewise for "plain vanilla" 800 #'s too.

Personally I don't think this new policy is any more unreasonable than the guests who led to it by logging on forever. But I'd be real pissed if it wasn't clearly stated wherever they list all their phone charges - did you check to see if that got updated? If not (i.e., no prior notice) I'd kick and scream.

platinum

I am Platinum with Starwood, and recently stayed at the Maria Isabel Hotel in Mexico city - and was forced to pay an approximate $3.50 charge every time I used my calling card. I thought this was very excessive...

KSA_USA

just 2 days ago I was staying at the St. Regis hotel in NYC.. I used the 800# and my mci calling card with NO charge at all.. some properties do charge for phone calls others do not:

sheraton pittsburgh do charge, the westin pittsburgh do not charge!. these two properties are just 5 min away from each other!!

sheraton Minneapolis do not charge.. westin in Atlanta do charge... as one can see it all depend on the property and on the room type as well.. strange

Boomer

So far this year I've stayed at 4 westins and 5 sheratons and have never been charged for 800 calls.

SJSharky

Like I said, they tell me this is a new Starwood company-wide policy that took effect last week. Previously, the Westin Galleria never charged me for 800 # calls.

I don't mind a 50 cents surcharge for an outside line. I do mind this per minute crap that I have to pay in addition to my long distance cost. I have never been to a hotel that charges a per minute charge for 800 calls.

--Ryan

Boomer

I'm staying this week at the Sheraton Clayton Plaza in St Louis. I asked them this morning about this and they never heard of such a "starwood policy on 800 calls"

BTW: This hotel has a very fair phone pricing deal. No charge for 800 calls and local calls are $1 per day for unlimited calls. I think this is most fair.

ALW

Westin Long Beach was $0.75@ for local calls and for 800# calls.

andrew

pgupta011

Hilton has similar policies instituted within the past year or so. Many flyertalkers have complained to Hilton about this. Infact some have cited Starwood's policies and indicated that they would prefer Starwood because of the phone charges (under the old rules).

As mentioned, many modest priced hotel chains offer free local and 800 calls. I have stayed at Fairfield Inn, Holiday Inn Express and Homewood Suites all have unlimited free local and 800 calls. With Courtyard, one can joing Courtyard club and get unlimited free local calls. Even a $1 fee per day is reasonable for unlimited local calls - infact if there is a flat fee, people would be less inclined to tie up the phone lines with their modem (compared to say a fee every time you make a local call).

I hope Starwood backs out of this, because it makes me less likely to stay with them.

Boomer

pgupta:

I agree, one of the main reasons I switched from Hilton to Starwood this year, is Hilton's obnoxious phpne charges. I'm very happy with Starwood, but if they go the way of Hilton, I'll be forced to give up Starwood. So far I've stayed at various starwood hotels this year without seeing this "new policy" so hopefully its a small handful of individual hotels.

kyklin

Hilton Garden Inns (many in California) do not charge for local/800 calls, whereas a Hilton Inn just a few miles away charges $0 for local calls <12 miles away and $0.75 for local calls > 12 miles!