I was assigned a personal concierge a few weeks ago. I requested it from Starwood, but didn't get a response until some help from Willam http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Right away, I got a friendly email from my concierge introducing herself, and all the information I needed to contact her w/ any requests. She also followed up with a phone call a few days later to see if there was anything she could do for me.

I contacted her last weekend for the first time. I'm going to the SF/Napa area for Labor Day weekend and asked for some restaurant & winery recommendations. She emailed me back immediately and said she was working on it. Since then, she has emailed back with questions about my preferences and price ranges. Today, I got an email saying that she was too busy answering phones to look into my request personally but she was turning it over to a "liason" who would take care of all my special requests. Also, if I needed anything else from her that I shouldn't hesitate to ask.

I guess it just depends on what your expectations are and which concierge gets assigned to you. Maybe you can call and have someone assigned to you that you are more comfortable with?

Lemon-Lime, tried to respond to your email, not posted, I lived in Sonoma area for years, if you would like suggestions, including a cave tour at Kunde, send me your email [email protected]

I would strongly suggest Sonoma over Napa
Napa makes auto parts, Sonoma makes wine (and food)

Just wanted to give an update on my experience w/ my concierge...

I finally got a response today from the liason that was working on my requests. He was very nice, but instead of suggesting any specific wineries...he suggested a tour by limosine. I was actually interested in picking the wineries on my own and doing it at my own pace. He also gave me 3 restaurant suggestions.

I have to say "Thank You" to greatbluedog, who was kind enough to email me a list of great winery and restaurant suggestions. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I do have to say that my fiance (who also posts on this board) contacted his Diners Club concierge with the same requests, just so we could compare the responses. He received a response in under two hours. (I received my response in 6 days.) He also received a list of recommended wineries, which is what we requested.

I'm generally a very patient person, however I think that it's reasonable to expect a response in under 6 days. My trip starts Friday, it's a busy weekend, and I would have preferred to have my reservations in place already. I made my intial request to my concierge 10 days ago.

I know it's been discussed in detail before, but I'm still unclear as to what we can expect from our concierge. Overall, I've been really pleased, however my satisfaction is based on my expectations. I think a big problem is not knowing what a reasonable request is, and not knowing what to expect.

I guess my only question is have you expressed this frustration with the people trying to help you at Platinum Concierge? It's fine to come back and keep us all updated about the problem you had, but are the people that caused the problem aware of it - from your point of view? Perhaps if you expressed your frustration with their service just the way you have done here, they will find a way to be more helpful in the future.

Just my 2 cents. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Specialist, E-Communications Department
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

why don't y'all just go to the web yourselves to get the information you want? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif. Look how many people here offered information re: wineries/Alcatraz/etc.

Then go to the PC or to the hotel concierge to have the actual reservation made? Problem solved! And please. . .no flaming. . .

First of all, I was not expressing my frustration with the people trying to help me. In fact, I have emailed my concierge a few times to thank her for taking the time out to help me with my requests. I didn't feel I needed to complain to my concierge since I wasn't sure if it was a reasonable request to ask of her in the first place. As far as I'm concerned, having a PC is a benefit and I'm grateful for any service that they provide.

The "problem" I was referring to was the fact that based on many posts in this forum, it seems that people are unclear as to what they should expect from a Platinum Concierge. This was the first time I've used my PC and had no idea what to expect.

I'd be interested in seeing both winery lists.