Please Report Your Problems Receiving Gold Member Benefits
Sep 17, 2003, 12:47 pm
#91
Company Representative - Starwood
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Marriott Employee Level
Posts: 31,593
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by TravelWeary:
I apologize for horning in on this thread. I'm only Preferred Plus this year, but still thought the 4 p.m. checkout was available to even the slightly annointed. Stayed one night, 8/30, at the Sheraton BWI Airport on an award stay. I think 7,000 precious (to me) points is a bit much for this property, but I needed the 4 p.m. checkout, as I had an early evening flight out. When I checked in I asked about it and was told to check in the morning. No problem, I said. When I went to the front desk about 10 a.m. the next morning to ask, I had to wait for several minutes until the front desk clerk and someone from housekeeping finished their conversation. I was then told I could only get a check-out until 1 p.m. Not only did the hotel seem pretty empty on the Labor Day weekend Saturday night, but the conversation I interupted was about how few rooms there were to clean!! Nope, 1 p.m.
...</font>
I apologize for horning in on this thread. I'm only Preferred Plus this year, but still thought the 4 p.m. checkout was available to even the slightly annointed. Stayed one night, 8/30, at the Sheraton BWI Airport on an award stay. I think 7,000 precious (to me) points is a bit much for this property, but I needed the 4 p.m. checkout, as I had an early evening flight out. When I checked in I asked about it and was told to check in the morning. No problem, I said. When I went to the front desk about 10 a.m. the next morning to ask, I had to wait for several minutes until the front desk clerk and someone from housekeeping finished their conversation. I was then told I could only get a check-out until 1 p.m. Not only did the hotel seem pretty empty on the Labor Day weekend Saturday night, but the conversation I interupted was about how few rooms there were to clean!! Nope, 1 p.m.
...</font>
Sincerely,
William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services
[email protected]
Sep 18, 2003, 11:20 am
#92
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Southern Cal
Posts: 169
William,
Good to see this thread revived.
I had some problems at Four Points SYD which were responded to in this thread http://www.flyertalk.com/milesfr.shtml
However, it begged the question of how bed preference is related to room upgrade since under the terms & conditions nothing is mentioned about it. I have in the past reserved twin beds with the request to be upgraded to queen or king without any problems. In order to avoid being stuck with the twin beds should I avoid reserving them altogether?
Good to see this thread revived.
I had some problems at Four Points SYD which were responded to in this thread http://www.flyertalk.com/milesfr.shtml
However, it begged the question of how bed preference is related to room upgrade since under the terms & conditions nothing is mentioned about it. I have in the past reserved twin beds with the request to be upgraded to queen or king without any problems. In order to avoid being stuck with the twin beds should I avoid reserving them altogether?
Sep 18, 2003, 11:25 am
#93
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Southern Cal
Posts: 169
Oops. Don't know how to edit.
Should be this thread
Four Points Sydney Responsiveness
Should be this thread
Four Points Sydney Responsiveness
Sep 18, 2003, 11:55 am
#94
Company Representative - Starwood
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Marriott Employee Level
Posts: 31,593
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Indo-flyer:
William,
Good to see this thread revived.
I had some problems at Four Points SYD which were responded to in this thread http://www.flyertalk.com/milesfr.shtml
However, it begged the question of how bed preference is related to room upgrade since under the terms & conditions nothing is mentioned about it. I have in the past reserved twin beds with the request to be upgraded to queen or king without any problems. In order to avoid being stuck with the twin beds should I avoid reserving them altogether? </font>
William,
Good to see this thread revived.
I had some problems at Four Points SYD which were responded to in this thread http://www.flyertalk.com/milesfr.shtml
However, it begged the question of how bed preference is related to room upgrade since under the terms & conditions nothing is mentioned about it. I have in the past reserved twin beds with the request to be upgraded to queen or king without any problems. In order to avoid being stuck with the twin beds should I avoid reserving them altogether? </font>
Sincerely,
William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services
[email protected]
Sep 18, 2003, 9:03 pm
#95
Join Date: Jul 2003
Programs: SPG Gold, Hyatt Gold
Posts: 32
No, there's no guarantee that a Gold member would get a Club level upgrade. It's certainly not out of the realm of possibility, but the only guarantee is to a Preferred Room, subject to availability at check-in.
--->I have a room booked at the WDW Dolphin--a balcony with a resort view ("A" balcony, per my reservation). What would the "preferred room" upgrade be--Club Level? I have points to use if necessary, but would love the SPG upgrade, if only to CL access.
--->I have a room booked at the WDW Dolphin--a balcony with a resort view ("A" balcony, per my reservation). What would the "preferred room" upgrade be--Club Level? I have points to use if necessary, but would love the SPG upgrade, if only to CL access.
Sep 29, 2003, 6:53 pm
#96
In Memoriam
Join Date: May 1999
Location: PVD
Posts: 1,560
Kudos to Starwood in general and William specifically for great customer service. I received a nice letter from Sheraton BWI as well as a courtesy point posting to my account for my missing 4 p.m. checkout. Once again, I am impressed.
Just gotta add again how much I love the Cash & Points award as I just completed another one this weekend. I hope it becomes a permanent award fixture.
Just gotta add again how much I love the Cash & Points award as I just completed another one this weekend. I hope it becomes a permanent award fixture.
Sep 30, 2003, 9:42 am
#97
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Belmont, VA USA
Programs: Marriott Gold, HH Gold, AA Gold, UA3P, DL proletariat, proud Costco Executive member
Posts: 717
Hi William. I appreciate everything you do here.
Observation 1. I booked us into a nonsmoking, King room at the Westin Our Lucaya, 8/7-8/11, and after perusing 55 different rates on spg.com, I paid more than I should have to increase chance for upgrade. Reserved on spg.com to get bonus points, made request for ocean view on reservation, and provided SPG Gold number. SPG profile shows King, nonsmoking, high floor. At check in, I presented my SPG gold card. The clerk was bothered, at best. No hint of recognition of Gold. Asked if upgrade was available. She read aloud my requests, and abruptly said no. I politely asked her to check again, offering that we were there to celebrate our birthdays, and more specifically, my 40th, and really wanted to enjoy the ocean view with my wife. She said the best she could do was a smoking handicapped room on a low floor. I politely declined, citing allergies. Went off to our assigned room, and found it to be a smoking king with a view (and extreme noise) of the industrial air conditioning of the service building below. This rendered the balcony useless. Two days into the stay, the ice machine stopped working. I went in search of ice, and found that the floor above was designated SPG floor. Then I was steamed. No "preferred" upgrade whatsoever. Profile wasn't even honored. Perhaps king room was my upgrade, despite it being in my profile. The three ashtrays were a joy in what was supposed to be my nonsmoking room. It was August, and the hotel shouldn't have been, and didn't seem, very busy.
It would be beneficial for a standardized chart defining exactly what a preferred room is, so that we could know that it had been provided to us, and so that you don't have to continue to read these gripes. At this point, it's an arbitrary thing, and we customers rarely can discern if ours is a regular room or a "preferred" one.
There were multiple other problems with our stay, but all in all, when the rum started flowing, and the tradewinds blew our way, it was a memorable trip with overall favorable memories.
Observation 2. At Westin Long Beach, got a wonderful water view on high floor, just as requested!
Observation 3. At WDW Swan, got upgraded to a balcony room, resort view, but, despite asking, had to pay for club level access; room assigned was the farthest distance from club possible.
Standardization of contact personnel should be a priority. Thanks.
------------------
Missing the Wings of Man, Whisperliners, and the overall civility in air travel!
Observation 1. I booked us into a nonsmoking, King room at the Westin Our Lucaya, 8/7-8/11, and after perusing 55 different rates on spg.com, I paid more than I should have to increase chance for upgrade. Reserved on spg.com to get bonus points, made request for ocean view on reservation, and provided SPG Gold number. SPG profile shows King, nonsmoking, high floor. At check in, I presented my SPG gold card. The clerk was bothered, at best. No hint of recognition of Gold. Asked if upgrade was available. She read aloud my requests, and abruptly said no. I politely asked her to check again, offering that we were there to celebrate our birthdays, and more specifically, my 40th, and really wanted to enjoy the ocean view with my wife. She said the best she could do was a smoking handicapped room on a low floor. I politely declined, citing allergies. Went off to our assigned room, and found it to be a smoking king with a view (and extreme noise) of the industrial air conditioning of the service building below. This rendered the balcony useless. Two days into the stay, the ice machine stopped working. I went in search of ice, and found that the floor above was designated SPG floor. Then I was steamed. No "preferred" upgrade whatsoever. Profile wasn't even honored. Perhaps king room was my upgrade, despite it being in my profile. The three ashtrays were a joy in what was supposed to be my nonsmoking room. It was August, and the hotel shouldn't have been, and didn't seem, very busy.
It would be beneficial for a standardized chart defining exactly what a preferred room is, so that we could know that it had been provided to us, and so that you don't have to continue to read these gripes. At this point, it's an arbitrary thing, and we customers rarely can discern if ours is a regular room or a "preferred" one.
There were multiple other problems with our stay, but all in all, when the rum started flowing, and the tradewinds blew our way, it was a memorable trip with overall favorable memories.
Observation 2. At Westin Long Beach, got a wonderful water view on high floor, just as requested!
Observation 3. At WDW Swan, got upgraded to a balcony room, resort view, but, despite asking, had to pay for club level access; room assigned was the farthest distance from club possible.
Standardization of contact personnel should be a priority. Thanks.
------------------
Missing the Wings of Man, Whisperliners, and the overall civility in air travel!
Sep 30, 2003, 11:00 am
#98
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Posts: 178
Although I posted my full report on my check in at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass on September 18, I want to add here that I got zero gold recognition. I basically had to beg for a mountain view room (which they ultimately accomodated) but I had paid for a deluxe room. Many rooms were designated as Starwood Perferred Guest; I did not receive such. I was told the hotel was at 100% occupancy; I would be shocked if this were the truth as the pool and spa were virtually empty.
I had to call for the Sheraton bath gel where I was told this was not standard in a Sheraton room. The only reason I knew about the bath gel was because I have been in many Sheraton rooms throughout the country and it was in my room. Maybe it's only standard in SPG rooms?
I had to call for the Sheraton bath gel where I was told this was not standard in a Sheraton room. The only reason I knew about the bath gel was because I have been in many Sheraton rooms throughout the country and it was in my room. Maybe it's only standard in SPG rooms?
Sep 30, 2003, 9:04 pm
#99
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: San Diego, CA
Programs: AA Plat, Hilton Diamond *Wood Gold, Hertz PC
Posts: 368
Just a quick positive note. I'm at the Sheraton Colonial in Wakefield, MA right now. This is my 4th stay here this year and they consistently provide outstanding service and recognition of my gold status.
Oct 1, 2003, 7:36 am
#100
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: UK
Programs: SPG Gold, Hilton Gold, United Premier Exec, Virgin Gold
Posts: 328
Stayed at the Westin Bonaventure LA in June. Had a suite room booked. Arrived and the bath was cracked so asked to swap rooms. Next room hadn't been redecorated so went for third room, only one available partially refurbished.
Had email from Starwood asking about stay and fed back that I was a little bit disappointed that the hotel was advertising its recent redecoration when it wasn't completely true.
Received an email today apologising saying that not all rooms have been done but they are going to be and gave me 7000 points. Nice touch Starwood, sure a lot of the other chains wouldn't be interested in your views.
Had email from Starwood asking about stay and fed back that I was a little bit disappointed that the hotel was advertising its recent redecoration when it wasn't completely true.
Received an email today apologising saying that not all rooms have been done but they are going to be and gave me 7000 points. Nice touch Starwood, sure a lot of the other chains wouldn't be interested in your views.
Jan 9, 2004, 3:26 am
#101
Join Date: Aug 2003
Programs: BA, LH, BD
Posts: 1,469
Help, Stawood Lurker! I've just checked in to the Four Points Sydney for a three night stay booked on the SPG website. At check-in I asked why I hadn't been upgraded (I'm a Gold) and was told there were no rooms available.The guests before us got upgraded to a suite, (and i didn't see any spg) we queried this- "they're here for one night" we were told, even though this clerk hadn't been serving them.
The check-in clerk was incredibly rude and unhelpful and said that even if rooms were avail, they'd only upgrade a platinum, and suggested i might have a friend who is Plat and may lend their card!!I've since checked on the Starwood website and found that there are plenty of room options available for our dates (Jan 9 - 12). What should I do? I feel very peeved and am half tempted to check out and try another, more welcoming hotel...
The check-in clerk was incredibly rude and unhelpful and said that even if rooms were avail, they'd only upgrade a platinum, and suggested i might have a friend who is Plat and may lend their card!!I've since checked on the Starwood website and found that there are plenty of room options available for our dates (Jan 9 - 12). What should I do? I feel very peeved and am half tempted to check out and try another, more welcoming hotel...
Jan 9, 2004, 12:02 pm
#102
Company Representative - Starwood
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Marriott Employee Level
Posts: 31,593
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by ajinlondon:
Help, Stawood Lurker! I've just checked in to the Four Points Sydney for a three night stay booked on the SPG website. At check-in I asked why I hadn't been upgraded (I'm a Gold) and was told there were no rooms available.The guests before us got upgraded to a suite, (and i didn't see any spg) we queried this- "they're here for one night" we were told, even though this clerk hadn't been serving them.
The check-in clerk was incredibly rude and unhelpful and said that even if rooms were avail, they'd only upgrade a platinum, and suggested i might have a friend who is Plat and may lend their card!!I've since checked on the Starwood website and found that there are plenty of room options available for our dates (Jan 9 - 12). What should I do? I feel very peeved and am half tempted to check out and try another, more welcoming hotel...</font>
Help, Stawood Lurker! I've just checked in to the Four Points Sydney for a three night stay booked on the SPG website. At check-in I asked why I hadn't been upgraded (I'm a Gold) and was told there were no rooms available.The guests before us got upgraded to a suite, (and i didn't see any spg) we queried this- "they're here for one night" we were told, even though this clerk hadn't been serving them.
The check-in clerk was incredibly rude and unhelpful and said that even if rooms were avail, they'd only upgrade a platinum, and suggested i might have a friend who is Plat and may lend their card!!I've since checked on the Starwood website and found that there are plenty of room options available for our dates (Jan 9 - 12). What should I do? I feel very peeved and am half tempted to check out and try another, more welcoming hotel...</font>
You should report the attitude of the front desk staff to Hotel Customer Service, however, and if you should mention the lack of an upgrade at check-in as well, at least it would be documented against them. Send an email to Hotel Customer Service at [email protected].
Sincerely,
William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services
[email protected]
Feb 24, 2004, 11:49 am
#103
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: USA
Programs: HH Diamond, SPG Gold, PC Platinum Ambassador, Marriott Silver
Posts: 15,249
Recent award stay at Westin Kierland. Zero Gold recognition. I did not object too much, as this was over the recent Presidents' Day/Valentines 3-day weekend and the property appeared to be near capacity.
However, had I been paying $$ for the room (rates were near $500/night that weekend) I would have flat out refused it. The room I was assigned had to have been the worst room out of the 850+ rooms on the property. Handicap-accessible room on lowest floor, next to a noisy ice machine, on an inside corner, such that the view (the glimpse of sky that could be seen) was over a 4-5' wall (part of a shared balcony) on to a roof. Clearly, as an SPG member on an award stay, I was second fiddle to paying guests.
BTW, the property itself is quite nice.
However, had I been paying $$ for the room (rates were near $500/night that weekend) I would have flat out refused it. The room I was assigned had to have been the worst room out of the 850+ rooms on the property. Handicap-accessible room on lowest floor, next to a noisy ice machine, on an inside corner, such that the view (the glimpse of sky that could be seen) was over a 4-5' wall (part of a shared balcony) on to a roof. Clearly, as an SPG member on an award stay, I was second fiddle to paying guests.
BTW, the property itself is quite nice.
Last edited by cactuspete; May 23, 2004 at 5:54 pm
Feb 24, 2004, 8:43 pm
#104
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Sol III
Programs: FPC Plat, SPG Gold, HH Diamond, PC Plt Amb
Posts: 1,329
Never been offered the 4 pm late checkout, and the only time I needed one, I was told a manager would have to get back to me (and no one ever did). As for upgrades to a "preferred room," I don't quite know what preferred means. I can think of but ONE instance when the room was an obvious upgrade (it was much bigger than usual), but I had stayed at that property (a W) several times by then and so was a repeat customer.
Overall, other than the extra points and a nice-looking SPG Gold card, I don't know of any real benefit of being Gold...
Overall, other than the extra points and a nice-looking SPG Gold card, I don't know of any real benefit of being Gold...
Feb 25, 2004, 10:21 am
#105
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: SPG Gold, Point Pleasant, NJ USA
Posts: 130
I have had mixed luck. I usually call and say something to the affect of "As per SPG's gold standards, I would like to request a checkout for "whatever time I need." I found if I ask, it is like they have a choice to say no. If I say it like I am quoting some mystical rulebook, they usually agree without a problem.
At checkin it is hit or miss. I have had great recognition at the Westin Grand in Vancouver and the Westin Philadelphia where they point out that they have rooms for preferred upgrade and was size of the room or view more important to me.
At checkin it is hit or miss. I have had great recognition at the Westin Grand in Vancouver and the Westin Philadelphia where they point out that they have rooms for preferred upgrade and was size of the room or view more important to me.