fly co to see the yanks

i hope you're not serious.

or, should i say, i hope THEY weren't serious.

cxn

they wanted to charge you for asking to see if a suite was open

DCATravel

Sheraton Hotel & Towers NY - NO
Sheraton Manhatten - NO
Westin Times Square - NO
Westin Grand, Washington, DC - NO
Westin Columbus - YES
Sheraton Rittenhouse - 50/50
Sheraton University City - YES
Sheraton Maria Isabella - YES
Westin LAX - NO
Westin River North - NO
W Lakeshore - NO

UA1kMFR

William, first let me start by thank you for asking the question. This shows a real committment to customer service.

I stay a lot at the Essex House in NY, and also at the St. Regis Essex House, I must say that I do notice a different attitude with the staff. At the Essex House, an upgrade is given only grudgingly. When I stay at the St. Regis side, the staff is so pleasant and I always get an upgrade.

Last week I was at the Westin Chicago (Mich. Ave.) and was first given a very small room (but told is was one of the best in the house). I had to call the Plat. Conc. desk and then I got moved to a very nice suite. The bellman said the hotel was about 3/4 full.

I think that staff is a key, perhaps they are instructed by the Rooms Manager not to issue the suite/upgrade, but there does seem to be a pattern. I really dislike having to "work" for an upgrade, when after a quick call, is suddenly there.

Just my thoughts. Thanks for asking and keep up the outstanding work. I know this is not easy, but you are a true Star of Statwood!

------------------
UA-GSC/1K, M-M AA/DL,
Hilton Diamond, Starwood Plt.

ski

I think Hyatt must be also monitoring the SPG site. I called to do a 1800 checkin and the agent said after asking if I preferred king, etc, we now have you confirmed in a deluxe king room on the x floor is this acceptable to you or do you have another preference. It sounded fine for a 1 night stay, but out of curiosity I asked if a suite upgrade would be available. She said if I could hold, she would call the hotel directly to see if this could be arranged. She returned shortly after, saying she now had me confirmed in a Hospitality suite on the x floor with a pool view, was that acceptable or did I have another preference. I thanked her. I was very impressed. It was nice that she obtained the upgrade, but more so that she asked what my preference was. I post this on SPG because it seemed like the agent took the words right out of some members responses as to what they would like to hear when checking in as spg members.

copyright1997

William - hope this helps...
Background:
Marriott Platinum, Starwood Platinum (starting 2003), Hilton Gold
Travel Pattern:
Travel almost every week to NYC plus other occasional cities for business or pleasure, total hotels stays well north of 100 per year
Experience at Starwood properties in 2003:
1. Sheraton Manhattan - At checkin: Not upgraded. Plat amenity not offered. Voucher for breakfast (as Plat lounge is closed) not mention. Later, after dinner, I went back to the counter and asked again (another person). This time amenity offered, and voucher given. (Stayed in same room).
2. Sheraton Manhattan - Amenity offered, breakfast coupon offered (after I asked, I believe). Not sure of room "upgrade", but it was a typical crappy Sheraton Manhattan room.
3.Sheraton Hotel & Towers. 500 point amenity offered, no other options presented. Long conversation about plat lounge being closed...very reluctantly offered a breakfast coupon...but was "only offered as I didn't know the lounge was closed" and that they would "reflect it in my record". No room upgrade (to my knowledge).
4. Sheraton Hotel & Towers (I decided to try it again as a) I was morbidly curious to see what they would do with respect to the breakfast coupon b) I still had the one from the previous week (with no date on it) as I hadn't used it (due to an unexpected early meeting) and c) cheap internet rate. This was completely different. Amenity offered, coupon offered, and for the first time ever from Starwood, upgraded to a corner suite.

Disclaimer: MAR, HMT stock owner, "potential" HOT stock owner.

Vulcan

william:
This sugggestion by venk is by far the best. When epople know that they need to put in writing that there were no suites available, AND SIGN IT, it will go a long way to ending the lying that is the absolaute worst. Please do what you can to push this change. Thanks
Ed

If I can make a suggestion, what would really help is if Starwood got all hotels to include in the folder PLTs get at check-in, a standard Platinum welcome letter (or even a small note) that listed the benefits they were being given that day as PLTs and listing the type of upgrade provided (or a "sorry, full" item mandatorily checked if none available). This would serve as a written record of the benefits provided, help remind the hotel of their obligations and make the PLTs feel good about their status being recognized.
I suspect this alone would improve compliance more than any re-training program

GUWonder

Is this all part of some screening process to come up or work on the next Six Sigma project? In any case, if you can get compliance in this non-automated transactional business to something above 95%, I will be impressed.

stimpy

Just to be contrarian, I've never been denied an upgrade since becoming Platinum. Even when I was just Gold I almost always was upgraded. I think this has to do with the fact that I always pay a corporate rate. I've never used Priceline. I'm especially well upgraded when using points.

I've probably had over 250 nights in Starwood hotels over the last 5 years.

bworrell

Westin Tabor Center -- No upgrade, in fact downgraded from a booked king to two doubles. Front desk agent mumbled something about low "prepaid rates". Was told my booked King was just a "preference".

tinkybelle

I think you might be getting Hilton mixed up with Starwood.
plat members are not entitlerd to breakfast coupons.-or at least not to my knowledge-
Id love to be told otherwise.
if you have been getting them then good on you!!!

Markie

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum74/HTML/005651.html

Details my 20% success rate in 2002.

In 2003 - success rate

Skyline Heathrow 1/3 stays
Gateway LAX 1/1 stays
Amsterdam Airport 1/1 stays

So much better so far than last year.

itsaboutthejourney

Westin Times Square NYC. No upgrade for me as a Plat (amenity yes), yet my assistant and one of our vendors get high level corner rooms! My "regular" room had a great view of the air conditioner on the 12th floor. My company was spending $75K there for an event, too bad we just signed the contract for the next event there or I'd take our business elsewhere.

------------------

KathyWdrf

I think you need to read the post a little more carefully. Breakfast coupons were (or were supposed to be) offered in lieu of access to the club/executive lounge, since the lounge was closed (i.e., not in operation at all). And access to the lounge (with the breakfast and snack offerings) at Sheratons and Westins IS a benefit of Platinum members.


Kathy

NorthernAtlanticRacer

Great Question, some troubling answers. My own experience has been that it really depends on how the hotel is run. The dsiurbing thing is that with some properties, you just now the person doing check-in just plainly lies. Its not the mssing upgrade, its the lack of honesty that occassinely ticks me off.

Westin Tabor Denver, although a palce I like a lot, never has upgraded me, despite stays on weekend days, where clearly suites were available. W Chicago Lakeshore usually did an upgrade, as did W Union Sqare. Westin Grand Berlin is exteremely nice, greeting you by name, and even tryng to get you in the same suite, as I liked the one I had previously. Also, Arabella Jagdhof was very nice, upgraded without any problem and by now even Arabella Grand Munich works better.

Despite some of the criticism, something should not be overlooked: a lot of properties go way beyond what they need to, as suite upgrade is "Select Standard Suites". I have found myself in suites that pursuant to their description were Specialty Suites, and as such not in the upgrade pool.