Starwood Lurker IV

Hi johnep1,

Please feel free to email us at the below address so we may assist you.

All the best,

Alice Kons
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

johnep1

I emailed the hotel and they made a non-breakfast room available for the night I needed, so I was then able to book the award night. Very frustrating though that customers need to jump through hoops just to make a booking.

johnep1

Thanks Alice. Can you just escalate without me (as I was able to book the night I wanted after calling out the hotel)? All the facts are in this thread, including the current stance of SPG that it's okay for hotels to just add breakfast to a room type in order to not have to offer it as an award. I have screenshots if you'd like, but you can also just look at most days in the winter and see that this hotel is playing games.

Starwood Lurker IV

Thanks for your response.

In order to follow up on this and document the issue, I'd appreciate if you could send us your details via email.

Regards,

Alice Kons
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

Kagehitokiri

ask about awards for upgraded rooms/suites

MKB

I posted earlier in the property-specific thread earlier, but someone pointed me here.

I have the same problem. Trying to book the night of 24/03/17 on points at the ITC Jaipur, and the physical room they are offering for cash is identical to the physical room on other nights when points stays are available. How do I get this resolved? This is not playing fair at all.

Starwood Lurker

From an earlier post in this thread.

You may want to consider booking another property in Jaipur.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

MKB

Thanks for the response William. I had already seen that earlier response, but I couldn't see an answer to the question someone subsequently posed about how these three categories of executive room differ.

If it is only in breakfast, then the hotel is clearly breaking the terms of the SPG programme. I am looking for the terms of the programme to be enforced rather than having to stay in a less convenient location.

MKB

Is anyone from SPG working on getting an answer to the question of what the difference is between the three executive room categories?

Starwood Lurker

Despite the fact that there is a value-added amenity and a higher price being charged for the executive rooms not on their Free Night Award rate plan, I have asked the SPG Hotel Coordinators - for the third time, by the way - to review this.

If it changes at some point down the road, then it will be apparent that they agree that all three room types should be made available. If it doesn't, then it will remain the status quo.

So, we will have to see what comes of it all.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

MKB

I am still confused. Notwithstanding the outcome of a review in to whether to make these three room categories available on points, is there then an actual physical difference between these three executive room categories? Clearly having different price plans or package rates available for a room, doesn't change its category.

Surely it's a simple question that the hotel can answer? Maybe they are on different floors? And it would then surely be very straightforward matter to update the room descriptions to make clear what these differences are.

johnep1

OP here. I have had success contacting the property directly and they've removed breakfast from a room and made it available for award. (Platinums get breakfast for free here.)

johnep1

The rooms are the same - one rate has breakfast and is not available for award, one does not have breakfast and is available for award.

I find this whole issue very irritating and a waste of time. Properties like this are showing others the way out of offering award nights - just throw in breakfast. And it's a shame since this property is very nice, and treats Platinums very well (free breakfast in addition to the 500 points, nice happy hour in the bar area, consistent suite upgrades).

johnep1

If allowed to do this, all SPG properties could throw in a "value-added amenity" and escape offering award rooms.

Are there other SPG departments that might have more teeth (or motivation to actually look into this instead of just being asked three times and not doing a thing) than the SPG Hotel Coordinators? This is foul-play by the hotel and undermines one of the key SPG value propositions.

johnep1

If you are not successful in getting the ITC to play by the SPG rules, I highly recommend this property - https://www.tripadvisor.in/Hotel_Rev...Rajasthan.html. Yes, it's only $45 / night but don't let that scare you away. I needed a relatively last minute booking in Jaipur recently and didn't want to go through the hassle of contacting the ITC to release a room, so I stayed at the Pearl Palace Heritage property - it was fantastic in every way. It's a small place (only ~8 rooms I think), and each room is decorated to look like a city / region in India. This property was also featured in The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and is the first choice for quite a few celebrities when in Jaipur. It is usually sold out well in advance so grab it (you can always cancel later).

Pearl Palace Heritage is now my go-to property in Jaipur if it's available. If it's not, then I play the ITC games.