Originally Posted by MSPeconomist

I'm interested to see what Starwood says about this as I had a very disappointing experience with how CCC handled a late checkout issue. Even when I escalated, they seemed to agree with the hotel and say that the 4 pm late checkout wasn't really guaranteed (at a property that no one tried to claim was either a resort or convention center). The experience resulted in a real decrease in my Starwood stays (focusing instead on Hyatt) and even made me question whether I wanted to push for LTP as the Marriottification of SPG continues.

Originally Posted by BRITINJAPAN3

OK so, now you feel we should give up our entirlememts, those which over the years we have earned and payed for, which are guranteed by the progream, which might cause a lot of problems if we cannot use, BECAUSE the hotel that signed up for the SPG program obligationg them selves to provide these servicers, want to save money ?

Sorry for the staff but while I dont staty longet than I need, I do stay to 4 if I do need.

Originally Posted by UKTraveller4Fun

I don't think it is down to the guests of a hotel and members of a program that offers benefits for its most frequent guests to decide to leave a hotel before the time they are entitled because the hotel might not be employing the staff at the right times or on the correct rates. By leaving early you are just enabling the hotel to get away with paying even less and cutting down the hours even more.

I would keep a room past a time I needed, not because I am thinking of the hotel but because I am thinking of the next guest that might be checking into that room. If I keep it until 4pm it is quite possible someone wont get it until 5 or 6pm.

If a hotel approached me after giving me an upgrade saying we know you have the right to keep the suite until 4pm but we have a paying / regular guest arriving and this is the only suite becoming vacant today will you be requiring a late checkout I would be willing to work with the hotel. With the hope / expectation that should I return to the hotel they will look after me in a similar way next time or maybe offer me a drink in the bar before leaving or something similar. If however the approached it like they did in this situation I would be anything but helpful and raise the issue with Starwood and seek compensation.

The issue here is how the hotel goes about treating its guests and it is simply not acceptable anf they shouldn't be allowed to do so.

Originally Posted by RogerD408

Not saying we should give up on benefits, but understanding that they may not be able to turn this on as quickly as we may like may help reduce some of the stress some are feeling.

The staffing issue got a lot of traction in the MAGC thread where underpaid staff were going to lose hours when guests chose to take advantage of the benefit. The same applies here. Yes, the contracts may need to be reworked, but that will take time. l wholeheartedly support reporting these properties and get SPG engaged in a resolution, it can be done. But that will mean some will need to step up and help the next person without an immediate fix for themselves.

Originally Posted by MSPeconomist

Reworking contracts takes time? AFAIK the guaranteed late checkout for elites has been a published SPG benefit for at least about a decade. IMO the whole point is that Starwood figured out how to make this work and then convinced and educated hotels about how to do it effectively.

Originally Posted by RogerD408

One would think... But there are still properties that do not have full housekeepers on duty into the late afternoon/early evening.

Originally Posted by MSPeconomist

That's either incompetence by their management or a deliberate refusal to plan for SPG program benefits.

Originally Posted by slidergirl

I didn't know you had experience in staffing or running a hotel...

Just because you do not agree with how management runs a hotel, how Front Desk Agents do their jobs (as told), how CCC handles cases, ad nauseam, that does not mean their are incompetent or lazy or "need retraining" or are cheap...

NO one knows the intimate details of what has happened at a hotel on a given day you have interactions with it.

If you are denied a late checkout, and you don't like the reason, and you file with CCC and are still denied, suck it up. Sure, it is supposed to be a perk, but with everything, extenuating circumstances happen. It's not like you lost a limb - you just didn't get to stay in a hotel room a little longer... Just hope it isn't you who are waiting until 8pm for your room to be available for you because someone else had the room until 4pm. Sure, it takes an hour to 2 hours to clean a room/suite to the brand standard and then have it inspected to standard, but that room/suite is NOT the only one being worked on. Are you now going to insist that your room is moved to the FRONT of the cleaning list???

Originally Posted by slidergirl

If you are denied a late checkout, and you don't like the reason, and you file with CCC and are still denied, suck it up. Sure, it is supposed to be a perk, but with everything, extenuating circumstances happen.

Originally Posted by slidergirl

I didn't know you had experience in staffing or running a hotel...

Just because you do not agree with how management runs a hotel, how Front Desk Agents do their jobs (as told), how CCC handles cases, ad nauseam, that does not mean their are incompetent or lazy or "need retraining" or are cheap...

NO one knows the intimate details of what has happened at a hotel on a given day you have interactions with it.

If you are denied a late checkout, and you don't like the reason, and you file with CCC and are still denied, suck it up. Sure, it is supposed to be a perk, but with everything, extenuating circumstances happen. It's not like you lost a limb - you just didn't get to stay in a hotel room a little longer... Just hope it isn't you who are waiting until 8pm for your room to be available for you because someone else had the room until 4pm. Sure, it takes an hour to 2 hours to clean a room/suite to the brand standard and then have it inspected to standard, but that room/suite is NOT the only one being worked on. Are you now going to insist that your room is moved to the FRONT of the cleaning list???

Originally Posted by slidergirl

I didn't know you had experience in staffing or running a hotel...

Just because you do not agree with how management runs a hotel, how Front Desk Agents do their jobs (as told), how CCC handles cases, ad nauseam, that does not mean their are incompetent or lazy or "need retraining" or are cheap...

NO one knows the intimate details of what has happened at a hotel on a given day you have interactions with it.

If you are denied a late checkout, and you don't like the reason, and you file with CCC and are still denied, suck it up. Sure, it is supposed to be a perk, but with everything, extenuating circumstances happen. It's not like you lost a limb - you just didn't get to stay in a hotel room a little longer... Just hope it isn't you who are waiting until 8pm for your room to be available for you because someone else had the room until 4pm. Sure, it takes an hour to 2 hours to clean a room/suite to the brand standard and then have it inspected to standard, but that room/suite is NOT the only one being worked on. Are you now going to insist that your room is moved to the FRONT of the cleaning list???

Originally Posted by UKTraveller4Fun

I have to say this comment just does not make sense, this is a guaranteed benefit that hotels know about when being part of the SPG program and as such when a Platinum member makes a booking they take such things into account when deciding to stay at that hotel over another hotel thus by not honoring it the hotel is indeed ripping the customer off and breaking the terms and conditions.

Your agreement is that in life if a company breaks a rule or rips off a customer the correct thing to do is suck it up and how not loosing a limb has anything to do with this is beyond me.

Stop making excusing for companies that do not offer what you actually pay for. You say no one knows what happens on the day of this incident and thus maybe the hotel isn't incompetent or has good reason, I am afraid this doesn't hold true as if something did happen to force the hotel not to be able to honor it's obligation to the guest if it were not incompetent the Op would have been informed of the pressing reason and apologies to for them having to be denied something they had every right to.

Originally Posted by slidergirl

I now work for a luxury hotel group that does not have a loyalty program. The difference in level of civility of the guests at the Front Desk is palpable.

Originally Posted by slidergirl

I now work for a luxury hotel group that does not have a loyalty program. The difference in level of civility of the guests at the Front Desk is palpable. I still read and post here because I have been an SPG member since the the early 1990s (when I traveled for work) and am still an SPG Gold and still stay at *wood properties when I travel. Having spent times on both sides of the equation has indeed opened my eyes. I still get shot down at work for ideas that are too much from the guest side without balancing with the business side...