Dear Mr. XXX,

I hope this email finds you well. Thank you very much for staying in LeMeridien Stuttgart and for the feedback concerning the Lounge access.

I have talked to the Front Office staff, that was working that day, and the told me, that you received the Lounge access.

Unfortunately, you didn’t receive it automatically and you had to ask for that. I apologize for the inconvenience.

As written in TripAdvisor, the Executive Club Privileges are part of the SPG benefits. Due to the fact, that we have in the mid-week about 60 – 80 Platinum members staying in our hotel, we decided not to give them free access. I think you saw the lounge, and it’s a small lounge, which will be crowded if all SPG Platinum members are staying inside.

For you Mr. XXXX, we do make an exception, and I put a Profile Note, that you will get the free access in our Lounge, whenever you are staying in Le Meridien Stuttgart.

Once again, I apologize for the reaction of the front desk staff, and we will train them again in the SPG benefits, so that they give the free access to Platinum members like you, who are not regular guests in Le Meridien Stuttgart, but are regular guests in the Starwood group.

Let me thank you again for your loyalty as a Platinum SPG guest and I looking forward to welcome you again in Stuttgart.

Mr. XXXXX, I wish you all the best and I hope you had a pleasant trip back to the United States.

Best regards

XXXXX XXXXX Front Desk Manager

Thanks for your email, it is true that I did receive the lounge access after I had to prove that I should have access to it.. Please understand the staff handled it in a very professional matter, but it was clear to me that they were following hotel policy. When I first checked in to the hotel I asked about the lounge and was told, "we do not give a lounge for Platinum guest". I was a guest on a Sunday night and true the lounge is small but I did not see many people using the lounge at all. I can understand on a mid week stay this would be a problem, but the staff acted like no lounge at no time no matter the occupancy for Platinum, and I was told "you have to pay for that at this hotel" I had to go to my room get my computer and show the staff what someone from the hotel posted online. I think it is very misleading that the hotel would post that Platinum should always get access at your hotel, but you tell me via email that they will not. The other misleading thing is when I was upgraded to the Jr. Suite it stated on my reservation I would have free mini-bar, access to the lounge, and other benefits that go along with that room type. The morning of check in I printed my booking and noticed that I was already upgraded to an executive room, it the room description listed the free mini bar, access to lounge and free internet. From what the staff told me, you do not get that when you are upgraded.. So from what I read on your web page that is the only difference between a standard room and executive room, the free mini bar and access to lounge and you will be on a higher floor, so if you do not get that when upgraded that is not much of an upgrade. I have been to many SPG hotels around the world and I have run into Hotels with small lounges that do have to limit the access from time to time to the lounge, but when this happens to me, I have ALWAYS gotten some other amenity, like a voucher to "happy hour" at the bar this gave me free soft drinks and selected alcoholic drinks from 5-7pm per day. I do have to say that was the best alternative to the lounge I would say that the average alternative has been a bottle of wine in the room. I do understand that according to SPG policy a hotel can limit access due to demand, but I have come to the conclusion that at the LeMeridien Stuttgart this is a hotel policy no matter what day of the week it is or how many people are in the hotel. This is based off my experience and reviews online from many other guest.

I travel a lot and I really depend on my status at the 3 brands that I hold top tier status with, SPG, Hilton, and Hyatt. When there is more then one hotel in a city or even for that matter in a reasonable distance I will always pick the hotel with a lounge, it is a very important benefit to me. When I book a hotel and at times pay more because they have a lounge and I know with my status I will have access it leaves a very very bad impression on me when I do not get the benefits that I have earned and expect. I have also never experienced a lounge at any SPG hotel without some type of Morning service, a basic continental breakfast is what I have come to expect, I'm very happy my room rate had the breakfast included. Sure some SPG hotels do not have a service set up in the lounge in the Morning, but give access to the restaurant to eat regardless if it was an upgrade or not..

Over all I feel like Platinum's have become common place to your hotel, as you say you have 60-80 per week, and it appears that it is common for very weak elite benefits because of this.

I do thank you for your jester to grant me access to the lounge anytime I stay at your hotel, however I believe that I should have already earned that privilege by earning SPG Platinum status, not by calling SPG corporate and filing a report with them.

Thanks for your time