FPHotelGuy

Haha. Well, Seattle is far from where I am. That's a nice property though.

Good luck with your Platinum status!

sc flier

When do you first read the Special Requests section of upcoming reservations? Do you do much with these comments? Are there specific comments or requests that you think guests should (or should not) put in here?

If I absolutely need two beds, I'll say so in this field if that is more important than an upgrade to a better room with just one bed. If I prefer a particular type of upgrade, I'll usually enter that here. For example, "Pls upgrade to Westin Workout room, if avail."

How do you use the Arrival Time info on reservations? Is this helpful for planning for early or late arrivals?

FPHotelGuy

Some properties have someone who is in charge of preblocking and starts looking at this on a weekly level and also does it daily. For me it's part of my agents daily requirements during preblocking. If you need foam pillows, for example, they will be delivered at this time. Same thing with refrigerators/microwaves, etc.

I think keeping the profile up to date is the big thing. Make sure it reflects your current needs.

Thanks. We also get folks who will book themselves into a room with two beds and are upset when they don't get a king. "DO YOU EVEN LOOK AT MY PROFILE??". That comment field is EXTREMELY helpful. I also would reiterate any requests if you have special needs (low floor, close to elevator, away from pool, etc)

Also totally kosher and much appreciated.

It helps with staffing issues if we know we're going to have a bunch of late arrivals and is also another tool we utilize to be prepared for platinum arrivals. Honestly, not too many people use that field. I wish more guests did as it is something I have my agents be aware of.

itsaboutthejourney

FPHotelGuy: glad you just listed some things in your response to sc flier that we can do to help you! I too am wary of putting things in the special requests field or listing arrival times because we're not sure how properties use that info (and don't always trust spg.com). Per your suggestions, I will use those fields more often.

itsaboutthejourney

FPHotelGuy: I know you said you were not as versed with Westin, but I want to ask why sometimes there is mouthwash in the room and sometimes not. Same with bottles of water. This varies not just from property to property, but room to room. Are there no standards across the brand for these amenities?

FPHotelGuy

According to Westin 2008 brand standards it seems to be the same as Four Points in that mouthwash is only required for SPG Preferred rooms, luxury suites and Westin Executive club. Sewing kit, vanity kit, shoe mitt, and shower cap are all additional luxury suite amenities.

The bottle of water is also complimentary in SPG Preferred rooms/Westin Executive club.

FPHG

fireworksboy

So it has nothing to do with arrival time? I always thought that if there was an upgradeable suite available "at check in", I would get it. I didn't know that meant "at check in unless (a) another Plat is paying a higher rate (b) another Plat has a higher point balance - possibly thru Amex transfers (c) another Plat has more stays per year (d) another Plat that is a regular at that particular hotel OR (e) RANDOMLY". Well, at least the process is now transparent.
FPHotelGuy, no offense intended and I appreciate your solicitation/distribution of info here.

sc flier

I didn't find it clear in this thread about your preblocking schedule. Is this something that your agents do only on the day of arrival? Or do you begin this process days or weeks in advance?

Is it obvious to you when an upcoming guest has back-to-back reservations such as one night on a paid stay followed by one night on an award? In terms of placement on the SPG Upgrade report, is it better to have the first night paid? Or does it matter?

That's not fair to you, of course. Sometimes these folks booked the 2Q because that's all that was showing available. But sometimes the rate for 2Q is cheaper than 1K in the same room category -- for no obvious reason. In either case, they really should use the Special Requests field. (Unfortunately, SPG.com sort of hid this optional section on the reservations page about a year or two ago.)

I find the profile fields to be somewhat impractical because my preferences are not the same for every stay. Are my "current" preferences attached to the reservation at time of booking? Or are they pulled from my profile at the time of running the SPG Upgrade report or at the time of check-in? IOW, if I change my preferences after booking, will you use these new preferences or the preferences that were in place when I made the reservation?

I just revisited my own Stay Preferences in my profile. I was surprised at the variety of Bed Types. (1D 1K 1Q 1S 2D 2S) Who actually puts in a preference for 1 Single bed? How many hotels even offer this? (rhetorical questions) Why is 2 Queens not an option?

If a guest books an "Accessible Room," do you assume that they actually would prefer an upgrade unless they add a Special Request comment or check the "Wheelchair Access Required" box in their profile?

I feel sorry for travelling couples who do not agree on their pillow preference. There's no good option for them unless it goes into the Special Requests field for each reservation: "Foam AND Feather pillows."

FPHotelGuy

Obviously practices vary from property to property. There is a line we have to balance between pre-blocking and pre-keying Platinum guests and upgrades available at check in.

Speaking to my property specifically, we do an upgrade report for the week on Sunday. The vast majority of our platinum guests would have booked by this time. We pre-block and assign rooms on the day of arrival

It doesn't matter, we do everything we can to recognize there are multiple night stays and to accommodate accordingly.

Fact.

We have what is called a "special services" section which shows us smoking pref, bed type, pillow type, etc. These can also be property specific based on unique features of our hotel (ocean view, for example). Obviously those are entered by our agents and kept in guest history.

If your preferences change frequently (if you are traveling with a partner, for example) I recommend using the comments field when booking.


At my property we have one accessible suite and a handful of accessible rooms. If a platinum guest books and requests an accessible room we will upgrade them to the suite if its available. If it isn't, we would keep them in the accessible room as opposed to upgrading them into a non-accessible suite.

Let me know if that needs clarification.

Calling ahead in this situation is helpful, though Westin and Sheraton should have both synthetic and feather pillows.

melampus83

Thanks a lot for answering our questions!

A lot of people have suggested "contacting the manager" for special occasions/requests. What I mean is if you are staying at a particular hotel for a honeymoon and have a suite upgrade or are a plat, kindly hinting you would appreciate a nicer room/amenities/bigger upgrade(junior suite to presidential or something). Does this really work? Although generally I think people imply the general manager, I just thought I would get your 5 cents

FPHotelGuy

It never hurts to ask!

We are building our culture around little surprises for our guests like this. All I can suggest is to ask.

kevinsac

What a valuable resource you are, FP! Thanks for joining us. With you and William, those of us in this forum are lucky for your input.

But also remember......the upgraded room has to be available for the entire stay. I would think that it is more difficult to find a standard suite which is not booked for 7 days, as opposed to having an upgrade room for just one night.

Maybe some of the older hotels in Europe? And if you book into a standard single room (cheapest rate) in the historical section of the Westin St Francis, you will only be offered a standard bed. The upgrade from that room is to a Queen bed!

jetlagjunkie

It am surpise and happy to hear you do this for your regulars. I am a Plat. stayed 175 nights at the 4pt in Emeryville, CA and I never get upgraded to a suite. If I want one, I need to pay extra for it.

FPHotelGuy

If there is a standard suite available for you to purchase, you should be able to be upgraded into it. That doesn't make any sense.

Have you talked to the GM?

bigdel1

Here's a question:

Of your guests, what is the average percentage of 1) Platinum SPG, 2) Gold SPG, 3) "plain" SPG, 4) Non-SPG.

I realizes this varies over time, but perhaps you could give us some ideas of what to expect under different circumstances. I thought when I became Platinum that the hotels would be impressed with this status. Then I stayed at a Sheraton in ATL and they told me 50% of their business was platinum guests. I quickly figured out that Platinum status isn't as select as I once thought.

Curious as to what your experience is. Thanks.