itsaboutthejourney

About 2 weeks ago I booked a suite at the aloft Minneapolis. I was attending a reunion and wanted a cool, nearby place to entertain friends after our big dinner.

Looking at W, Westin and aloft all in the same area, I noticed a bookable suite at a decent rate at aft. Being leery of the suite online, I called the Plat Concierge who gladly booked the single suite at the property, reciting the square feet, amenities of the specific room, etc. Email confirmation went out even before the call ended.

Fast forward to check-in: there was “problem” checking in at the kiosk. At the desk, the lady says “oh, the rooms not ready, we left you a message”. I said “no problem, we’ll come back after our dinner” she said “would you like a king then?” I said, “whatever the suite has is fine” she replied that the suite itself is not finished being built and that it will only be available for events and such.” She did me a "favor" and waived the 24 hour cancellation.

Turns out they did call me (at home, duh, I was traveling!) but the DAY OF CHECKIN! (they had my reservation for a good 10 days!)

Again, the Starwood reservation system is bogus: The lady at the desk said SHE has the suite booked all month just so the Starwood reservation system won’t sell it, yet the Plat Concierge booked it for me. Something does not jive.

Anyway, my status at “Mr. Starwood” among friends became the joke of the evening, and into today as more calls came in saying they tried to come visit. We ended up going late into the night at a nearby (non-Starwood) hotel that was happy to have us.

The reunion was fun, my memories of aLoft not so much.

sinner7

Based on this thread and others, it seems like Aloft has some service issues that need ironing out.

TrojanHorse

cool just happens, you can't buy it

this is what happens when you try to be cool

on another note, that was pretty bogus of the property to do that and/or the concierge line to book it without calling.

KENNECTED

I hope you called customer service to report this.

gfowler-ord-1k

I would think this should have qualified as a "walk" and the

Starwood Lurker

My apologies for the inconvenience, but I agree with Cheap Elite...this should be reported to Corporate Customer Service. They can be reached by phone at 800-328-6242 or by email at [email protected].

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

BlissWorld

Do let us know what the hotel tells you once you have reported corporate customer service.

itsaboutthejourney

I waited until this morning to cool down before sending my complaint... I'll let you know.

tjk1976

Good point. ^ I would have never even thought of that.

itsaboutthejourney

neither would I, and knowing that I booked a pretty good rate to get this suite, walking me would have cost them. Another point to make to customer care!

itsaboutthejourney

Call & email from the General Manager. She was great at following up. Once I finally connected via phone, she offered 1,000 points. I laughed and said I would have earned more than that from my stay. She claimed SPG Customer Service suggested that amount. She said no walk situation since they had regular rooms available. She said she would call SPG Customer Service (her hotel is a franchise) and ask for a manager to get more.

Today, I get an email saying she's getting me 5,000 points. ^

I sorta feel bad that her property is taking on the "fine" from SPG because Starwood's reservation system is so f'd up.

socrates

??? It is the responsibility of the hotel to manage their inventory in the reservation system.....this wouldn't be a Starwood mistake from what I've read but a hotel mistake

Rambuster

How many points would you need for a free night at this property ?

bizaro86

aLoft Minneapolis is a Cat 4, so it'd be 10,000 points for a free night. Although the OP booked a suite, so to get that room, he'd also need the points for the upgrade.

Michael

STM

I think this is awful--akin to getting walked. You are due at least the number of points required for a free night at this hotel--and perhaps an additional token amount as an "apology." I am a believer in "stuff happens" when I travel and try not to get too worked up about missed flights, bad weather, etc., but it really grates at me when hotels and/or SPG can't manage inventory properly. And it wasn't as if you had booked a basic king/queen room to use for yourself; you booked a suite to entertain, etc. and the hotel's (or SPG's) treatment messed up your plans more than it normally might have. Unacceptable.