aisleorwindow

Hi obscure2k-
I am a little wary of disclosing the names of the hotels I worked for as I'm sure they would not be thrilled about some of the things I have written in this thread. I can tell you that I went to a state university, where I got a Bachelors in Business-management and a minor in tourism. I worked at a hotel while in college, and later I worked for a casino/hotel in Colorado (in Blackhawk/Central City for those familiar with the area). Thinking that hotels may be my career, I accepted a job with a five star hotel in Chicago. Big mistake. I am now in marketing and like it a lot better being on the other side of the desk.

DSK

Thanks for the info...the hotel is The Lanesborough.
I have a good relation with a concierge there but don't know if he can(or if I should see him) re: upgrade.
Thanks for all the info!!

[This message has been edited by DSK (edited 08-20-2002).]

juanvaldez

This is a great thread. Any chance we can lobby the powers-that-be to set up a HotelBuzz forum or something like that?

Since the topics are wide-ranging, it might assist with people searching for info down the road.

MrAbeFroman

g_leyser -

Thanks for the info. I know I speak for all of us when I say how informative this has been.

I will be at the same hotel next week, I will make sure I give my compliments when I am there.

Abe

julize

Wow--this is a great thread. Thanks so much for all the information! I have just two questions.

1) I am a gold elite w/ HHonors, but also a federal gov't employee, which means I can't be reimbursed for any stay that exceeds the gov't rate. Would the fact that I'm paying the low gov't price generally cancel out any chance of an upgrade as an elite member?

2) I often have difficulty getting hotels to give me the rate I need. This is particularly frustrating when I'm attending a conference at a hotel and end up having to stay at the Days Inn down the road. Is there usually some sort of ironclad policy on when to make this rate available (i.e. never when hotel is more than 75% full, etc.) or do the reservations/front desk folks have some discretion here? Aside from avoiding very full nights, is there anything I can do to improve my chances?

aisleorwindow

The Lanesborough is a St. Regis so I can virtually guarantee they will have a guest history system. Wouldn't hurt to utilize your relationship with the concierge, especially if he/she will be working during your stay.

aisleorwindow

Hi julize-
1) I wouldn't say it will totally cancel you out for upgrades, but I guarantee you will be the last gold elite to be upgraded - if you are at all - because gov. rates are sooooooooo low. I would be very surprised if you were upgraded for a stay of more than one or maybe two nights.

2) Doesn't surprise me at all. Hotels (just like airlines) will make any excuse to refuse a govt. rate. These rates are MUCH lower than any other rates in the hotel and very few people ever request them. The hotel has very little to gain both financially and PR-wise by accomodating you. In the hotel I worked for the govt. rate was available maybe 15% of the year, at the MOST. The rate will be made available or unavailable by the reservations dept. based on the occupancy forecast for that night. The front desk MAY give you a gov. rate on a last minute basis, if you call the day of and they have extra rooms, but thats it. If it's not offered then there is nothing else you can do. Sorry.

kelly786

Hi

Just got back from a very disappointing stay at the Palace in San Francisco. Since I don't have any elite status with Starwood I did not expect an upgrade of any kind but curiously enough at check in, the clerk made a point of telling me that I had been upgraded to a deluxe room. The "deluxe" room turned out to be very small and cramped, with a tiny bathroom. I ended up spending most of my time away from the room as it made me feel claustrophobic. What could I or should I have done in this situation?? Or maybe what can one do to avoid such situations in the future?? I hate to start my vacation with haggling over room/upgrades.

Thanks!


Thanks

aisleorwindow

Hi Kelly-
Hmmm... If your upgraded room was tiny, I'd hate to see what your regular room would have been. I suppose you COULD have called and asked for a bigger room once you'd checked in, but since you were already supposedly upgraded that would be kind of aggressive. I don't know that there is anything besides that, that you could have done without paying more money for a larger room. In the future, you should do your homework. Find out square footage of both the bedroom and the bathroom. I'm sure most of this could be done online, and I'm sure some FTers could help you. If not the hotel's reservations dept. will be able to give you this info. If you are in the area, you can always ask for a tour at the hotel, and to see an example of what a room looks like. Otherwise, I would say pick another hotel in San Francisco. Sorry to hear you had a bad vacation experience. Just out of interest, how many nights did you stay? Did you get a chance to see what kind of room you originally had booked?

Lpas

Hi g_leyser! Thanks so much for all the helpful information. There is a certain hotel I return to approximately 3x a year. On one prior stay I lucked into a room I really liked for a number of reasons (regular price, not exec level or anything) but when I inquire about it on subsequent stays I'm always told it's "already assigned" or simply "unavailable." When do hotels assign rooms for the night? I always thought it happened on a first come/first served basis as people checked in. Is it ever possible to reserve a specific room in advance?

kelly786

Thanks for feedback-I did try to find sq footage of room online but no luck. That is a great suggestion on your part, and I try to do that routinely as space is very important to me on a leisure trip. I was there 2 nights...and no did not get a chance to see what the "non-deluxe" room would have been. I did see a beautiful spacious room on my way to the pool, which by the way was just gorgeous as were the public areas of the hotel. Too bad the room was small.. Thanks for ideas-you are so generous with your time and gracious in your responses.
kelly786

aisleorwindow

Hi Lpas-
Yes! It is absolutely possible to reserve a specific room ahead of time. Rooms can be "blocked" (hotel lingo) for any number of reasons. For example if you want to be on the same floor as a friend, they will block two rooms on the same floor at time of booking. Just like an airline will preassign two adjacent seats. If you want that specific room you speak of, request it at the time of booking. The hotel probably cannot guarantee it in advance, but they will put in a request. It also wouldn't hurt to call the a day or two before you check in to make sure.
I've seen rooms blocked more than a year in advance, so it is definitely possible. Good luck!

squeakr

if space is important to you, it's important to check before you go...I am always amazed when people say a certain facet is important to them but they then leave that facet to chance or the hotel's goodwill...

I believe the starwood web site gives sq footage of rooms...if you had checked the FT starwood board before, you would have seen that by history the rooms are small and very little chance for upgrade....

kelly786

Unfortunately Starwood site does not give this info and I did read archived posts on this site about Palace-Based on my reading I got the impression that the rooms vary in size! By the way some Ritz Carlton sites do give square footage info on rooms as does Hyatt when you actually select a room but prior to booking it.
kelly786

sfvoyage

Very enjoyable and informative post...

One thing I'm curious about is how is the frequent guest award program administered? Do hotels get reimbursed for free stays claimed by guests?

Thanks.