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Now that’s a classy hotel: Banff Fairmont saves ruined vacation

July 14, 2009

fairmontJim Kohlman almost lost his entire vacation on a technicality. And he would have, were it not for the help of a hotel that understands the hospitality business.

Kohlman and his wife had booked a package through Travelocity that included flights, car rental, and a week-long stay at The Fairmont Banff Springs. But things took a turn for the worse when they checked in for their flight in Sacramento.

The Alaska Air ticket agent noticed that our passports were in the name of James and Susan but our tickets were Jim and Sue. Evidently, this seemingly minuscule difference would get us stopped in Calgary and sent back to the U.S., according to Alaska Air. Furthermore, Alaska could not change the ticketed names as it was booked through Travelocity.

We spent an hour on the phone with Travelocity, but they finally claimed that it was too close to flight departure for them to execute any changes. I went back to the Alaska ticket agent, who was extremely caring, to see about a later flight. She said she could get us on at 10 a.m. and urged me to do it as the rest of the week was pretty booked. However, we would have to pay $1,500 for a new round trip itinerary. We decided not to risk the additional $1,500, and instead returned home to reassess our options.

Travelocity offered Kohlman credit for their airline tickets and car rental, but the Banff Fairmont refused a refund or even credit.

I contacted Fairmont at the corporate level on his behalf. A representative responded with the following explanation:

When someone books Fairmont with Travelocity, our agreement requires payment to us by Travelocity for reservations made through their system. So technically, Travelocity as the “booker” should have requested the change or reimbursed the guest.

Now, I suppose it’s possible to say that the accounting departments of Fairmont and Travelocity could have connected to verify who paid whom and when, to determine whether Fairmont could rebook/reimburse him, but Travelocity as the booking agent should have facilitated this. (For us to rebook, for example, we’d have to check with our accounting departments to see if Travelocity had paid for this – this isn’t something the guest would be able to do, you see? And I’m not certain that even if we were paid by Travelocity, we’d reimburse the guest directly – I could see that being a liability issue, how do you prove it, ect.)

At this point, I have not verified if Travelocity actually paid us for this trip – we’d have to go back and trace, but Travelocity should be the one to reimburse him, according to procedures. Unfortunately it appears this process wasn’t properly explained to Mr. Kohlman.

I asked Travelocity for help, but before it could reply, the a representative from the Banff Fairmont got back to Kohlman.

I am very sorry to hear of the challenges you experienced. Mr. Kohlman, we would like to offer you and your family a complimentary six-night stay for a future date at The Fairmont Banff Springs. When you are ready to reserve, please contact me directly via email or telephone.

Please let me know if there is anything additional I may assist with. We look forward to hearing from you and welcoming you and your family to our Castle in the Rockies!

So the Kohlman’s get to redo their Canadian vacation, and everyone is happy.

How could this have been prevented? Obviously, paying close attention to the names on a reservation is important. Although I’m not sure if I agree with the Alaska Air representative about being turned away at the Canadian border. I think the real reason may have more to do with that $1,500 walk-up fare they would have been charged. But I don’t know for certain.

Kudos to Fairmont for fixing this. Now that’s what I call a classy hotel.

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

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23 comments

  • http://www.singleparenttravel.net John F

    Alaska Air could have and should have done the name change. It is their ticket. They could have charged a fee as well and it could have been done up to the point of departure when the plane’s status is listed as departed. Alaska Air screwed these people!

    But as you said the root of the problem is the clients not knowing their own names! The apparently have passports and they likely were issued after 2001. Do these people live in a cave where they are not aware of the need to use a formal and legal name on an airline ticket?

    Whenever possible, we ask to see the identification they plan to use to travel. That way there is no confusion. You would think that the airlines and websites could maintain a list of nicknames, so when “Sue” was entered, a pop up rears its head and says, “Did you really mean Sue? Or is is Susan, Suzanne, Susanne, or some other name?”

  • Jonathan

    Sorry, Chris! This is not news!

    We absolutely love the Fairmont chain. Aside from magnificent properties, they are one of the few organizations left in the travel world who treat you with respect and are focused. Over the past year, we have stayed at Fairmont’s in Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia, Hamilton, Bermuda, Washington DC, Quebec City, and their wilderness lodge, Chateau Montebello on the Ottawa River (not to mention a return to their DC property in two weeks and then to the Royal York in Toronto next month. On EVERY trip, they have at minimum treated us like we were a special, top level guest even if we were just staying at the cheapest level. The most telling example for us, though was quite similar to your story.

    When we went to the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City, we were supposed to be joined by another family. Unfortunately, one of them had a serious mishap less than two weeks prior to the trip. When I called the 800- number, I was told by their automaton that our friends’ room was non-refundable and would cost in excess of $1200. I sent an e-mail to Ryan, a Front Desk Manager at Washington who had taken exemplary care of us the previous month, asking for some guidance on how we could get this resolved (we were willing to still pay, but get a voucher for a later stay). He asked if I wanted him to completely take care of it and within THREE minutes, I had received an e-mail saying that the reservation was completely canceled and that we owed nothing at all.

    THIS is the reason why Fairmont is our FIRST hotel of choice when we travel!

  • Marilyn D

    Although this was an unfortunate experience that eventually turned out well, travelers need to be mindful that the names on the tickets & other reservations need to match the names on the passport/drivers’ license/other government IDs to minimize confusion. Personally I would have given the travelers the benefit of the doubt, but in this post-911 day and age, we need to make sure that everything conforms to what is on the printed page, especially when traveling out of the country. I think this was really a case of splitting hairs, but to avoid things like this happening in the future, it is wise to book reservations with the same name that matches the ID.

  • Phil

    They certainly would not have had a problem entering Canada with their passports. They would have shown their passports to immigration and would have been on their way.

  • Robert Davis

    I know many people book through these third party web sites all the time. But, for the life of me, I can’t figure out why you would bother. You just add one more layer of complexity and chances for things to go wrong. I use them to get an idea of rates and availability and then book directly.

  • http://waynedayton.tripod.com Wayne Dayton

    In no circumstances would the Canadian Border Services Agency personnel have turned away these pax upon arrival in YYC. They wouldn’t even be looking at their tickets. This is, pure and simple, a cash grab attempt by a once consumer-friendly airline now trying to fleece the consumer like its bigger brethren. I always enjoy Fairmont Hotels…it has been years since I flew AS (they ran for about 3 months from YYZ-LAX in the 90s and were largely forgettable, serving “Eskimo Pies” for snacks), and, based on this posting, I have no need to try them again when in the NW USA.

  • http://www.atme.org Kristin Zern

    This doesn’t surprise me. The EVP of Marketing at Fairmont is on ATME’s board and he is class personified. This is a Hotel that actually thinks their customers are important from the sale through the experience.

  • Bill

    Fairmont also know how to cook scrambled eggs for a buffet so that they are not like a watery soup – a skill they should teach a few of the Marriott hotels I’ve stayed in.

  • http://www.travelocity.com Joel

    Thanks to our friends at the Fairmont for helping the Kohlman’s.

  • Brit

    I agree the Fairmont organization takes care of the clients to ensure repeat business. As for the ticket not matching the passport in Calgary immigration doesnt actually look at your ticket they only llok at your passport so it would have been fairly unlikely that they would have been denided access to Canada.

    P.S the picture is of the Fairmont Lake Louise not the Fairmont Banff :)

  • Yvonne

    Just another reason travellers should use a Travel Agent. It has been years that clients have needed their full first and last names as per their passports. It’s not up to the airline to make sure the person who is booking the flight is competent enough to know how to book a
    ticket under their correct name. As agents we have to check more then once to make sure
    the name they are giving is correct and one time out of ten it is wrong. They are quite lucky to have the Fairmont extend the offer.

  • Joel Wechsler

    It is beyond belief that Travelocity would issue tickets in the names of “Jim” and”sue” regardless of how clueless the travelers themselves were. That being said, however, I agree with those who have said that they would not have been turned away in Calgary. Canadian immigration would not have looked at their tickets, given a cursory glance at heir passports and sent them on their way with a smile. What might have happened when they checked in for their return flight may be a different story.

  • David Z

    I know many people book through these third party web sites all the time. But, for the life of me, I can’t figure out why you would bother. You just add one more layer of complexity and chances for things to go wrong.

    Although I work in a travel agency, I can’t help but “partly” agree with that comment.

    If anything, people book through third party travel agencies because they tend to save up when getting a flight and hotel combination at the very least. Of course, the drawback to that is the vendors will insist the customer deal directly with the travel agency it was booked to begin with.

    Maybe it was a so-called money grab, maybe the Alaska Airlines agent sincerely told the Kohlmans how Calgary border officials might treat that. I know some of you said the Kohlmans wouldn’t have been turned away because of that, but…what if that happened, knock on wood?

    After all, no one wants to be told one thing. Only to find out the hard way it’s another, and might result in a costly mistake.

  • Chris….or Christopher

    I think it is a security issue for the airline and likely their policy. In effect, they are being asked to board a person who’s identification doesn’t exactly match their ticket. Not good! Now, we all realize that Jim and James are related names, but is Jack Kennedy or John? Does only one name need to match? A partial one? Now what about foreign diminuitives, spellings, etc? (Who but a Spaniard would know that “Chema” is diminuitive for JoseMaria?) I can only imagine in other languages, like Arabic, the potential for variations. So, in an effort to make it fair and applied equally for everyone, they enforce the same rule, just like it says at the website when you book: the name on the ticket must match the name on your id (passport for international). Personally, I feel more secure knowing they require id to match the ticket -

  • Passing Through

    I was wondering where I should go on a vacation in the near future. Looks like I’ll be looking out for Fairmonts. :)

  • Carol

    Small point – Brit above says the photo is Chateau Lake Louise, but that’s incorrect. Chateau Lake Louise is a pale beige color.

  • acproductions

    Fairmont is consistently wonderful; they really do a good job of caring for their guests, and have bent over backwards more than once to help me out, or make changes they could decline to get involved in.

    @Brit – sorry – the pic is most definitely Banff. Lake Louise is cream-colored.
    @Passing Through – Be sure to join the Fairmont President’s Club. It’s free, gives you automatic room upgrade and goodies, dedicated check-in lines, special rates and offers, etc.

  • Josh

    There are a few aspects to the name issue (which is going to be even more important as TSA adopts more stringent policies too):

    1) People need to have ONE formal name (and ONE English transliteration if not natively so) and use it consistently. My daughter’s nickname is Cassie, and that’s what everyone calls her, but her full name is Catherine, and we use that without fail on travel tickets, school paperwork, etc; I would never think of doing otherwise. Same for the E Scott Johnson’s of the world — if your name is really Edvardo Scott Johnson, that’s what you need to use on all documents (and deal with people not knowing you prefer to be called “Scott” until you tell them), or get it formally changed.

    2) Airlines and others need to ensure their systems can take a consistent style of names. Right now, I can’t change my United profile to put my full middle name in; it only has room for one letter. And they should be more flexible on “obvious” name changes after the fact.

    3) I MUCH prefer online systems where I enter my own info and can confirm that it’s correct, vs trying to spell it to an agent on the phone. When my daughter was an infant and got special fares (not usually available anymore) that required phoning, I often got “Katherine” even after spelling it for them twice.

  • Paulette

    Jonathan: No need to be snarky! This article is indeed news to those who don’t know Fairmont properties. I agree that Fairmont provides topflight customer service, but their two Bermuda properties are near the bottom of my list when I stay in Bermuda. Hamilton is too far from the beach, and while the Southhampton hotel has great views, I find it very un-Bermudian. But hey, different strokes . . .

  • http://www.brandlogic.com Emerson

    I think it is ridiculous what they were told by Alaska Air. All my FF accounts are pre-9/11 and use my middle name as my first name. Consequentially that name is what shows on my tickets, and it doesn’t match my drivers license or passport, which only show that name as an initial. I’ve never had a problem.

  • Ian

    @Emerson- Alaska Airlines totally did the right thing in this situation. Although it is unlikely that Calgary would have denied entry to the Kohlmans, if Canada did deny entry, Alaska Airlines would be held liable for boarding passengers with incorrect travel documentation and would have been fined.

    Although you may not have historically had a problem, your situation is about to change as the DHS is starting a major crackdown on ensuring identical matches between identification and ticket: http://www.tsa.gov/blog/2009/05/whats-in-name.html

  • Phil

    To Josh the poster above, I just changed my profile with UA to include my middle name, I just called the Premier Executive desk to do it, Also had my birthdate added which will soon be a requirement on the BP.

  • Anonymous

    Things change in travel. Just because in the past you were able to travel using only your middle name or a diminutive or a nickname, doesn’t mean you will get past anymore since the middle of May when the TSA got more strict on its name requirements. Heck, you used to be able to walk up to the gate area without a ticket, but you can’t do that anymore, and you used to be able to take full bottles of shampoo in your carryon, but you can’t do that anymore either. And while Canadian immigration may not have denied them entry into Canada (although at the end of my last cruise I was beginning to wonder if I was going to get denied entry after several minutes of strict question by the Canadian immigration officer so nothing would surprise me), it’s very possible that US immigration wouldn’t have allowed them to board their flight back to the US at the end of their vacation if their tickets didn’t match their passports.

    As to the comment that websites shouldn’t allow people to book reservations with names like Sue or Jim, I know many people that those ARE their real names, not shortened versions. Don’t expect Travelocity or US Air or Amtrak to know what all the possible diminuitives are and give special warnings based on that. Why are we expected to know that Beth and Betsy might be shortened versions of Elizabeth or Elisabeth, that Jim might be a shortened version of John or Jack (and Jack might also be a nickname for someone named John), that an Andy or Drew might actually be an Andrew, that a Bob or Rob might be Robert, etc? Why should the airlines be responsible because people don’t take the time to read the warnings that your full, legal name must be used? To me that should be enough and if you chose to ignore the warning, then you take responsibility if something gets messed up.

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