Comments on: Help! Our suite is swamped http://www.elliott.org/the-troubleshooter/help-our-suite-is-swamped/ Consumer advocate Christopher Elliott's site. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:25:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Charles Clarke http://www.elliott.org/the-troubleshooter/help-our-suite-is-swamped/comment-page-1/#comment-63425 Charles Clarke Sat, 12 Feb 2011 04:55:12 +0000 http://beta.elliott.org/photos/help-our-suite-is-swamped/#comment-63425 They are in the "hospitality" business. Why would you show guests rooms like that? Okay, you had a hurricane. Take inventory of what rooms are acceptable, which are marginal and which are unacceptable. If you don't have enough acceptable rooms, find who does and set up arrangements with them to handle some of your guests. You then call the guests and offer to "walk" them to the other hotel(s) or give them a cut rate on a marginal room. Repeat until everyone is handled. Making someone wait nine months for their points back is unacceptable. A "free night" at a property that you probably never want to go back to isn't worth anything. After the inspector went and verified those rooms should not have been offered, Hilton should have given you the points and something for your inconvenience and then they could have dealt with the hotel. Hilton should work to defend the quality of their brand and Hilton is the one which made money off of your stays or from selling companies points to award you. They should have clauses in their franchise agreements for what happens when a franchisee damages their brand by unacceptable behaviour like this. They should also have procedures for the franchisees to follow in damage situations. By dealing with you in a situation like this they can better protect their brand. Which is part of the basis for Chris suggesting you calling from the lobby. We understand you are frustrated and tired at this point. But giving the brand owners the ability to "make things right" to protect their brand will probably get you farther. They are in the “hospitality” business.

Why would you show guests rooms like that? Okay, you had a hurricane. Take inventory of what rooms are acceptable, which are marginal and which are unacceptable. If you don’t have enough acceptable rooms, find who does and set up arrangements with them to handle some of your guests. You then call the guests and offer to “walk” them to the other hotel(s) or give them a cut rate on a marginal room. Repeat until everyone is handled.

Making someone wait nine months for their points back is unacceptable. A “free night” at a property that you probably never want to go back to isn’t worth anything. After the inspector went and verified those rooms should not have been offered, Hilton should have given you the points and something for your inconvenience and then they could have dealt with the hotel. Hilton should work to defend the quality of their brand and Hilton is the one which made money off of your stays or from selling companies points to award you. They should have clauses in their franchise agreements for what happens when a franchisee damages their brand by unacceptable behaviour like this. They should also have procedures for the franchisees to follow in damage situations. By dealing with you in a situation like this they can better protect their brand. Which is part of the basis for Chris suggesting you calling from the lobby. We understand you are frustrated and tired at this point. But giving the brand owners the ability to “make things right” to protect their brand will probably get you farther.

]]> By: Donald Fry http://www.elliott.org/the-troubleshooter/help-our-suite-is-swamped/comment-page-1/#comment-50463 Donald Fry Mon, 18 Oct 2010 15:42:56 +0000 http://beta.elliott.org/photos/help-our-suite-is-swamped/#comment-50463 Should the hotel have stayed open with unsafe conditions? Probably not. Does the hotel not have business interruption insurance for just this sort of event? Would this not have covered the owner's losses? He would not have been "[deprived ] of revenue" if he were properly insured. Should the hotel have stayed open with unsafe conditions? Probably not. Does the hotel not have business interruption insurance for just this sort of event? Would this not have covered the owner’s losses? He would not have been “[deprived ] of revenue” if he were properly insured.

]]> By: Sarah http://www.elliott.org/the-troubleshooter/help-our-suite-is-swamped/comment-page-1/#comment-12796 Sarah Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:29:37 +0000 http://beta.elliott.org/photos/help-our-suite-is-swamped/#comment-12796 @James: Just because he's talking about a very wet time of year doesn't mean it can't be dry humor. @Elliott: As always, seeing a happy ending to a situation like this brings a tear to the eye. Keep up the good work. @James:
Just because he’s talking about a very wet time of year doesn’t mean it can’t be dry humor.

@Elliott:
As always, seeing a happy ending to a situation like this brings a tear to the eye. Keep up the good work.

]]> By: BriCo http://www.elliott.org/the-troubleshooter/help-our-suite-is-swamped/comment-page-1/#comment-2408 BriCo Thu, 26 Jul 2007 03:13:53 +0000 http://beta.elliott.org/photos/help-our-suite-is-swamped/#comment-2408 Similar only in regards to the hotel's indifference to my complaints, a couple of years ago I wrote a letter to the GM of the Wyndham Nassau and he was kind enough to write back offering a complimentary, not one but TWO night stay there. Sounds great but it would have cost more than $1000 for me and my guest to fly back, and then, unless I am a complete idiot, I would have to pay for 3-5 more nights to make the travel worthwhile. I politely rejected his offer and he then issued a partial credit for my original stay (I was impressed). Similar only in regards to the hotel’s indifference to my complaints, a couple of years ago I wrote a letter to the GM of the Wyndham Nassau and he was kind enough to write back offering a complimentary, not one but TWO night stay there. Sounds great but it would have cost more than $1000 for me and my guest to fly back, and then, unless I am a complete idiot, I would have to pay for 3-5 more nights to make the travel worthwhile. I politely rejected his offer and he then issued a partial credit for my original stay (I was impressed).

]]> By: James http://www.elliott.org/the-troubleshooter/help-our-suite-is-swamped/comment-page-1/#comment-2407 James Wed, 25 Jul 2007 03:51:42 +0000 http://beta.elliott.org/photos/help-our-suite-is-swamped/#comment-2407 To; N Floridian. Please use spell Check... To; Elliott, My God, where do I start? Your flippant remark about traveling after Hurricane season really is good advice. Maybe we should all stay home forever.Pleae quit trying to blame the traveler for all the things that the travel industry does to them. It really doesn't set very well. To; N Floridian. Please use spell Check…
To; Elliott,
My God, where do I start? Your flippant remark about traveling after Hurricane season really is good advice.

Maybe we should all stay home forever.Pleae quit trying to blame the traveler for all the things that the travel industry does to them. It really doesn’t set very well.

]]> By: N Floridian http://www.elliott.org/the-troubleshooter/help-our-suite-is-swamped/comment-page-1/#comment-2406 N Floridian Tue, 24 Jul 2007 14:54:19 +0000 http://beta.elliott.org/photos/help-our-suite-is-swamped/#comment-2406 I live in Florida, however: There is absolutely NO reason why a guest in a hotel should be sent to an unsafe, unclean and unpleasant room. The fact that there has been an hurricane should instead be ONE MORE REASON to make sure that your rooms are safe, clean and usable BEFORE you send someone to stay. The incident reported is contrary to any bsic principles of hotel in the accomodation idustry and ESPECIALLY to the ones of Hilton. Look at it from the hotel point of view and you can understand that there could also be a concern witl liability. SITUATION LIKE THESE SHOULD NOT HAPPEN. There is no playin around to blame the customer because, he only asked for 3 different rooms, or because after a loing trip and the aggravation of being tired to deal with unsupportive perfsonnel that have sent him to horrible rooms, instead of still try to fight with them and call the headquarters of the mother company. Come on would you have spent your night fighting with the personell at a hotel ? I wouldn't and nobody should face this situation. I live in Florida, however:
There is absolutely NO reason why a guest in a hotel should be sent to an unsafe, unclean and unpleasant room.
The fact that there has been an hurricane should instead be ONE MORE REASON to make sure that your rooms are safe, clean and usable BEFORE you send someone to stay.
The incident reported is contrary to any bsic principles of hotel in the accomodation idustry and ESPECIALLY to the ones of Hilton.
Look at it from the hotel point of view and you can understand that there could also be a concern witl liability.
SITUATION LIKE THESE SHOULD NOT HAPPEN.
There is no playin around to blame the customer because, he only asked for 3 different rooms, or because after a loing trip and the aggravation of being tired to deal with unsupportive perfsonnel that have sent him to horrible rooms, instead of still try to fight with them and call the headquarters of the mother company.
Come on would you have spent your night fighting with the personell at a hotel ?
I wouldn’t and nobody should face this situation.

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