Trapped By Your Elite Status? Leverage Status With One Chain To Get Equivalent Privileges Elsewhere

Since 2003 I've been a loyal Hilton HHonors member with Diamond status. I've always made it a point to stay at properties that are part of the Hilton family to make the most of the investment I made to earn the elite status in the first place.

In my opinion, the Hilton Diamond VIP experience has been on the decline.  Upgrades have become few and far between and some properties.  The staff don't go out of their way to make sure your loyalty is recognized.  Instead, you get the stock, "We thank you for your loyalty as a Diamond member.  Unfortunately, [insert appropriate "no" response to your request here]."  Most recently, that happened when checking in for my anniversary at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach (where we've stayed on average 3-4 times per year) and not getting an upgrade, special treat, or even the flexibility to switch from a room with two queens to one king bed!  I guess I should be grateful for having my checkout time extended by a whopping 90 minutes (negotiated up from their initial offer of one hour).

This plus feedback from friends about their satisfaction with Starwood Platinum Preferred Guest status led me to want to focus on staying at Starwood properties.  However, with  only three stays logged on my Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) account since 2006, I'm a nobody.  The thought of starting out from scratch to build up to Starwood's equivalent of Hilton's Diamond status seemed daunting.

Thinking it was a complete long shot, I called SPG last week.  I simply explained that I am a Hilton Diamond VIP and I wanted to consider directing my business to Starwood going forward.  I asked if there was any opportunity for them to offer me Starwood Platinum status to match my status with Hilton.  The representative explained there was a program they offered to do just that.  I was still skeptical that somehow I wouldn't qualify when they saw that I had only three stays in the past four years.  The representative explained that I simply needed to fax in a screenshot of my Hilton HHonors account showing my account number and active status as well as the same for my SPG account.  The information would be reviewed and I would be notified within 30 days.

Much to my surprise, within one day of faxing the information, I received an email from the the SPG Platinum Liaison informing me that I had been awarded Platinum Status.  The email set our new relationship off on the right foot:

"Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to send in your Diamond level credentials with Hilton HHonors. We are excited to hear that you have considered making Starwood Hotels and Resorts the place for making your dreams come true.

As you are already an elite member with Hilton HHonors, we recognize your extensive travel needs. It is our pleasure to make a one time complimentary upgrade to our Starwood Preferred Guest Platinum Preferred Level for the remainder of 2011. In addition to the great benefits of our Platinum Preferred Guest Level, we simply ask that you maintain 25 eligible stays or 50 eligible nights each year. This minimum requirement is based upon a calendar year, January 1 through December 31."

So, now we'll see what happens.  Hopefully SPG Platinum will live up to my expectations and I'll be motivated to stay at Starwood hotels frequently enough to maintain my status after December 31.  In the meantime, I feel a sense of newly found freedom by breaking things off for the time being with Hilton so I can "see other people".

My Hotel Pet Peeves - Volume 1

Here's my candid feedback for hotel management companies to consider when designing and operating hotels.  I often wonder what process hotel designers use to understand how the guest is likely to experience the room before they create hundreds or thousands of that very room.

1) Bedside outlets: When I tuck myself in at night, I still spend time catching up on back-logged emails.  I also use the alarm on my smart phone in lieu of the less familiar hotel room alarm clock. I'd love at least two outlets that are easily reachable from the bed.  A wall outlet behind the bed doesn't count, unless you want the next item of the list to become a more frequent issue...

2) Cleaning those hard to reach places: The last thing I want to see when you force me to contort my arm to reach an outlet behind the bed is to see various food and grime stuck on the floor back there. Housekeeping needs to keep a list of those hard to reach areas that might not be immediately visible when doing a quick scan of the room and then make sure they are cleaned at least weekly.  I've encountered old gum drops, band-aids, tissues, and dust behind the bed when searching for outlets.

3) Make ironing less of an ordeal: Unpacking and ironing is never a fun part of arriving at a hotel.  It's even less fun though when the in-room iron has a water chamber that's nearly impossible to maneuver under the bathroom faucet.  Is it too much to ask to leave a small pitcher with the iron to avoid water-logging the iron's circuitry?

4) Minimize hallway noise: I totally understand that you can't always keep off a guest floor that happens to be filled with prom-goers or a high school field trip.  However, the guest room doors should be a bit more effective at preventing guests from hearing the slightest pin drop from outside the room.  Is there really a need for the 3/4" gap between the bottom of the door and the floor?

5) Keep the shampoo in the shower: Most people I know most frequently use shampoo, conditioner, and body wash while in the tub or shower.  I'd rather not begin to enjoy my hot shower and then realize I have to walk across the bathroom in the cold to grab the shower-related toiletries that have been neatly displayed next to the sink.  Hilton Hotels are frequent offenders in this category.

6) Eliminate resort fees:  If every guest is forced to pay the resort fee whether they use the gym, pool, newspapers or not, there's no reason other than trickery that it should not be included in the rate.  Baggage fees from airlines are an optional charge based on behavior.  Resort fees are mandatory charges and should be embedded in the published rate for comparisons.  If it is in fact going to be a separate charge, guests should be able to opt-out of the services that the resort fee theoretically covers.

What are your top concerns about your hotel stays?

To be continued...