Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

The following has been emailed to MrFarrell:
Dear MrFarrell,
"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal">
Thank you for taking the time to connect with the RevDex.com regarding your arrangements with the Westin ArubaWe wish to
extend congratulations during such an important moment in your lives, and truly
appreciate that you chose Westin for this occasionWe regret the circumstances
which have led you to feel the way you do, and welcome the opportunity to
discuss
We do sincerely regret the inconvenience of needing to
relocate your event, and are glad that *** was able to extend services to
ensure this event could continue moving forward without delayWhile we were
not aware of the need to relocate reservations and the decision to close the
resort until recently, we wish to assure you that we have taken every step possible
to ensure our guests are taken care of, and we do appreciate the understanding
and patience our guests have shown during this challenging process
I can understand why this would be both an enormous concern
and disappointment due to the expectation of earning Starpoints, and wish to address
this concern you as loyal guests have expressedStarpoints would be awarded
through Starwood Preferred Planner for specific events and meetings, but
remains governed by the Terms and Conditions for Starwood Preferred GuestOur
Terms and Conditions do state that in the event of a hotel exiting the SPG
Program for any reason, member will not earn Starpoints, promotional rewards or
other such benefits, even if the reservation for a stay at the former SPG
Participating Hotel was made prior to the exit dateThis is the policy to
which we have adhered for all guest relocations, in an effort to treat all
guests fairly and equally under the rules of the program to which they have
agreed to participate
While our Terms and Conditions do not require that anything
further be offered with respect to Starpoints, I do not believe that would be
the right thing to do for you as guests, or to reflect the significance of your
circumstancesIn review of the contract which was signed, I was unable to see
any information of the 5,Starpoints per room nights you noted in your
communication to the Revdex.com; under Starwood Preferred Planner,
the maximum number of Starpoints which may be earned for an event is 20,
StarpointsFor the disappointment you have expressed and due to the nature of
your specific circumstances and event, I would be willing to extend to you
20,Starpoints, as a gesture of goodwillThis would afford you all of the
Starpoints to which could be earned for this event, and we do hope that your
experience with *** reflects the same level of hospitality you would expect
when you originally booked with usI would appreciate confirmation of your
acceptance to proceed with the necessary arrangementsWith respect to
financial elements of your contract, I must respectfully decline to extend any
goodwill in this regard, but would encourage you to discuss with *** to ensure
your event meets with your expectations
I wish you the best in the exciting journey on which you are
about to embarkWe thank you for your patience and understanding, and look
forward to providing you with the high level of service you expect when staying
with us during your next stay
Best Regards,
Zachary
Austin
Consumer Affairs, Executive Division
Starwood Preferred Guest Executive Office
t
###-###-#### F ###-###-####
starwood hotels & resorts
One starpoint
stamford, CONNECTICUT
FILE: 2***

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me
Sincerely,
*** ***

To whom it may concern, please see below email:
From: WP, Consumer Affairs Sent: September 15:
To: *** ***Subject: Your recent experience with the *** *** *** *** *** *** **
Dear *** ***
Thank you for taking the opportunity to contact the Revdex.comIt was concerning to read your comments regarding your recent experience with the *** Atlantic *** *** *** *** Please accept our sincere apologies caused by this
I was sorry read the symptoms you developed subsequent to your time spent with this locationWe hope you are beginning to feel better and wish you all the best on your way towards recovery
Our hotels and resorts mandates an aggressive pest control policy, which includes regularly scheduled professional inspections and, if necessary, elimination protocols. We have also implemented a thorough training program for our housekeeping and maintenance personnel to assist in the early recognition of infestation
This policy has been fully implemented at this hotel and we have also contacted the hotel who have reassured us of thisThe guestroom you stayed in was inspected by a licensed Pest Control company, Western Pest ServicesWe are pleased to learn that the guestroom you stayed in showed no evidence of any kind of pestA clearance letter from this company has been forwarded to Transportation Security Administration, whom we believe you were travelling with
Based on the information provided by you as well as the information from the hotel, we do not have any reason to believe that the hotel would be the source of your concernsIf you are confident that it may bed bugs, this is a concern which has not just impacted the hotel industry but also hospital, college dormitories, airlines, public transportation and private multiple dwellingsHopefully this information may give you the chance to find the source to this
*** *** as one of our newest members, we are grateful for the effort you have made to bring this to our attentionWe hope you will still consider Starwood Hotels & Resorts Incfor your future travelsThere are so many wonderful locations in our portfolio, and it would be our pleasure to have you staying with us again
Sincerely,
(Mrs) Christine Ni***
Consumer Affairs, Executive DivisioN

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because: As I said to them that they promised to reward my 12,points back to my account because of my bad service, They made a mistake and credited 1,and sent a letterI called corporate and spoke with a Brenda on 9/4/she told me it would be taken care of by the next tuesdayI also talked with a Gomez H*** at the hotel manager several times he told me he would take care of itI also sent him a screen shot to show him I only was rewarded the small amount Now they said in there response they rewarded them and I do not see these on my account I should have the 12,added to my accountIf they are going to any it is going to take a few day that is goodIf not I need this fixed it is not right
Sincerely,
*** ***

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:
see the below comment from Chris in that email- I actually called them about this yesterday
'Whilst we understand that this experience did not go to your expectations, the hotel feels that the way you have chosen to interact has made this a difficult process to bring this to closure.'
this only became difficult AFTER The manager would NOT return my call, did not listen to Michelle..when the original CS did not file my complaint the first time. I went right up the chain to get a suitable response.
I called Chris' office yesterday and spoke to a gentlemen to let him know I did not appreciate the above context, when I just needed someone to respond . Furthermore, I have provided video to the hotel in response to that email to show we only had about people there as agreed by the event planner. I also sent a picture of the paper I was given by their staff on who I should talk to to prove that I tried to go the right routeMichelle has confirmed her room was NOT fully refunded, and neither was Vances- they are disputing the charge with their bank
Additonally, in my conversation with the gentleman yesterday, I let him know how security escorted us to our rooms and treated us like children. The bottle in the lobby that broke as I stated is NO different than me checking in with a bottle of wine, and it broke on the same floor. I was told they are the middle man and they are trying to figure out what is what..since the hotel said something else. OF COURSE THEY DID...why would we lie....Chris spoke to me and Michelle different times..and we have the same story I'm sure. Donna did not plan out this gathering correctly..fine. But don't speak to me in the above sentence like I didn't try to be civil- this just upset me. I am also not hearing what will be done about Donna calling sayign to get the hell out of her hotel..or how this was handled in the first place
I await a response and again..I sent two pieces of proof to show we are telling the truth. The pic also shows chips and the two cakes that the staff allowed us to set up
Sincerely,
*** ***

I called the guest to discuss this concern. I have manually enrolled the member into the promotion, and thanked him for the opportunity to resolve this concern. Please see below, which is the email I sent as follow up:
"">
From: *** Executive Office, 00AUS Sent: Thursday, February 13, 12:PMTo: '[email protected]'Subject: Your connection with the Revdex.com
Greetings MrMoskowitz:
Thank you for your time on the telephone today. As
well, we thank you for connecting with the Revdex.com in order to
allow us an opportunity to respond
As discussed, I have manually enrolled you into the 35%
Starpoint discount promotion. We look forward to when you use this award,
and very much appreciate the opportunity to recognize your loyalty to Starwood
Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. Further, when you book the reservation
using this award, if there are any challenges please book at the regular
redemption rate and connect with me after confirming. I will ensure we
discount the stay accordingly
I wish you all the best. Stay warm!
With Kind Regards,
Jeremy Davie
Consumer
Affairs, Executive Division
t ###-###-#### F ###-###-####
starwood hotels & resorts
One starpoint
stamford, CONNECTICUT
FILE: 2***

Dear Mr***,
Thank you for contacting the office of *** ***, Senior Director of Customer Service through the Revdex.com website
I was sorry to hear of your experience at the *** *** *** HotelI understand that you had many issues with the hotel being
under construction for renovationsI can understand why this would be upsetting, especially after not finding any advanced notice online
Mr***, I have forwarded your comments onto the hotelTheir senior management will contact you within the next five days to address and resolve the matter fully
Best Regards,
*** *** EXECUTIVE CONSUMER AFFAIRS
GUEST EXPERIENCE INTELLIGENCE
T *** F ***
STARWOOD *** & RESORTS
ONE STARPOINT
*** *** ***

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because: As mentioned * *** ***, which WAS a part of Starwood as of October 31st, 2015, and I've been trying to get a responsible resolution since thenThis has been incredibly frustrating and just want someone to step up and make it right for once and for all
Sincerely,
*** ***

To whom it may concern
We thank *** ** for reaching out to the Revdex.com regarding his recent experience with the *** *** ** *** *** *** *** *** We are pleased to share that the Starpoints were posted to his account on the 4th of January,
We hope he will enjoy these with our compliments.
Sincerely,
Chris
Executive Consumer Affairs
Starwood Hotels & Resorts LLC

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:
Starwood hotels has failed to provide any meaningful remedy to me (as the consumer) for their failure to process my Best Rate Guarantee claim in a timely fashion. I booked my stay through Starwood's website at a meaningfully higher price (and also forfeit credit towards a tenth night free via hotels.com) because Starwood prominently displays their "Best Rate Guarantee" on their website- promising that if I (as the customer) find a lower price for the same room on the same nights, etc on a competitors website- Starwood will match the lower price and either AGive me 2,starpoints or Bprovide an additional 20% off the lower price.
I met all of the obligations of the best rate guarantee- however (due solely to a shortage of staff on Starwood's Best Rate Guarantee Team side)- the Best Rate Guarantee team took over hours to review my claim, and then denied hte claim because the comptitors (Hotels.com) price had changed during the extensive and unreasonable hour time period it took for Starwood's team to review my claim
Sincerely,
*** ***

To whom it may concern, please see the following correspondence we have had with the guest:
From: WP, Consumer Affairs Sent: July 19:20To: *** ***Subject: RE: Your Starwood Preferred Guest account
Dear Mr***,
Thank you for your follow up and for allowing me the time to look your emailI appreciate the chance to review the comments you have shared
I absolutely understand your disappointment with the handling time and I can assure you that this will be reviewed prior to the end of this yearAs you know, in order for our team to approve a Best Rate Guarantee claim, they would need to be able to verify if this is validIn this case, it’s my understanding that the rate was no longer valid but that due to the time that had elapsed they decided to honour the rate you had mentionedIf you have a screenshot or similar available which would confirm the rate and availability at the time, please do forward this to meI’d then be happy to see if it is eligible and can then either extend 2,Starpoints in total or a 20% discount
We appreciate that you have shared the screenshot and the chance to look through the chatI do agree with you that she could have provided more clear information and I will ensure this is brought up with her leadership team for appropriate coachingIn light of this, I’d be happy to post 4,Starpoints to your account as a gesture of goodwillPlease allow to business days for this to be accessible to you
With reference to the terms and conditions, it’s regretful that you feel that these are neither clear nor fairAs we have the pleasure of catering to hotels and guests from a variety of countries and many nationalities, we do recognize that certain regional differences must be taken into place at timesIt’s unfortunate that you may not agree with this and I will forward this on for considerationWe do however believe that the necessary information has been included and do have an expectation that our members are familiar with theseOur SPG dedicated team is also available to help to answer any clarifying questions you may have
MrSmith, I look forward to hearing further from you regarding the Best Rate Guarantee
Sincerely,
***
(Ms) *** ***
Consumer Affairs, Executive DivisioN
From: *** *** Sent: July 19:50To: WP, Consumer AffairsSubject: Re: Your Starwood Preferred Guest account
Good Afternoon ***,
Thank you for your reply, it is a pleasure to be a SPG Gold member and I continue to enjoy Starwood Hotels (The * *** last weekend and I will be at the Four Points by Sheraton this weekend).
Please allow me to provide further information for your review and consideration:
* With regard to the best rate guarantee- Yes, a file has been opened which I was advised will be reviewed at the end of the year to improve the Best Rate Guarantee process. That said- reviewing the file at the end of the year does not provide any relief to my as the guest. Thus, while I appreciate the desire to improve- I feel that the appropriate remedy should be to provide the 2,starpoints per night (or the additional 20% off my rate per night) as would have been the case if the BRG claim had been handled in a timely fashion by the BRG team.
As your guest, it is increasingly difficult for me to trust Starwood Hotels to honor its word (e.g"Guarantee") when no one is willing to accept accountability for a thirty hour delay in processing a BRG claim. (which, by the way- no one has disputed that it took thirty hours to review my claim). Furthermore, no one has contested that I did everything correctly on my side in terms of filling out the form in the appropriate time lines, etc.
As a Starwood SPG Gold Member, I feel cheated out of the points that I would have earned (4,points) if the BRG team had processed the claim in a timely fashion. Further, I feel it dishonest on the part of Starwood to advertise a best rate guarantee (asking guests to book through SPG channels) and then not have the necessary infrastructure to investigate claims in a timely fashion- and then hold (who did exactly as Starwood asks) responsible for the higher rate.
Over the last few years I have had the pleasure of staying at some excellent Starwood properties and met some amazing Starwood staff. I ask that you consider providing me the 4,points (or the additional 20% off my stay at the * ***). This nominal gesture on the part Starwood would guarantee my continued loyalty to the brand (as you can see in my file, I am already booked at the *** *** *** in *** for this weekend) and would re-establish my faith and trust in the Best Rate (and other Starwood) Guarantees.
* With regard to the difference between "Nights" and "Stays"- While I do not dispute that somewhere in the small print of the terms and conditions of the promotion in question there is some language surrounding "Nights" vs "Stays". However, in reading through the array of different terms and conditions for each promotion and trying to comply with each and every requirement- I find it very difficult for an average hotel guest (or even an SPG gold member) to be able to discern "Nights" from "Stays" particularly when the language refers to "Two or more nights in the same hotel or separate Starwood hotels in the same geographic region in the same week"
It is not fair to expect a guest to know how Starwood "Geographic Regions" are divided- nor is it reasonable to expect a guest to be able to know whether two "nights" and or two "Stays" are in the same "Week"- particularly when a guest is staying a Saturday night and a Sunday night- where one could easily understand "Week" to refer to "Sunday through Monday" or "Monday through Sunday"- in either of those cases- my two reservations would have fallen in different calendar "Weeks".
Further to the point, the terms and conditions are so difficult to understand that the majority of guest service agents that I have spoken to do not understand the difference between "nights" and "stays". When an employee (or as is the case here- employees, plural) of Starwood is not able to understand the policies and procedures of SPG promotions- certainly Starwood would not expect a guest (who does not work for Starwood) to clearly understand the policies and procedures
In response to your question as to who I spoke with regarding the difference in "Nights" vs "Stays"- please find attached two screenshots of the chat session in which I clearly asked the specific question about "Nights vs Stays". (the second is a continuation of the first- the entire chat did not fit in one window). The customer service representative (Emily J) was outstanding- Professional, very good listener, pleasant and helpful). However when reviewing the chat log, I hope that you will see that the terms and conditions of SPG policies are unclear even to the best of Starwood's employees.
In the attached chat, I ask about two different reservations (for consecutive nights) for Starwood hotels in the same geographic region (E.g"City"). Emily in two different instances advises that these would count as separate "Stays." Further, Emily was kind enough to clearly delineate the difference between a "Night" and a "Stay" as follows: A "Stay" is every time you check in/out of a hotel and a "Night" credit is for each night you stay over and sleep".
In my opinion, Emily did an outstanding job at guest service and did her very best to explain to me the difference between nights and stays. However, as you have explained to me in your email below- Emily's description of nights vs stays (which is consistent with my prior understanding up to and including the time at which I made the reservation)- is incorrect. Certainly Starwood would not hold a guest accountable for a misunderstanding of this nature.
***, I am asking you to do the right thing by your guest. Every past experience that I have had with Starwood (prior to the instance in question) was been exceptionally positive and led me to believe in the Starwood's integrity as an organization. I hope that after reviewing the attached and my guest file, you will consider making this situation right by me as your guest.
I look forward to your decision and thank you in advance for your reply
Best Regards
***

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me
Sincerely,
*** ***

From:
"Tahoma","sans-serif"Times New Roman"> WP, Consumer Affairs Sent: June 16:06To: *** *** Subject: Your recent experience with the *** *** by *** ***
Dear Ms***,
I hope that all is well with youYour recent stay with the *** *** by *** *** has been brought to our attention through the Revdex.comPlease accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused by this
I was concerned to learn of the interactions you had with members of staff upon check-inPlease be assured that Starwood strive to deliver the highest level of Customer ServiceI apologize that your experience was not an example of such but can assure you that it was an exception, not the rule
It’s my understanding that *** ***, General Manager, has emailed you personally to apologizeHe has addressed your feedback with the front desk to ensure that this does not transpire againThey are currently undergoing renovations and regret how this affected your stayThey have taken your comments to heart and will ensure that are guests are not as impacted by this moving forward
Ms***, I was glad to learn that you and your family frequently stay with usAs a gesture of goodwill and with the hopes of regaining your faith, I would like to offer you 4,StarpointsThis would be equivalent to night with this hotel, but can be used with any of our locations worldwideI was unable to determine if you are already a member of Starwood Preferred GuestIf not, you may enrol by visiting ***This website will also provide you with wonderful information about the enticing benefits of SPGWe look forward to receiving your membership number and acceptance of our offer by the 10th of July,
Thank you again for ta*** the time to share your feedbackI remain at your disposal and look forward to hearing from you
Sincerely,
*** *** ***
Consumer Affairs, Executive DivisioN

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory once the business has finalized their offer from the most recent messageInformation requested:
Starwood Rewards Number: ***
Hotel Choice: * *** ** *** *** ***
** *** *** *** ** ***
Date Choice: Saturday, November 7,
Sincerely,
*** ***

To whom it may concern, please note that we have communicated with the guest and her friends on several occasionTheir stay has been refunded in full, despite the hotel sharing several difficulties in how to engage with themPlease see the last email sent to the
guest:
From: WP, Consumer Affairs Sent: September 19:24To: Barbara BrooksSubject: Your recent experience with the *** *** ***
Dear *** ***
Thank you for taking the time to speak with me last weekIt was a pleasure doing so, albeit under the circumstancesPlease accept our apologies for the inconvenience caused by yours and your friends recent experience with the *** *** ***
After our conversation, your friend *** *** did reach out to us directly and speak with meShe shared similar comments to what you had shared and also confirmed that she would share further documentation via emailRegretfully we have not yet received these, but I look forward to reviewing them
We understand that you were celebrating *** *** birthday and it’s regretful that it ended in this wayThere are certain aspects which you and the hotel have described differentlyAs we were not present at the time, I hope you can understand that we are not in a position to say what transpired under these circumstancesThe hotel does agree that certain aspects of the evening could have been handled differentHowever, as discussed, consuming alcohol not purchased within the hotel is against the local law and could have serious effects for the hotelThis was one of the reasons to why security took the steps that they did
The hotel has confirmed that all of your rooms have been refunded in fullThey have also shared the attached invoices for your reviewDepending on yours and your friends credit card issues, this may take up to business daysIf you haven’t received it by then, please do let me know
Whilst we understand that this experience did not go to your expectations, the hotel feels that the way you have chosen to interact has made this a difficult process to bring this to closureThe full refund is therefore their final gesture of goodwill which will be extended and we must respectfully decline your request to extend anything further
*** *** we appreciate the time you have taken to bring this to our attentionWe understand that your relationship with this location may have been impactedHowever, our hope is that you may consider our many other destinations for your future travels
Sincerely,
(Mrs) Christine N***
Consumer Affairs, Executive DivisioN

To whom it may concern,
Please note that we have spoken with *** *** regarding her commentsThis is the hotels perspective but we respect that she and her friends may have a different perspective on these eventsThe folios provided confirms that a refund has been made but it may take some time to reflect on the respective credit cardsWe are awaiting further information from MsBrooks which she has confirmed that she will try to send to us via emailSincerely,
Chris
(Mrs) Christine N***
Consumer Affairs, Executive Division

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:the same reasons as all of the other rejection responsesI DO NOT accept your resolution or actually lack of resolutionI will only accept points returned as a resolution so this will have to remain an open complaint and unresolvedI was told I would not lose my points as long as I accessed my account during the time I couldn't travel so I was given wrong informationI earned these points by using credit card that I paid an annual fee on for years and feel these points were stolen from me while my wife had a short term disability issue which makes it worse because your company has no empathy and only thinks about the bottom line instead of helping those who had faithfully earned the right to keep what belongs to themYour company has no heartI do not accept thisYou said this is the last time you will comment, so at least keep your word on that and leave this unresolved unless you are going to return my points
Sincerely,
*** ***

The following email was sent to the guest by our SPG Moments Team on June 11, 2014, at 5:PM:
Hello *** ***
I apologize on behalf of Moments by SPG for the delayed response to youAt this time we are experiencing higher than volume and are about one week
behind in correspondence
I have reviewed the situation in which you describe belowI can assure you that all is working as it is supposed to and no end dates have been modified or changed
Your SPG account has bid on at least two auctions as listed below
*** ***
*** ***
*** ***- Host Your Friends in the SPG VIP Soccer Suite Saturday, July - Winner Match vsWinner Match
Start Date: 2014-05-@ 09:00:
End Date: 2014-07-@ 13:02:
Your SPG account bid on auction #*** on 6/2/2014 1:00:PMAt that time, the auction end date was still listed for July 2, @ 13:02:
Your SPG account bid on auction #*** on 2014-06-13:01:PMAt that time, the auction end was still listed for July 2, @ 13:03:
As neither of these auctions have come to a close, there is no winner yet designated
Should you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us
Best Regards,
*** ***
Supervisor - Moments by SPG
Phone ###-###-#### *** ***

From:
"Tahoma","sans-serif"Times New Roman"> WP, Consumer Affairs Sent: November 14:16To: *** *** Subject: Your reservation with the *** *** *** at *** ***
Dear Mr***,
I hope this email finds you well todayThrough the Revdex.com, your reservation with the *** *** *** at *** *** has been brought to our attentionI appreciate the opportunity to review the feedback you have shared
I was sorry to learn that you chose to cancel your reservation with the hotelGiven the events of recent weeks I can understand your s and your wife’s wish to be cautiousHowever, I can assure you that *** is providing security-related guidance to all of our hotels globally, refreshing our associates’ training, and have increased our threat preparedness levels, where appropriateWe continue to maintain regular communications with law enforcement agencies and will be vigilant in taking all appropriate measures to ensure the safety and security of our guests and associates
Having reviewed the details of the rate you reserved, we can see that our website clearly states that it is a non-refundable as well as prepaid reservationThis information was also included in your confirmation emailHowever, it’s my understanding that the hotel has made an exception and cancelled your reservation free of chargePlease allow to business days for this refund to reflect on your credit card statement
Mr***, as one of our preferred members, we appreciate the time you have taken to bring this to our attentionI hope we’ll have the chance to welcome you back to stay with us soon
Sincerely,
(Ms) Christine N***
Consumer Affairs, Executive DivisioN

To whom it may concern, please see our response to the guest:
From: WP, Consumer Affairs Sent: September
19:20To* *** *** Subject: Your recent experience with the *** *** *** * ***
Dear Mr***
Thank you for taking the opportunity to share your feedback regarding your recent experience with the *** *** *** * *** through the Revdex.comThrough them, your comments have been brought to our attention for our reviewPlease accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused by your stay
I was sorry to learn of the concerns you experienced during cheas well as with the air-conditioning unit in your room and with housekeepingWhen travelling such a long distance with your family, I can understand that this was not the uncomplicated stay you had hoped
Our team have been in contact with the management who is very apologeticWhilst these items separately may not be nuisance, we understand that together they impactedIn recognition of your Gold membership and as a final gesture of goodwill, we would be happy to offer you an additional 7,Starpoints, making it 10,This is equivalent to one free night with this location but can be used with any of our participating hotels worldwide
*** *** we understand that you have many options to choose from when you are travelling with usWe’re glad to learn that you are continuing to choose our destinations and hope you enjoy your upcoming stays with us
Sincerely,
(Mrs) Christine N***
Consumer Affairs, Executive DivisioN