Omni Hotels - Opinions?
 

Okay. I just booked the Omni in Detroit for a long weekend. Since doing this I read some very nasty comments on Omni hotels. I thought they were supposed to be nice. Anyone have any words of advice one way or the other?

Omni aspired to be an upper end chain several years ago. <BR>Over the past 6-8 years they've moved in a different direction. Now much more like Holiday Inn than Hyatt, and very inconsistent from town to town. <BR>My advice: tread very carefully. I don't know the Detroit Omni, but all the Omnis I've been in the past several years have been disappointing if you're paying over $100 a night.

I recently had a negative experience with Omni WITHOUT even staying in one of their hotels. I had booked a reservation at the Omni in Puerto Aventuras Mexico (to attend a friend's wedding there), which sounded like a very nice property. When I heard rumors that that Omni frequently overbooks and sends customers elsewhere, I spoke with one of its reservations agents at central reservations and requested assurances that my room would be guaranteed and that it would not be overbooked. The agent referred me to her manager, who told me that under no circumstances would Omni guarantee my room, despite the fact that I already had, as requested, mailed in a deposit check in the amount of one night's stay (Omni told me they could not accept a credit card deposit for that property). This confirmed to me that the rumors I had heard were true. I suppose forewarned is forearmed, and at least they did not lie to me and tell me I would be guaranteed a room. Needless to say, I cancelled my reservation and made other arrangements because at least this way I get to choose where I will stay rather than accepting whatever property has rooms available after being turned away at the Omni. <BR>P.S. I stayed at the Omni in Detroit years ago, when it was nice but overpriced. Since then my friends in Michigan tell me that it has gone downhill. I think it depends on what kind of a rate you get. If you pay a lot you may be disappointed, but if you get a good deal, I'm sure it's fine.

Omni just won the award as "top upscale hotel chain" in J.D. Power's annual awards. I personally love the chain and have had generally very good stays. I disagree with Jack...Omni's recent upgrades have made their properties better than ever and FAR better than Hyatt, in my humble opinion. Like all chains, they may have some dogs but I'd stay at Omni again based on the chain's overall reputation and my personal experiences. <BR> <BR>Don't know anything about the Omni Detroit. I stayed at the huge Westin on my only trip to Detroit and HATED it!

Lisa, EVERY HOTEL CHAIN OVERBOOKS. If someone from a hotel company guarantees you that the room will be there regardless of deposit given then they are a fool. I worked for Intercontinental, Westin and Fairmont for 10 years, and I'd hate to tell you how many "guaranteed" reservations got bumped to other hotels.

Thanks Folks! I am so glad I posted the question here first. For $10 more I can stay at the Marriot Courtyard, the Pontcartrain, or the St. Regis. I think I will change my reservation!!! I would want to chance ruining the weekend. Thanks again for the info. <BR>

Gina, $10 more buys a room at a Courtyard? That says something about that particular Omni, doesn't it! <BR> <BR>It goes without saying that no chain can be judged by a few hotels. And John, as far as Omni being "FAR" better than Hyatt? Here's J.D. Powers awards for 1999: "Highest in Guest Satisfaction Among Upscale Hotel Chains: Hyatt Hotels and Resorts". That's a cut and paste from JD Powers website, not MHO. Sorry, couldn't let that one pass! Tho many of you know my bias from prior threads, to be above board I'll post it again by signing... <BR> Carol, the Hyatt GM's wife. :&gt; <BR>

This is directly from Omni's web site...I'm talking 2000, not 1999! <BR> <BR>"J.D. Power and Associates recently released the results of its 2000 Hotel Guest Satisfaction Survey. We are proud to announce that Omni Hotels was ranked "Highest in Guest Satisfaction Among Upscale Hotel Chains" in this survey. We have worked hard to provide exceptional service to our guests and hope you have had the chance to experience this first hand."

Hi John, Yes, I saw they received the same award in 2000 that Hyatt did in 1999. I was only pointing out that with Hyatt winning the same award the previous year, Omni probably wasn't "FAR better" than Hyatt, as you said. A year doesn't make &gt;that&lt; much difference. I do realize though, that you added a qualifying "IMHO". And to be absolutely frank, with a Hyatt in most every city where there's an Omni, I have never stayed in one, so personally have nothing on which to base a comparison...and won't try. <BR> <BR>DH did get his career start in a hotel that has since become an Omni, the Royal Orleans in N.O. That was and probably still is a gorgeous hotel and I'd probably prefer that to Hyatt's N.O. hotel--certainly would the location.

Carol, I'm not a huge fan of look-alike hotels, which I consider Hyatt, Marriott, and Westin to be. Nothing wrong with it, mind you, just not my thing. I prefer independent historic hotels, but if I have to choose chains then I like the smaller chains like Omni and Wyndham because they offer more varied properties. The downside: inconsistency. Several years ago, Omni's Park Central in NYC was an absolute dump. Omni then dumped that property, which was smart! :-) <BR> <BR>I agree about the Royal Orleans...best hotel in New Orleans when you consider location, service, and charm. <BR> <BR>ps - I'll admit that perhaps I've just picked the worst hotels in the Hyatt chain for my visits. My last three Hyatt stays were in Palo Alto, Orlando, and New York (Grand Hyatt). My last 3 Omni stays were Dallas (Mandalay), New York (Berkshire Place) and L.A. (the new Omni that was Intercontinental until this summer).

I HATE IT WHEN PEOPLE MISINTERPRET STATISTICS!!! <BR> <BR>This is one of my most extreme pet peeves and election season is especially hard on me. <BR> <BR>The J. D. Power survey in question was for *upscale* hotels, but note that there were no LUXURY hotels included in the survey at all. Note that the survey only solicited opinions about 52 specific hotels TOTAL (for example, Motel 6 in Birmingham, Holiday Inn Detroit and 50 more) in only 5 regions in the US (according to the JDP website). Thus there were perhaps a couple Omnis at most evaluated and its toughest competition was Marriott, Westin and Hyatt. <BR>Thus this survey was darn near WORTHLESS from a scientific perspective. <BR> <BR>Sorry for the outburst but I hate it when people misapply this type of info.

No one is misinterpreting anything. No one here has suggested that J.D. Power or any other "award" (Zagats, Conde Naste, etc) is scientific. Winning any of these awards is somewhat indicative of a chain's overall quality, however, even if only a few properties are included. <BR> <BR>Take a chill pill and hope for a quick end to election season, man!

Sam -- I realize that overbooking is common at large hotels. However, the Omni Puerto Aventuras Mexico is not a large hotel -- it has 30 rooms. That's not a typo -- it has 30 rooms. A real estate agent in Puerto Aventuras told me that it is not uncommon for that Omni property to overbook by as much as 200% -- essentially selling twice as many rooms as it has (apparently this is common knowledge in that area because the Omni then has to call every available condo property in the area and try to put people up there). Keep in mind that since that particular Omni does not take credit card reservations, they are being paid IN FULL, IN ADVANCE, BY CHECK for each first night's stay. Doesn't it sound a little disreputable for a hotel with 30 rooms to receive prepayment for 60 rooms and lead all of those people to believe they will be staying at the Omni that night??? It sure seems like it to me! Unfortunately this practice apparently has the stamp of approval of Omni's central reservations manager. That's fine, I just won't be staying in any Omnis any time soon -- there are enough other nice places to stay in the world!

Just goes to show you... different people have different experiences and expectations about the same site. My husband and I had a horrible experience at the Omni in New Orleans. Our room was smaller than some closets I've seen. We literally had to edge up against the foot of the bed to get to the other side of the room. And, it was a very expensive room. Never again.

JohnNoSpam, I meant to answer you previously regarding where you'd stayed, then the note was buried under the 50, and out of sight out of mind. <BR> <BR>Palo Alto is one of the oldest. Have never been though so can't comment. There are 3 in Orlando, Grand Cypress is gorgeous, hotel at airport is that but nice, then the 3rd which is sort of a motel/hotel. Which were you in? Couldn't have been Grand Cypress. Haven't been in NY in years. <BR> <BR>As an ex-Dallasite with a son living in Las Colinas, I know Mandalay property--it has been a premiere hotel since it's inception. Great location too! <BR> <BR>I too prefer smaller properties and more intimate hotels. Atriums can leave something lacking--SF hotel strikes me as cold. Ours isn't--it's not an atrium hotel either. If you are ever in Tampa, give us a try! :&gt;(Westshore) <BR> <BR>Re the look alike hotels too, quite often their flags change from one to the other over a very short period. We have one near us that has been a Westin, Marriott, and now Wyndham in just the 4 years we've been here!

Gina: <BR> <BR>I lived in Detroit 1 yr. ago, and went to the Omni for lunch. I thought it was really nice. It's in a restored building right along the Detroit River. It's just north of the immediate downtown area. DON'T stay at the Pontchartrain! Granted, I have only been in the lobby, but it looks like it's seen better days. I really think you would like the Omni. But if you still want to change, I would recommend the Atheneum. <BR> <BR>Lisa: <BR> <BR>I think that the Omni you spoke about is now a different hotel (different chain). I think that this Omni is only a couple of years old. And thanks for the warning about the property in Mexico! <BR> <BR> <BR>John: <BR> <BR>The Westin in Detroit is now a Marriott. When I was there a year ago, the entire RenCen complex was undergoing a renovation in anticipation of GM moving in. I have heard that the hotel is much better now than when it was a Westin, but I can't say for sure. <BR> <BR>I have heard that the Omni in Atlanta (city) is bad....anybody know about this? <BR>