islandmom

So we went to our comp weekend at the Sheraton Waikiki to make up for the poor service at the Royal Hawaiian. When I first got to the room it was stunning. Instead of just a regular hotel room they gave us an apartment suite on the 11th floor overlooking the ocean and Diamond Head. It had two private balconies, a bedroom, living room, dressing room and huge bathroom. Nice slippers and robes. Two TV?s. They turned down the beds and left chocolates and orchids.

Then- the horrible echoing sound of a jackhammer pounding on the cement and sandblasters on metal of balconies around us! UGH! The bellman said it should stop by the weekend. Then a storm rolled in?.. Saturday we woke up early to the sound of the jackhammer again. After calling around they tried to inform me that there was no construction going on at the hotel. I held the phone up in the air. Later they called me back to say it was the painters working on the outside of the building. The noise echoed off the buildings and disturbed the whole wing. You could also hear the noise around the pool when we went down there. I felt bad for anyone who paid for a dream vacation. The noise was headache forming.

So we had to get up and out of the hotel in the heat. We went to the Rubber Duckie Race through the Ala Wai Canal. The tide blew the ducks the other way. We tried a nice new outdoor Italian Café at the Marriott. I did too much walking, got too hot and decided I should rest at the hotel while my family went to the zoo. The hotel was so crowded it was like a mall during X-mas shopping. We had to fight for elevators. People were running up and down the halls. There were long lines to eat anywhere. Long lines to check in. The plumbing in the hotel is LOUD also. The neighbor?s toilet was right by my headboard. I couldn?t sit out on the balcony in the evening after the construction because they allow others to smoke on theirs and it?s not good for the baby.

Sunday I was too worn out to go to the brunch on the beach block party. Then the hotel service department called and apologized about the noise and said breakfast and all incidentals were on them! So we saved another $150! Everything was free! It probably would have been close to $1,000. I thought the hotel was very generous, still if I paid for the trip I would be mad they didn?t warn us about the construction. We definitely would have moved hotels had we been on vacation. A Sheraton won?t ever be my first choice. Plus the whole non-relaxing ordeal led to dehydration and a day at the hospital.

We did think the service was friendly and quick. We enjoyed the shops and the Round Table Pizza.

kerikeri

dear islandmom:

i have searched and searched, but i figured i'd just ask you: how on earth did you get comped for a bad experience?
i have had terrible experiences and written lengthy letters only to get no reply at all- and these are major chains: hyatt, sheraton. please, please share your secret. what did you say or do to have them even offer any compensation, let alone a free stay? seriously!
mahalo!

islandmom

Let's see.... I first complained with detail of the experience on the main Sheraton website feedback form. We had a few emails and direct calls from the local office. I'll look for my post and try to remember the details. I'm always polite, respectful, but direct and expecting a problem to be resolved.

islandmom

Author: islandmom
Date: 02/20/2004, 05:24 am
Message: I had the WORST experience there this week. I was looking for a luxury get-away with girlfriends and got crap.

I was given a reservation of $155 a night for a standard room with two beds in Nov of last year. At the desk I was told it was $80 more for the third person per night. At that rate I would have picked another hotel. I could have had one of us stay at my home, but at that point I thought it would look dishonest. After calling 5
times and talking directly to the maids 3 times over a period of several
hours for the roll away bed, robes and slippers. Plus the shock of two twin
beds! (What pregnant woman can get comfy on twin beds??) And staying in what looked and smelled like a granny's room we decided it was
not worth the $240 a night and only stayed one night. The next day it took
an hour of calling to get a bellman to help me with my bags. Then at the
curb I couldn't get anyone to help me put them in my car after several
attempts to get help, I - pregnant- did it myself. I could have stolen everyone else's bags too.

Then- this is what gets me angry- at the counter they tried to charge me
$280 a night. I explained nicely that I had booked it in Nov at $155 and
that was told it would be $80 more which would not be $280. IN FRONT OF MY COMPANY AND EVERYONE AT THE COUNTER SHE IMPLIED I WAS LYING IN AN AWFUL TONE OF VOICE. She said "How could you book a rate of $155 local rate when we never offer that and there is no way you could have booked this last year
when we go month to month." She would not budge and kept acting as if I was
lying until I asked to speak to Paul who checked us in. (ME LYING???!!!
The one who could have lied at check-in and said only two were in the room
and slipped another in???)

The food was overpriced and blah. The Mai Tai bar was a Vegas reject show. There was no room on the beach or at the pool.

The only nice touches were the leis and banana bread.




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Author: islandmom
Date: 02/20/2004, 08:08 pm
Message: Wanted to add that they are giving me 2 nights free at another property now. I wouldn't take the two free days there.

islandmom

So I sent them that info in not as casual of a manner. Told them how it was humiliating in front of my friends. How it was disappointing for such a long planned trip with friends from far away. I had the name of the lady who gave me trouble. There was a glitch in their computer system they discovered. We did leave a night early. I also mentioned that we have many visitors- my husband's business contacts from the mainland, my family and friends and people on travel forums who would be anxious to hear how they resolved the issue.

kerikeri

that is very interesting- i think being kamaaina helped in this case, especially, when they need nice things said about them and need more people to come. for me, i am usually the one visiting and they figure "she's never coming back here so who cares"

thanks for taking the trouble to explain is- and it sounds like you were treated terribly...and that weekend doesn't sound like it made up for it. too bad you missed the brunch- heard it advertised on the radio and it sounded good. $3 pancakes and all!