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Hi all,
I’ve just had Melia tell me that there is maintenance in their hotel and I can’t stay in the Junior Suite I booked with cash + points. The trip is in three days. These things happen, I get it, but I’m a bit annoyed at their response.They’re offering either 10% cash back, a free upgrade for a future stay (useless as I won’t be going there again) or 10% off at the restaurant (which I’m already entitled to as Gold). This seems pretty cheeky. I need to clarify the size of the rooms they have because if they have nothing the same size I feel ripped off. The price difference is much more than 10%, and I also used points to pay for the bulk of it too. Am I being unreasonable for expecting more than that?
As a minimum they should refund you the price difference. Then anything on top of that is compensation.
Take their offer as an opening offer. Work out what is acceptable to you (maybe the price difference between the rooms plus a small amount extra for the hassle), then add on a bit to what you think is acceptable. Then call the hotel, say their offer wasn’t appropriate and you think the higher offer you worked out is appropriate. Then negotiate until you get what you think is acceptable (they might counter offer with a free meal or something else).
This goes without saying, but a polite and reasonable conversation on the phone will usually get these things resolved.
Why do I think they sold your suite?
Why are they not offering you a better suite? That would be class on the part of the hotel, and would prove the veracity of the maintenance claim.
You could try asking for a better suite then, and listen to the lie about all suites being under maintenance. Check the website to see what they’re selling.
You could then offer to switch your date assuming for the inconveniemce a better suite will be available. This to test what’s going on.
When the above is not possible this is a special occasion for you so ask to be walked to an at least equivalent or better hotel (name a couple in the local market so they know you know), essential to still be in a suite, naturally at no extra cost.
How all these go will tell you what’s what.
I do believe them that there are maintenance issues with that wing of the hotel, as no equivalent or better rooms appear as available for the next few weeks.
It is a Valentine’s Day trip, so not particularly changeable especially since our flights are non-refundable.
Also I picked this hotel because of the lounge access, which I don’t think exists in any other hotels nearby.
I’ve asked which rooms are still available but haven’t received a response yet.
@astra19 – you have two rather contrasting views above! The reasonable, measured approach and the hostile, confrontational one.
You aren’t being at all unreasonable in expecting a more generous resolution and if you remain reasonable, you have every prospect of a much improved offer over the hotel’s opening gambit unless they are very full.
If you look at the apparent availability online (although the way properties manage this, it’s not always a reliable guide) and call them to check the lie of the land and then negotiate to where you want to be, hopefully you will get a good outcome and hopefully something better than the original.
They’ve offered their lowest category room as a replacement. Of course, I’m pushing back, as it costs over €700 less and their compensation is less than €100.
cancel and take your € elsewhere
I think you need to take it in steps that go from reasonable approach to very firm approach. So you start polite, but if they aren’t willing to move or move very little you will need to remain professional but firm possibly later with stronger language. You should also be prepared to cancel the stay and go elsewhere billing them at new prices. Is lounge access such a deal breaker over better suite? It seems like you haven’t stayed at that hotel before, so you can’t be certain about lounge quality either even if the reviews are positive.
cancel and take your € elsewhere
Bold move with 3 days to go.
Which specific hotel is it as it would be helpful to know to understand what options are available and potentially why.
@JDB once again you’ve misunderstood.
What you think is the case, or looks awfully like being the case, is not what you say to the hotel. Even if you think the hotel is not being truthful or has not offered a fair solution, is not what you say. So completely inapprpriate to say “hostile and confrontational”. Because whatever you might think, you won’t present it that way to the hotel. You will try to feel out their real position, and then to negotiate something better than their opening offer.
So I suggested some propositions that the hotel could be asked about, the results of which should guve you a better feel for what is really going on and any true limitations to what you might achieve.
Then pair with a negotiation strategy as per @meta.
On another topic have you noticed how much greater % on forums, is males accusing females (and not the other way round) of incorrect behaviour? You did follow a certain other female poster around for a while being quite critical, wrong pick as that lady has dealt with tougher situations than you’ll ever see, I watched as again and again with polite cheeriness she let you know it was water off a duck’s back, and now you’ve ceased picking her out. I guess the internet reflects things still sometimes too true in the real world.
I’m a bit more annoyed now from my most recent response.
This is the Melia Düsseldorf.We understand your way of thinking, but would like to inform you that the prices listed are current prices.
At the time you made your booking, the prices were lower, so you paid €XXX including XXX points for a Junior Suite. This is a very low price for a Junior Suite and we are glad that you accepted this offer.
As we have already said, we are very sorry that we are now unable to offer you the room due to renovation work.
The premium rooms with twin beds are also included, so we can “only” offer you the Melia room.
After consultation with our reception manager, we would be happy to accommodate you and refund 15% of the final price, so that you will receive €XXX back.
So they’re upping the offer to a derisory 15% of the cash component, again not reflecting the points used at all. I think I need to take it up with Melia corporate at this point.
They’ve offered to rebook a suite in INNSIDE Hafen, but I don’t want to be on the outskirts of the city. I genuinely don’t mind the downgrade but they’re taking the micky about the compensation here.
I stay at Melia properties often – I’m Gold – but after this I don’t think I’ll bother. I’ve had minor niggles with them this year already and this takes the biscuit.
Definitely take it to Melia corporate, emphasising your loyalty and choice to stay at this hotel because it’s a Melia. I suspect you’ll be lucky to get anything useful from them, but it will be a useful step to inform whether you ditch Melia, or just this property.
“We understand your way of thinking” – is BA’s current comms team working for Melia as well?!
Honestly, I would cancel, leave an appropriate review on TA and never stay there again, if you can find a satisfactory alternative at this point!
@LL – you make a good point in respect of forums, it’s also interesting to consider responses to posters whose gender isn’t immediately identifiable.
I called Melia and told the story as neutrally as possible. The agent seemed to agree that it is quite a poor response and I’ve forwarded the email chain to their desk with some context. Hopefully I’ll get a response quickly.
If it were a trip in a few months I’d cancel but there’s a dearth of good hotels in the city centre and at this short notice it’s very slim pickings. I booked this hotel because I wanted to stay there, and the specific room because I wanted that room. I get that there are emergencies and I have been quite understanding but to offer a paltry few euros of compensation for a room that costs half as much is ridiculous.
So they’re upping the offer to a derisory 15% of the cash component
As I said before, have you presented them with what you think is appropriate, and have you called them?
Not sure why you need more advice than that at this point, you seem to be winding yourself up without taking the right course of action.
Some of the more hostile actions others are suggesting can be used after you have tried the negotiation approach.
Check the dates you are travelling and see if the Executive Suite is available. If so, request being moved into that room. Though I also notice they are sold out on every Saturday this month so if you are staying on a Saturday night it will be very difficult to manage to get moved.
Lounge wise the Hilton Dusseldorf has one, though relocated to the restaurant at present and the Hyatt Regency has one too.
It is indeed rather annoying that the hotel, having left it to 3 days before the stay, is now whining that at the time the OP booked, the difference in rates beteeen the suite booked and other rooms was small but now it’s much bigger so the hotel does not want to give you that much. Really?
“We understand your way of thinking” – is BA’s current comms team working for Melia as well?!
Honestly, I would cancel, leave an appropriate review on TA and never stay there again, if you can find a satisfactory alternative at this point!
@LL – you make a good point in respect of forums, it’s also interesting to consider responses to posters whose gender isn’t immediately identifiable.
Not on TA, on their Instagram posts or other social media platforms. Nobody sane reads TA or Google Reviews. Post it under a few posts and you might be surprised.
I’m not really one for TA, but I have seen a few posters in hotels of late exhorting guests to give them a good review on that site! I filled in a rare email survey for a Hilton recently because it was a really good stay – they then emailed me again thanking me for my glowing review and asking me to duplicate it on TA 🙄
* I have been known on occasion to select 1-star reviews on TA to read for entertainment but they seem to have disabled that function recently 😂
I have been known on occasion to select 1-star reviews on TA to read for entertainment but they seem to have disabled that function recently
I think it’s still possible.
I usually read the two star and four star reviews as I find they often tend to be more detailed about why the place didn’t warrant the lowest or highest rating.Corporate has graciously directed the hotel to grant me free parking for my non-existent car. One last ditch request to get the value of that in cash on top of their pitiful compensation, and then I’m done with Melia forever. Just need to cash out my points, since they acknowledge they are completely worthless and aren’t refunding any of them I better do it quick.
You can also always dispute the amount with credit card company.
Corporate has graciously directed the hotel to grant me free parking for my non-existent car.
I’m really sorry about your predicament, but that line honestly made me laugh.
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