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@astra19 – the response of the hotel and head office is appalling and should alert you that they have no concept of hospitality or customer service. They certainly need to offer you a full refund and it’s difficult to believe that even at very short notice you can’t find a hotel that will offer you a massively better experience. People seem to like Melia for the offers that come with status but it does seem like a very second rate operator.
@astra19 – the response of the hotel and head office is appalling and should alert you that they have no concept of hospitality or customer service. They certainly need to offer you a full refund and it’s difficult to believe that even at very short notice you can’t find a hotel that will offer you a massively better experience. People seem to like Melia for the offers that come with status but it does seem like a very second rate operator.
Tell me Mr JDB, are there any hotels chains that meet your approval?
@Aston100 – The issue the OP has experienced at the Melia Düsseldorf isn’t really about chains but rather crap hotel management. If you take a long ago booked room/suite out of service for maintenance you need to have a plan in place to re-accommodate guests. Unfortunately within a chain setting, bad owners couldn’t care less as demonstrated here.
Re chains, I think Hyatt is a cut above the rest, is far more consistent across its brands and works hard to enforce standards. Park Hyatt is run as a genuinely luxury brand unlike Ritz Carlton, Waldorf Astoria, St Regis etc that are just pigs with lipstick playing at luxury and not winning save on luxury pricing. It’s all just too haphazard. I think Premier Inn offers consistency and great value.
It’s complicated but essentially these chains are taking the micky – it’s currently all about adding new properties and stuff the quality of the existing estate. Many have commented post the BA TP bombshell that they put up with rubbish service, dirty planes, poor punctuality etc. and the only glue that attached them to BA was BAEC/status and these hotel schemes are remarkably similar. People are hooked into staying with particular chains for all the wrong reasons and overpaying with so called ‘member’ rates etc. They never seem to explore the wider world of better but cheaper hotels because they can’t escape the lure of points and those wonderful free breakfasts.
I’m afraid I like freedom of choice and generally prefer an independent hotel or Airbnb type property where the owner puts fresh flowers in my room rather than a Kit Kat or a bottle of tombola wine. I prefer hotels with character, design and ambiance rather than an ugly dark box with a window at one end.
I stay in big chain hotels from time to time and get treated at least as well if not better than the top tier status people and invariably pay less as I’m not on the treadmill. I particularly don’t like maybe upgrades; I want to know exactly where I will be staying unless I’m on my own when I don’t care much.
Re Melia, I think the discounts offered from Gold status and the app discount I have noticed you referring to previously are a clever ploy to distract you from the reality of their pricing structure and the feel good factor of the supposed discount and hoped for benefits discourage you from looking at better alternatives.
This crap management scenario could happen at an independent hotel too, and you wouldn’t have any recourse to “corporate” (not that they were helpful in this case).
@astra19 – the response of the hotel and head office is appalling and should alert you that they have no concept of hospitality or customer service. They certainly need to offer you a full refund and it’s difficult to believe that even at very short notice you can’t find a hotel that will offer you a massively better experience. People seem to like Melia for the offers that come with status but it does seem like a very second rate operator.
Tell me Mr JDB, are there any hotels chains that meet your approval?
The issue the OP has experienced at the Melia Düsseldorf isn’t really about chains but rather crap hotel management. If you take a long ago booked room/suite out of service for maintenance you need to have a plan in place to re-accommodate guests. Unfortunately within a chain setting, bad owners couldn’t care less as demonstrated here.
Re chains, I think Hyatt is a cut above the rest, is far more consistent across its brands and works hard to enforce standards. Park Hyatt is run as a genuinely luxury brand unlike Ritz Carlton, Waldorf Astoria, St Regis etc that are just pigs with lipstick playing at luxury and not winning save on luxury pricing. It’s all just too haphazard. I think Premier Inn offers consistency and great value.
It’s complicated but essentially these chains are taking the micky – it’s currently all about adding new properties and stuff the quality of the existing estate. Many have commented post the BA TP bombshell that they put up with rubbish service, dirty planes, poor punctuality etc. and the only glue that attached them to BA was BAEC/status and these hotel schemes are remarkably similar. People are hooked into staying with particular chains for all the wrong reasons and overpaying with so called ‘member’ rates etc.
I’m afraid I like freedom of choice and generally prefer an independent hotel or Airbnb type property where the owner puts fresh flowers in my room rather than a Kit Kat or a bottle of tombola wine. I prefer hotels with character, design and ambiance rather than an ugly dark box with a window at one end.
I stay in big chain hotels from time to time and get treated at least as well if not better than the top tier status people and invariably pay less as I’m not on the treadmill. I particularly don’t like maybe upgrades; I want to know exactly where I will be staying unless I’m on my own when I don’t care much.
Re Melia, I think the discounts offered from Gold status and the app discount I have noticed you referring to previously are a clever ploy to distract you from the reality of their pricing structure and the feel good factor and hoped for benefits discourage you from looking at better alternatives.
Corporate has graciously directed the hotel to grant me free parking for my non-existent car
Have you actually even called the hotel yet?!
It’s clearly a deliberate ploy to get more than they deserve or they wouldn’t have left it so late in the day to tell you.
Could you find an airbnb in the city to stay at? This is a circumstance where I would certainly cancel the hotel and look at other options. Staying there will just make them think they’ve won and encourage them to do it to others in future.
This crap management scenario could happen at an independent hotel too, and you wouldn’t have any recourse to “corporate” (not that they were helpful in this case).
You are correct! I did say the same in my first para. What I do find is that one can gauge an awful lot by talking to staff/managers at hotels or Airbnb owners prior to booking as well as gleaning lots of otherwise not available critical info. Obviously not fail safe, but in my experience, works well.
I would be inclined to cancel the booking. No idea how much the Melia costs per night (and note you paid with points) but I recommend the Steigenberger Icon Parkhotel in Dusseldorf. They seem to have availability next weekend too.
I called the hotel and they only would reiterate the previous options. The manager had told me on Friday he was trying to get more, but he’s not in until Monday so I will need to deal with it in person. Unfortunately it’s a weeklong trip so availability anywhere else like the Steigenberger was scarce. The Steigenberger is indeed lovely, that’s where I stayed on my last trip there.
After many long and impassioned arguments, they have agreed to my request of a 30% refund which is reflective of the price difference between the room we booked and their lowest Level room. Even then that’s just the bare minimum and it was like pulling teeth. It has been a bizarre couple of days!
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