Another Westin Add-On
$45 “Complimentary” Snack
As a Starwood Preferred Guest Gold Card member I am accustomed to certain priveleges when staying at the Wesin Maui. This has been my hotel of choice on Maui since the mid 80’s when Chris Hemmeter bought and remodeled the hotel. I always ask for a room in the Beach Tower as it’s the new wing that Chris built.
When checking in this week I was told that there would be an “upgrade charge” of $45 to be in that tower. This was a first, but I never whine about costs, so I just said, “Okay, whatever.”
The “complimentary snack” delivered in this tower is always well received, but I have to admit that this time I found myself thinking, “Is it really worth $45?” That led me to thinking, “Is the Westin really worth the “Kaamaina rate” of only $300 when all I do there is sleep one night.” Sometimes the tiny added gouges can cost a company a long time customer. Keep the pennies out of your eyes and you will put more dollars in your pocket.
January 28th, 2009 at 4:16 am
Point well taken. State Farm is taking all homeowner’s policies out of Florida. We will take every drop of insurance, which includes coverage on three cars, umbrella policies, etc. away from them. This because they couldn’t get a rate hike. Do not reward bad behavior is how I feel.
January 28th, 2009 at 7:04 am
or as I like to say… sounds like they are stepping over dollars to save dimes … bad business practices!!!
IMHO
January 28th, 2009 at 7:08 am
next thing they are going to start doing to encourage more business is charge for parking and add a room tax… oh wait… they already do that! LOL
January 29th, 2009 at 8:41 pm
For that fee, they should deliver pupu’s from Hula Grill.
Hummm….the envelope is a nice touch….Ron - you must remember when all the best restaurants used to put the patron’s names on the table, menu and matchbooks?
There is one in New Orleans that still does for a special occasion….Fins. They even give the ladies a black napkin if they are wearing dark clothing so that the white lint from the usual napkins won’t spoil their outfit.
Class still does exist…you just have to look hard to ferret it out!
January 30th, 2009 at 10:58 am
Hello everybody,
Ferreting out class as Arla says costs though! I remember the days of personal additions to fine dining like matchbooks, but then smoking went out of fashion as health issues took over.
I knew and often visited a restaurant who still did bits of that in that they gave the gents a monogrammed handkerchief and the ladies had an option of a rose (still done) a hankie or a small sewing kit. People laughed at the sewing kit thing first, then they chuckled at the hankie thing (who uses them today with tissues and the throw away choices?) and what ‘man’ uses mongrammed handkerchiefs? Well, I still have several of both, unused I must admit, given by that restaurant I visited again and again and again. Sadly, the owner died, the business was sold, things changed, prices went sky high, portions made smaller and food a la mediocre … and I think it closed down a couple of years later. This personal memento style additions to dining has to be something to think about in this time where the individual counts and Generation Y is supposed to mimic granny’s values a lot of the time.
What do they say about the differences between keeping a happy customer and finding new ones? Is it that the one costs about 5 times as much as the other? You need to tell them Ron, maybe there is an MBA in charge who hasn’t lived long enough to know better. Stay there one more time, please, especially if its convenient for you, and tell them.
Cheers
Lestie
Johannesburg S A