Well, I lost the battle on this one, but I do have to give kudos to the IHG folks. They responded promptly, did get me in contact with the hotel management.Email string reads from the bottom up. I ‘guess’ the rates quoted are not ‘really’ the rates according to the hotel manager. I know I’m just a dumb ass ol’ country boy, but according to the manager the variance in rate on a daily basis is ‘normal’ for Australia… Funny, you would think some minor ‘little’ thing like that would show up on the booking quote…I’m done with em, and this little kefluffle will cost them at least 160 room nights from our group, and I ‘hope’ a lot more from the Aussies I work with…Caveat Emptor with Holiday Inn/Crowne Plaza folks!My final response:
Ms. G, thank you for the response, but as I said, the rate quoted was over $100 LESS than what I was charged. I will not return to your hotel, nor will we book any future room nights there. As an employee, I am NOT allowed to exceed (X) rate for rooms, plain and simple. Also your web booking practices are questionable if they quote one rate, and bill another rate, which is apparently what was done to me.
r,
Me
Hotel manager wrote me back:
Dear Mr C
As indicated by our Guest Relations team, your feedback via social media has been sent through to me today. First and foremost, I would like to apologise for the lack in clarity you received when querying your rates during your stay. The travel booker utilized did book a (X) rate with us for the duration of your stay and it is very unfortunate that they did not explain the variance in rate on a daily basis – this is how the (X) rate is set up in Australia and we most certainly did not alter this at our whim. For future stays in Australia, I would recommend that you request a daily itinerary from your agent to ensure they have been transparent with the rates you will be paying.
Having said that, it would seem our team did not do well at dealing with your concerns and for this I apologise. As I have been at the hotel only a few weeks, I have already identified a need for further training around problem resolution and whilst this has been scheduled, it is unfortunate that you have already had this experience in the interim.
Mr C, thank you again for taking the time to provide your feedback and should you have any further concerns, please feel free to contact me directly in the future.
Kind Regards
Ms G
General Manager
My email back to IHG Care:
Sir/Ma’am per Reference # 2xxxxxx the following information is provided-
Sir/Ma’am per Reference # 2xxxxxx the following information is provided-
My Priority Club # is 3xxxxx and the reservation was under “ME” for world-wide (X) rate, which I ‘believe’ was quoted at A$266/night. I showed my ID at check-in as required. Since the reservation is already used, I cannot access my account to pull up the confirmation number.
The clerk said that there was “nothing to be done, as the hotel reserved the right to change the rates” and apparently the manager was not available, or she chose not to call him.
I will tell you that I will NOT stay there again, nor will I allow any of the rest of my team to stay there, or any other Holiday Inn in Western Australia. This behavior is unacceptable, and especially for people on government travel. I “may” be able to get reimbursed for the amount over per diem, but if I’m not I will have to pay that out of pocket. I have also advised my points of contact with both the (organizations ) in Australia of the hotel’s conduct and recommended they utilize other hotels in WA.
My contact information is:
From IHG
Dear Mr. C,
Thank you for your email regarding your experience with the Crowne Plaza Perth, Australia. We apologize for any inconvenience this situation may have caused you.
I have forwarded your comments to the General Manager and ownership of this hotel. We are committed to guest satisfaction and appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns.
As our hotels are in the best position to assist, I have requested they contact you directly to discuss the situation further. They will be contacting you directly via email within 48 hours. If you still require assistance after this time frame, please contact Guest Relations again. For your records, your comments are documented under reference number 2xxxxx.
Once again, we appreciate your taking the time to contact us. We value you as a Priority Club Rewards Gold member and appreciate your patience.
Sincerely,
V
eMedia Coordinator
IHGCare
