Calling to Request Room Preferences = Pointless?

[Senoreit]

I mentioned in my recent review of the Hyatt Regency Milwaukee that upon check-in, the clerk asked if my girlfriend and I would prefer a smoking or non-smoking room, despite the fact that I had called a few days before and asked that my preference for a non-smoking room with a king bed be input into my reservation. I know that my preferences were input into my reservation after I called because I pulled up my reservation on hyatt.com and saw with my own eyes that they were there. This means that either the clerk didn't bother to check whether or not there were any room preferences associated with my reservation, or she simply wanted to double-check that my preferences hadn't changed. Anyway, I repeated my requests to her for a non-smoking room with a king bed, but since the hotel was sold out that night there were no such rooms available, and we ended up being put in a non-smoking room with two double beds (no big deal).

My question is, considering the fact that hotels generally don't guarantee that they will be able to fulfill room-type requests, as illustrated by what happened to me (not to say that I'm the first one this has ever happened to or that I didn't know it could happen), and in my case it's quite possible that the clerk didn't even look at the preferences in my reservation, isn't calling ahead to request smoking, bedding, view, etc. preferences a waste of time? Isn't it just as likely that you will get your preferred type of room by making your requests at the time of check-in instead of over the phone in advance of your stay?

Of course calling in your preferences/requests does no harm (other than possibly wasting a couple minutes of time), but does it ever do any good? Do any hotels/chains actually block out rooms in advance based on preferences listed in their reservation system, or are there any special circumstances in which people have found that phoning in a request has been beneficial?

[WillTravel]

I think it's worth it. I phoned up Coast Anaheim and found that Priceline had requested a king room (rather than the 2 beds I wanted). They agreed to change it for $3/day (although this didn't end up getting charged). When we got there, we found the hotel was on the verge of being sold-out, but we got our 2-bed room (although we had to switch rooms).

If you phone up and they won't be helpful, then (if you need two beds), you at least know to bring a sleeping bag or something.

[thereuare]

I usually call ahead to put in a bedding request (forgot on my last stay but request was honored upon arrival anyway) and haven't had a problem yet.

I would guess-timate that on average 70-80% of requests are taken and honored, but as frequent users of this board know there are a few hotels (or clerks... also read 'jerks') who feel that Priceline customers aren't worthy of the same treatment as traditional customers.

When requests can't be honored it's very easy to attribut it to the fact that we booked via Priceline/Hotwire, when in reality there are also times when the requests of traditional bookings can't be accomdated either.

[bbbb]

I always check the hotels website to see is they have the bedding that I want before I check-in.

[Randi66]

I always call ahead to request a king( because its always supposed to be two double beds) and I have NEVER been denied. Ive used priceline over 30 times and Ive never had a problem. Just be sweet but firm.

[Senoreit]

My point wasn't really about Priceline/Hotwire guests being treated differently or having less of a chance of their room requests being accomodated. I have no doubt that most hotels will accept and honor, whenever possible, requests for specific room types no matter how the room was booked. My point was that requests seem to have no more chance of being honored when they are phoned in ahead of time than if they are simply stated at check in. Again, my understanding is hotels generally don't guarantee smoking/bedding preferences no matter what booking channel is used, and thus even if you've phoned in a request ahead of time, it will be of no help if all of the type of room you desire are occupied by the time you check in. That's why I asked if any hotels or chains were known to block out/hold rooms based on room preference requests in their reservation files (everything I've ever heard and common sense leads me to believe that this is not done). If this actually happens anywhere, then I could see where phoning ahead could make a difference.

As I said, it certainly doesn't do any harm to phone requests in ahead of time, I was just curious as to whether or not most people would agree with my theory that it doesn't do much good either as it is not a guarantee of anything, and that waiting to state your preferences at the time of check-in is equally effective. Getting the type of room you want all depends on whether or not there are any more left by the time you check in.

WillTravel brings up an interesting example though. It seems to me that hotels would have more of an obligation to ensure you get your requested bedding type if there is a price difference between rooms with different bedding arrangements and you have agreed to pay a certain amount with the understanding that you will get a specific bedding arrangment, although I don't know if even that guarantees anything.

[thereuare]

I always call ahead to request a king( because its always supposed to be two double beds)...

Randi, this isn't the case. Priceline makes no stipulation as to bed type or the number of beds... they only promise that there will be bedding to accomdate 2 people.

[bbbb]

It happens everyday with PL stays and Hyatt hotels.If you are a member Hyatts GP program you can call 1800check-in and be checked into the hotel with your requests being honored before you and everyone else get to the hotel,leaving you with whats left to pick from.

Every hotel that I have won through PL has always been one king bed.

[Senoreit]

Yes, the 1-800-CHECK-IN capability seems great, although I haven't been able to use it yet. The Hyatt Regency St. Louis has acknowledged that I can receive GP points for incidentals, but they still won't add my GP number to my reservation (they say I have to wait until I check in), which I assume precludes me from using 1-800-CHECK-IN.

The ability to check in over the phone early in the morning would do away with having to worry about whether or not the hotel will have adequate availability to accomodate your room requests, especially if you don't plan on arriving until the evening.

[darlinerene]

Can anyone with a Hyatt Gold Passport card use 1-800-check-in, or do you have to be at a higher level? Also, do you call this number the same day that you are to check in, or can you call days in advance? I'd like to call for my stay at Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe next month, but I'm not sure having only the Gold level if I can. Thanks.

[bbbb]

Anyone can use it but if you are not diamond,you can"t check-in through 1800 until 12:00 noon.

Senoreit, who are you asking to add your # to your stay,the hotel or customer service?I have never had a problem adding a GP number for my friends who are not diamond.

I always call customer service,but I did hear there was a problem in the past,so try again on your next PL stay.

[cakobau]

Yes, the 1-800-CHECK-IN capability seems great, although I haven't been able to use it yet. The Hyatt Regency St. Louis has acknowledged that I can receive GP points for incidentals, but they still won't add my GP number to my reservation (they say I have to wait until I check in), which I assume precludes me from using 1-800-CHECK-IN.

Senoreit, call that Hyatt back and ask to speak to reservations. Say you have a prepaid reservation and you just wanted to request a (king? nonsmoking?) room and add your Gold Passport number "for incidentals." I've never been refused (yet). If they DO refuse, ask to speak to the supervisor. The local hotel has the power over this, it seems, so I don't know if the 800-number folks can help.

Once your GP account is in their computer, not only can you use 800-checkin, but you can see the details of your reservation online, as the hotel has it. You can go to hyatt.com, log in with the GP #, and on the left hand side navigate to Reservations/ Change a Reservation. Then enter the confirmation number that Priceline gave you (starts with HY) -- skip the credit card number -- to see what class of room you are reserved in. You'll get a warning that reads this:

"Due to the special conditions associated with this reservation you may view, but not change it within this website. Please return to where the reservation was originally confirmed to make modifications or cancellations."

Click "view" to see the details. For an upcoming trip to Tahoe, I read:

Room Description: Priceline No Vice Presidential Guestroom

View of High Sierra Mountains

Views Mountain View

Cancellation Policy: Non-Refundable

Deposit Policy: Deposit Required By July 9, 2004

Deposit By Credit Card Required

2 Night(S) Deposit Will Be Charged To Credit Card

Please contact 1-800-228-3360 for changes.

Preferences: Non-smoking room.

One king bed

Note that the class of room is specified -- mountain views, and no vice presidential guestroom (Darn!). But that the non-smoking/king is listed as a Preference. "Preference" is probably not a guarantee, but Hyatt is a class act, and I've always gotten my preference, with 1-800-Check-In or without.

Bottom line. Keep trying to get that GP# in there. Sorry for the length of the reply. Got carried away. :)

[bbbb]

GP will add the # w/o a problem,I do it all the time.Just call customer service through the 1800 #.I would not ask for a supervisor at the hotel and make someone mad before you get to the hotel.

Just my thoughts as I add gold GP #s all the time using this method for PL rooms I bid for friends.

[holtju2]

Most of the time you can get the specific hotel specific bonus points as well. Actually I do not have a situation where I would not have granted these. The Hyatt program is VERY generious.

[Senoreit]

Well, I just got back from my trip to St. Louis this past weekend during which my girlfriend and I stayed at the Renaissance Grand and Hyatt Regency downtown. I had called ahead to both places to request a king, non-smoking room, and then looked up my reservations online to confirm that my requests were actually noted, which they were. We arrived at both hotels no later than 1:30 p.m. on the days we checked in. At the Renaissance Grand, the clerk not only made no mention of the preferences associated with my reservation, she didn't ask me if I had any room preferences either. As she was about to hand me the room keycards, I asked her if it was a king, non-smoking room. She told me that there were no more king, non-smoking rooms available (I do know that the hotel was sold out that night, so it's not entirely surprising that this was the case) and that the room she had given us was a non-smoking room with two doubles.

At the Hyatt, the clerk at least noted that I had requested a king, non-smoking room, but said that there were no more available. She did offer us a handicapped-accessable king, non-smoking room, or a standard non-smoking room with two doubles. After she told us that the only difference between a standard room and a handicapped-accessable room was that there was no bathtub in the accessable room, we decided that wasn't a big deal to us and took it instead of the standard room with two doubles.

Two more examples of calling in room preferences ahead of time doing no good. I hate to belabor that point, but I must say I'm slightly surprised that not one person has posted to agree with me in any way when all of my experiences suggest that my feelings on this subject are true. I think some people who have never happened to have an experience where a hotel was unable to fulfill their room requests after they've called them in ahead of time mistakenly assume a cause-and-effect relationship between them calling in their room preferences and receiving their desired room type, when in reality, had the hotel run out of whatever type of room they were requesting, having their requests on file would have been of no help; and since their desired room types have always been available, they could could have been equally successful in receiving them by making their requests at check-in instead of over the phone in advance.

One possible exception that I acknowledge is the one WillTravel brought up, where a hotel charges different rates for rooms depending on the number of beds.

As far as the Gold Passport issue, cakobau, I did actually talk to two different reservations people on the phone at the Hyatt St. Louis who told me that I couldn't add my GP # to my reservation in advance. Whether this is a policy of that individual hotel or the people I talked to were just incompetent, I don't know. I didn't want to push the issue and ask for a manager simply because it wasn't a huge deal to me. I did end having my GP number added after I checked in. By the way, it is possible to view Hyatt reservations (Priceline or otherwise) online whether or not your GP number is in your reservation, all you need is your confirmation number. bbbb, in the future I will take your advice and call customer service via the 1-800 number if I an unsuccessful having my GP number added by the hotel itself. Thanks for the tip!

[thereuare]

Next time you're not able to get your preferences honored (hopefully it won't happen again, but i'm going with your track record) ask if there are any of those room types available that just need to be cleaned and if you can check your bags with the bellman and return later.

I think this gives the clerk every opportunity to try to accomodate you and puts a little pressure on them since you're being so flexible. They may just happen to suddenly find you a room at that point in time or they may be able to instruct housekeeping to clean a specific room so that you can check-in within an hour.

Just suggesting another approach that might work.

[bbbb]

Sorry your luck was so bad with your room requests.I have had my requests granted everytime with Hyatt and my stay last week at the Embassy Suites Tahoe I had all my requests taken care of also.

Don"t give up as all of my friends have had great luck with Hyatt requests also.

It must be the fact of your hotels being sold out for your stays.Did you use 1800-check-in?I always have people that I book rooms use 1800 and ask for two doubles if thats what they need as most PL rooms that I have got on PL have been setup as one king NS.

As soon as I win my Hyatt room on PL I call Hyatt customer service and have them add my GP #.This way I don"t have to chance the hotel saying no or telling me its added and its not.

[Senoreit]

Next time you're not able to get your preferences honored (hopefully it won't happen again, but i'm going with your track record) ask if there are any of those room types available that just need to be cleaned and if you can check your bags with the bellman and return later.

Good idea thereuare, thanks. That's actually what happened to me on the second day of my stay at the Hyatt in Milwaukee, when attempting to switch from a room with two doubles to a king room. I went down to the desk at about 10:00 a.m. and the clerk told me that there would be king rooms available but they still needed to be cleaned. He said he could put the room on hold for us and we could check our bags with the bellmen, who would bring them up to our new room when it was available (we were about to leave and not planning to get back to the hotel until about 7:00 that night). All we needed to do was stop back at the desk that night to formally check in and pick up our keys, which we did without a problem.

Of course in that case the clerk volunteered the information that there were king rooms that weren't spoken for but still needed to be cleaned. I never thought to ask on my own if that was the case on the occasions I mentioned when I was told that my desired room type wasn't available. I always assumed that not "available" meant that they were all already occupied, which as you point out, might not have been the case. Now that I think about it, even on a sold-out night, it does seem odd that a 900+ room hotel like the Renaissance Grand would be completely out of king, non-smoking rooms by 1:30 in the afternoon.