Sydfly

I think this is worth its own thread due to the significant and disappointing change at this hotel. As I just found out the IC Sydney has changed the description of their second lowest room category which they now call Executive Watsons Bay View Room and consider their new RA upgrade room instead of the Harbour View Executive Suite.

I'm fairly certain that the room type with this description never existed before (it was just called Watsons Bay View before) and that RAs were upgraded to the Harbour View Executive Suite in the past. I spoke to the in-house reservation manager today and the newly named room type allows them to comply with the RA upgrade policy by simply offering an upgrade to a room type that has the word executive in the room description.

It's worth mentioning that these rooms will not see the Opera house nor the Harbour Bridge which is the main selling point of the hotel. It's simply a one category upgrade which on most days sells for $16 more than the standard room based on Adv purchase rate!

Technically the hotel actually didn't break the rules they simply "enhanced" their room type selection to fit the upgrade requirements.

Update: The plot thickens...after spending some more time talking to Tiffany at the IC Sydney I can indeed confirm that they will now only upgrade to the Executive Watson Bay Room (1 category above the lowest category room) for RAs which they consider a suitable alternative to the Harbour View Suite If they have a suite available at check-in they will consider moving RAs to a suite but because they have so many RAs staying there they had to come up with a new plan. The hotel has apparently a new general manager and this might explain the change in policy.

Anyone unhappy about the change should send an email to Tiffany at [email protected] and she will forward our comments to the management team. I think that the Watsons Bay Room is not an alternative for the suite in any way and that they should at least offer an Opera View room if they have no suites available. Otherwise RAs will get the same treatment as Ambassadors which are also entitled to a 1 category upgrade to the Watsons Bay View Room.

The IC Syd seems to be the only hotel in Asia/Pac not offering Club access to RAs and now you will most likely not receive a suite upgrade either but a mere one category upgrade from the standard room...

GibSpmuh

I'll agree that it's a pretty shabby way to be treating RA's, especially given there appears to be nothing special about the 'Executive' rooms apart from the name. Having stayed at the Sydney IC a couple of times in the past and receiving either a Opera view room or Harbour View Suite it does seem to be severely reducing the worth of RA status in the hotel. I guess that also means that if you actually book a Watsons Bay View Room then you'll receive no upgrade at all?

I was under the impression that the Sydney IC was still owned by InterContinental Hotels Group as well, and it's disappointing to see after the lack of upgrades offered in San Francisco by another company owned IC (and Montreal before that). What sort of impression does it send to other independently owned IC's about how to treat RA's when these are the sorts of things the company is doing?

vsevolod4

I hope this isn't true, and hope that this situation gets reversed quickly by IC Sydney. The RA treatment is the reason I stay in the IC SYD rather than at other hotels that are more convenient to my office. I've always had superb experiences there, including having them hold rooms for super-early arrivals, etc. I would hate to see this changed.

You're right about the Mark Hopkins and Montreal; for me, these ar the two "cheapest" hotels in terms of RA treatment and upgdrades. And don't even get me started on Montreal's pulling a fast one on mini-bar privileges.

infoworks

In my experience throughout Asia Pacific most IC as policy now won't upgrade RA to club floor on standard rates. Even Manila IC who used to be very generous with exec floor and suite, now won't, especially since they opened the new 14th floor lounge.

SYD has always been stingy but at least gave a harbour view suite. Seems like the group is determined to lose their RA's. Maybe they have Qantas managers in there now!!!

McCoy

If the room booked is a Watson's Bay room, d'ya think they'll still upgrade RA to a harbour view?

DoubleJ

I hope Tiffany isn't seen by the management team as "spilling the beans" on the specifics of the new upgrade policy and ends up getting reprimanded.

I hope the upgrade policies at the Mark Hopkins and the IC Montreal are isolated practices due more to the actions of a single GM (as indicated in this thread) than that of IC in general. Say, the IC Sydney wouldn't happen to have a new GM just newly transferred from the MH?

BEYFlyer

D'ya think? Good question McCoy... I mean, if it's only an extra $16...

Camino1

What do you think Rewards Points will get you? I wonder--when I was there last year I got the Harbor View Suite.

BEYFlyer

I booked 3 nights on points in October '06 and got a decent room overlooking a body of water but no bridge or Sydney Opera House. But if you turn the TV to a certain channel, you get a great view of the entire harbor... I must admit that my stay at the Park Hyatt was much more enjoyable and memorable. Alas, both stays were on points, so I'm not complaining...

GibSpmuh

The view from the TV is from a camera mounted on the roof, outside of the Club. If you're tall you can certainly reach up and give everyone in the hotel a wave hello (not that I would have done such a thing of course! ).

holtju2

This is really disturbing indeed. Basically RA's would get the same as Ambassadors as upgrades go. The only benefit then would be the minibar.

I was thinking of staying there in about two weeks for few days but may have to amend my plans if this is really the only benefit.

If they feel that there are too many RA's around why they simply stop sending out RA referral forms?

Shareholder

I really have to wonder about some so-called Busienss Travelers who continue to belly-ache about changes to upgrading policies at various properties. One would think that being in business you'd recognize that a recovery has occured in the business travel market and cities like Syndey -- which suffered a post-Olympic sag due in part to overbuilding of 4 and 5 star properties -- have rebounded and are able to get enough customers who book and pay for higher category rooms. This means there are less of these to be given to "elites" and repricing and recategorizing has occured to maximize the revenue-generating capacity of their inventory. Many travelers actually book Club level rooms and even suites. This reduced the number of such rooms available for elite upgrading in many of the wordld's top business cities, which Sydney certainly qualifies as.

And in that city particularly, there are three hotels in the 5-star category that can boast Harbour/Opera House views and these rooms will go at a true premium to customers willing to pay for them. Why give them away to those who pay less, no matter what elite tier they hold?

And no, I don't feel thisdeserves two threads...three if you count Sydfly's lengthy earlier thread that is a similar tirade about the same property and his disappoinments year after year. We've been warned!

For me, I get far better value across the Quay at the HI Old Sydney...and usually a very nice large room overlooking the Opera House...for half or less than a basic room at the IC!

JAT74L

There is ONE overarching benefit of RA while staying at an IC in my VERY humble opinion. . .


No matter WHAT room you dreamed of or were promised but did nor receive - you can DROWN your sorrows by getting blitzed on the mini bar again, and again, and again, and again until you check OUT. - Then you can simply IN to Rehab!!

JAT

PremExecSNA

I can confirm our good friend is still at the MH, or was as of last weekend. Maybe he's been working the phone...

Sydfly

Had a bad day, Shareholder? Ah, and thanks for the lecture on hotel occupancy rates in Sydney...I wouldn't have known without you

The reason why I posted two threads was that I think they are two different issues. One being that room types have been changed in my reservation (this only seemed to effect me when I noticed it) and after doing some research to find out about the new general upgrade policy I figured that others should know about it and wouldn't neccessarily read my other thread based on the title.

I don't know about you but I certainly appreciated the thread started on the new upgrade policy at MH SFO and I'm sure so did other FTers.

And let me say one other thing although I don't think that this should be any of your business: almost all of my stays/flights are paid for using my own hard earned $$$ and not company funded. Maybe you would appreciate your upgrade benefits a lot more if you had to pay for everything using your own money.