Dec 28, 2021, 12:40 am
Westin Lagunamar Ocean Resort, Cancun [Master Thread]
Mar 30, 2007, 4:13 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Lafayette, CO, USA
Programs: SPG Lifetime Plat, AA Gold, UA Gold, DL Silver, HH Gold, Vail Epic
Posts: 9,096
Westin Lagunamar Ocean Resort, Cancun [Master Thread]
The Westin Lagunamar Ocean Resort SVO will be taking its place in 2008.
Mar 31, 2007, 2:47 pm
#2
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Philadelphia, LAX, Paris
Programs: UA 1K/2MM, SPG/Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Lifetime HHonors Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, AA Exec Plat
Posts: 3,327
The Westin Lagunamar Ocean Resort SVO will be taking its place in 2008.
Mar 31, 2007, 8:48 pm
#3
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Houston
Programs: AA EXP; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond, UA 1.56MM (fmr UA1K)
Posts: 5,770
Earlier this month I saw the worksite for the new Westin timeshare is moving along quickly. From what I saw they have made a lot of progress if they were just tearing down the sheraton a couple of months ago.
Nov 24, 2008, 10:25 pm
#5
Company Representative - Starwood
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Singapore
Programs: SPG
Posts: 4,002
My colleagues at the property(Director of Revenue Management) has written back to me with some helpful answers.
Q. Will members earn any Starpoints for stays based on RACK, COR, BAR1 and AAA?
A. Yes
Q. Will the stays be credited? Any in-hotel benefits such as upgrades?
A. Stays will be credited, upgrades are only available to platinum members and base upon availability
Q. How about redemption of free nights and SPG50?
A. No
Hope this helps.
[email protected]
Dec 8, 2008, 11:11 pm
#6
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Tulsa, OK
Programs: AA Platinum & a bunch of hotel statuses
Posts: 200
All in all a nice stay. Wife and I traded in SVN options to stay. I received points for room charges, and my gold bonus. Nice layout, although crazy color scheme. Will be really nice when all construction is done.
Jan 6, 2009, 3:05 pm
#7
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Chicago
Programs: OZ LT D+, UA 1K, AS MVPG AF Gold, SPG Platinum (8 years), Hyatt Diamond, Hilton Gold, Marriot Gold
Posts: 463
Jan 13, 2009, 10:04 pm
#8
Original Member, Ambassador: OneWorld Alliance
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Austin, TX, USA
Programs: AA ExecPlat & 3MM; Marriott Titanium
Posts: 1,015
"Limited Participation" = "No Participation"?
In late November/early December I booked three rooms for two nights at the Westin Lagunamar Ocean Resort in late December for myself and family (two reservations both in my name). I booked the rooms on SPG.com and Rate Plan Description was listed on the website as Best Available Rate. Based on Starwood Lurker II post above I expected to get Starpoints for the room and wasn't sure about other expenses charged to the room. When I checked-in I asked again about Starpoints and was told that I will get them.
The total amount was well over 30,000 pesos. When the points didn't show up, I faxed the folios to SPG (the web site showed Westin Lagunamar, but the amount was too high so it told me to fax). About two days later my account showed credit based on $1911 (3822 points for Westin Lagunamar, followed by 1911 points "SPG ELITE 50% BONUS".
Yesterday the points were removed (the entries are gone, not a negative transaction) and I received the following email
I replied with an email pointing out that when I booked the rate it didn't say that the is not eligible for points, my stay didn't involve any Vacation Ownership deal, exchange or spacial rate, it was "Best Available Rate". I also referred to and linked Thyetus Lee's post above.
The response I got is:
Per this email above "Limited Participation" is the same as no Participation ("they do not participate in Starwood Preferred Guest").
So who is right, SPG.com & Starwood Lurker II or the two Specialists?
Is there any way to escalate this?
Is the right approach to call the Platinum desk?
The total amount was well over 30,000 pesos. When the points didn't show up, I faxed the folios to SPG (the web site showed Westin Lagunamar, but the amount was too high so it told me to fax). About two days later my account showed credit based on $1911 (3822 points for Westin Lagunamar, followed by 1911 points "SPG ELITE 50% BONUS".
Yesterday the points were removed (the entries are gone, not a negative transaction) and I received the following email
To: xxx xxxxxx
Platinum Preferred Guest Number: *****0000
Dear xxx xxxxxx,
Thank you for your recent correspondence concerning your Starwood Preferred Guest account. I welcome this opportunity to assist you.
The The Westin Lagunamar Ocean Resort is a Starwood Vacation Ownership resort which has limited participation with Starwood Preferred Guest and offers 1,000 Starpoints per stay only for selected rate plans. As the room rate plan under which you stayed was not one of the selected rate plans, I am unable to award any Starpoints for your stay. I apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced as a result of this.
We appreciate your patronage of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. If you have any further customer service questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at [email protected] .
Best Regards,
yyyyy yyyyy
SPG Program Services - Research Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
Platinum Preferred Guest Number: *****0000
Dear xxx xxxxxx,
Thank you for your recent correspondence concerning your Starwood Preferred Guest account. I welcome this opportunity to assist you.
The The Westin Lagunamar Ocean Resort is a Starwood Vacation Ownership resort which has limited participation with Starwood Preferred Guest and offers 1,000 Starpoints per stay only for selected rate plans. As the room rate plan under which you stayed was not one of the selected rate plans, I am unable to award any Starpoints for your stay. I apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced as a result of this.
We appreciate your patronage of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. If you have any further customer service questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at [email protected] .
Best Regards,
yyyyy yyyyy
SPG Program Services - Research Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
The response I got is:
To: xxx xxxxxx
Platinum Preferred Guest Number: *****0000
Dear xxx xxxxxx,
Thank you for emailing us. I welcome this opportunity to assist you.
Starwood Vacation Ownership does not participate in Starwood Preferred Guest except to use some of its benefits as sales incentives. Likewise, they do not award airline miles except for the same purposes.
You can book stays there online because they sell nightly availability of unoccupied space. Throughout the reservation process
they do show Limited Participation with Starwood three times. Since they do not participate in Starwood Preferred Guest, there will be no upgrades, no 4PM late check-outs, no Platinum amenities, no Starpoints (unless offered as an incentive to attend a sales meeting or as referenced below), stays will not qualify for promotions or for status re-qualification, and you cannot redeem Starpoints for Preferred (free) Night Awards there. Starwood Vacation Ownership properties do offer a fixed 1,000 Starpoints for stays booked at a qualifying rate. A qualifying rate would be RACK (regular published rate), COR (corporate business rate), BAR1 (best available rate 1), BAR2 (best available rate 2), AAA, or AAAS.
I would also like to invite you to visit our special promotions page to see if you are eligible for any upcoming promotions.
In closing, I was wondering if you'd mind answering a few quick questions about the service you've received today. This will help to ensure that our customer service will continue to meet as well as exceed our guests' needs. Thank you in advance for your participation. I look forward to assisting you in the future!
We appreciate your continued loyalty to the Starwood Preferred Guest program and welcome any further questions or concerns. Please feel free to contact us at [email protected].
Best Regards,
zzzz zzzzzz
Specialist, E-Communications Department
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
Platinum Preferred Guest Number: *****0000
Dear xxx xxxxxx,
Thank you for emailing us. I welcome this opportunity to assist you.
Starwood Vacation Ownership does not participate in Starwood Preferred Guest except to use some of its benefits as sales incentives. Likewise, they do not award airline miles except for the same purposes.
You can book stays there online because they sell nightly availability of unoccupied space. Throughout the reservation process
they do show Limited Participation with Starwood three times. Since they do not participate in Starwood Preferred Guest, there will be no upgrades, no 4PM late check-outs, no Platinum amenities, no Starpoints (unless offered as an incentive to attend a sales meeting or as referenced below), stays will not qualify for promotions or for status re-qualification, and you cannot redeem Starpoints for Preferred (free) Night Awards there. Starwood Vacation Ownership properties do offer a fixed 1,000 Starpoints for stays booked at a qualifying rate. A qualifying rate would be RACK (regular published rate), COR (corporate business rate), BAR1 (best available rate 1), BAR2 (best available rate 2), AAA, or AAAS.
I would also like to invite you to visit our special promotions page to see if you are eligible for any upcoming promotions.
In closing, I was wondering if you'd mind answering a few quick questions about the service you've received today. This will help to ensure that our customer service will continue to meet as well as exceed our guests' needs. Thank you in advance for your participation. I look forward to assisting you in the future!
We appreciate your continued loyalty to the Starwood Preferred Guest program and welcome any further questions or concerns. Please feel free to contact us at [email protected].
Best Regards,
zzzz zzzzzz
Specialist, E-Communications Department
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
So who is right, SPG.com & Starwood Lurker II or the two Specialists?
Is there any way to escalate this?
Is the right approach to call the Platinum desk?
Jan 14, 2009, 10:28 am
#9
Company Representative - Starwood
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Marriott Employee Level
Posts: 31,593
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
[email protected]
Jan 14, 2009, 6:59 pm
#10
Company Representative - Starwood
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Singapore
Programs: SPG
Posts: 4,002
William is right. Drop me a note with details of your previous stay and account and I will write to the property for assistance.
[email protected]
[email protected]
Jan 14, 2009, 9:17 pm
#11
Original Member, Ambassador: OneWorld Alliance
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Austin, TX, USA
Programs: AA ExecPlat & 3MM; Marriott Titanium
Posts: 1,015
Thanks, I just send an email to Starwood Lurker II with my version of the story and the correspondence I had with SPG.
While I'm not happy about not getting the points (hopefully this will change
). I have to give Starwood credit for caring about customer satisfaction. Not only both Starwood Lurker and Starwood Lurker II offered an avenue for follow-up, but I also got an email from the E-Communications Department. After the second e-mail I filled out a quick survey (the link was in the email) and indicated that I was dissatisfied with the response. I never expected anyone to contact me as a result of this, getting a non-form letter response after less than 24 hours shows me that people in Starwood really due care (even it this particular issue doesn't get resolved).
While I'm not happy about not getting the points (hopefully this will change
). I have to give Starwood credit for caring about customer satisfaction. Not only both Starwood Lurker and Starwood Lurker II offered an avenue for follow-up, but I also got an email from the E-Communications Department. After the second e-mail I filled out a quick survey (the link was in the email) and indicated that I was dissatisfied with the response. I never expected anyone to contact me as a result of this, getting a non-form letter response after less than 24 hours shows me that people in Starwood really due care (even it this particular issue doesn't get resolved).
Jan 14, 2009, 10:33 pm
#12
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Belgrade, Serbia
Programs: Etihad Guest
Posts: 1,549
There are a lot of things I like about the SPG program.
But I am not so much disappointed as angered that Starwood allows hotels to carry a Starwood brand while not honoring their SPG obligations.
Why is this tolerated? Why is the Lanesborough allowed to call itself a St Regis?* How can a property call itself a Westin, even an SVO Westin, sell room at a Best Available Rate at spg.com, and then hide behind a disclaimer and say that it doesn't fully participate in SPG?
It's not good enough. It's brings Starwood and Starwood Preferred Guest into disrepute.
* Obviously the Lanesborough is different: it doesn't have "butlers" who never do any work and it doesn't have "concierges" who charge an undisclosed mark-up for performing services which are done for nothing by concierges at other luxury hotels.
But I am not so much disappointed as angered that Starwood allows hotels to carry a Starwood brand while not honoring their SPG obligations.
Why is this tolerated? Why is the Lanesborough allowed to call itself a St Regis?* How can a property call itself a Westin, even an SVO Westin, sell room at a Best Available Rate at spg.com, and then hide behind a disclaimer and say that it doesn't fully participate in SPG?
It's not good enough. It's brings Starwood and Starwood Preferred Guest into disrepute.
* Obviously the Lanesborough is different: it doesn't have "butlers" who never do any work and it doesn't have "concierges" who charge an undisclosed mark-up for performing services which are done for nothing by concierges at other luxury hotels.
Last edited by DCF; Jan 14, 2009 at 10:38 pm
Jan 15, 2009, 5:01 am
#13
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: ANC
Programs: Hyatt Explorist, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 358
Sagy, thanks for sharing your recent problem. I was planning on staying a few nights there (also on BAR) next month. No Starpoints could change my mind. Please let us know what becomes of this.
How was your actual stay? I'd be very interested to know...
How was your actual stay? I'd be very interested to know...
Jan 15, 2009, 9:09 pm
#14
Original Member, Ambassador: OneWorld Alliance
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Austin, TX, USA
Programs: AA ExecPlat & 3MM; Marriott Titanium
Posts: 1,015
Overall not bad.
It is a new building in a good location with clean rooms. The infinity pool is great (especially if you have kids). Most of the staff was nice and attentive. The timeshare people left us alone after we said that we are not interested.
The hotel has a "business center" with 6-8 PCs which is opened 24 hours a day and any guest can access for free the same is true for the workout room. There is also a small convenience store which can be useful.
We stayed at Studio rooms (3 rooms three people in each). Each room has a kitchen, we only took advantage of the refrigerator. I don't think that is enough room to have a dinner in the Studio room (unless you are alone), but this can be useful for snacks or breakfast. The room has a Queen bed and a pullout sofa (I think it is also a Queen). We had no problems with two adults and a child in each room, I think that anymore would be pushing it unless you only use the room for sleeping.
On the downside, food service at both the restaurant (for dinner) and at the pool side (for lunch) was extremely slow (even by local standards). We were the only ones at the restaurant (maybe we should have gotten the message), we had two waiters around us all the time but the food took forever to arrive. The meals at both the restaurant and pool side were more expensive than anywhere else we eat in Cancun. My advice, if you need something quick to eat, would be to go across the street - you will get better food, faster and you will pay less.
I'm probably in the minority, but other than the location, I liked the Westin Resort & Spa better.
It is a new building in a good location with clean rooms. The infinity pool is great (especially if you have kids). Most of the staff was nice and attentive. The timeshare people left us alone after we said that we are not interested.
The hotel has a "business center" with 6-8 PCs which is opened 24 hours a day and any guest can access for free the same is true for the workout room. There is also a small convenience store which can be useful.
We stayed at Studio rooms (3 rooms three people in each). Each room has a kitchen, we only took advantage of the refrigerator. I don't think that is enough room to have a dinner in the Studio room (unless you are alone), but this can be useful for snacks or breakfast. The room has a Queen bed and a pullout sofa (I think it is also a Queen). We had no problems with two adults and a child in each room, I think that anymore would be pushing it unless you only use the room for sleeping.
On the downside, food service at both the restaurant (for dinner) and at the pool side (for lunch) was extremely slow (even by local standards). We were the only ones at the restaurant (maybe we should have gotten the message), we had two waiters around us all the time but the food took forever to arrive. The meals at both the restaurant and pool side were more expensive than anywhere else we eat in Cancun. My advice, if you need something quick to eat, would be to go across the street - you will get better food, faster and you will pay less.
I'm probably in the minority, but other than the location, I liked the Westin Resort & Spa better.
Jan 16, 2009, 2:48 am
#15
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: ANC
Programs: Hyatt Explorist, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 358
Thanks Sagy, good to know.
I was thinking of combining 3 nights there with a 5-night award stay at the Le Méridien just for a change of scenery and to check it out, Lagunamar being new and all. But if it didn't impress you favorably compared to the Westin, perhaps I should stick to the Le Méridien for the whole week.
I was thinking of combining 3 nights there with a 5-night award stay at the Le Méridien just for a change of scenery and to check it out, Lagunamar being new and all. But if it didn't impress you favorably compared to the Westin, perhaps I should stick to the Le Méridien for the whole week.