Though it looks like we've managed to sort this one out (we'll see when we check out tomorrow) I thought I'd better warn my fellow flyertalkers to make sure no-one ends up in the same situation we did:

To set the scene, we were looking for a resort destination in Thailand, and were, at the time we booked, on a budget, so were keen to avoid a domestic flight if possible.

The Sheraton Hua Hin had a fixed price coach service prominently advertised on it's web page, and that turned out to be the decider for us. Since we were coming in on the late flight from HKG, taking the shuttle straight from the airport wouldn't work very well, unless we overnighted there, and in any event, the rate from/to the airport was THB1100 per person, whilst they were offering a much more attractive THB 550 rate to from the Westin Grande Sukhumvit. After a bit of punching on the pocket calculator, we booked a one night paid stay at the WGS (nice rate that included in-room breakfast - good if you have to be up early to catch a coach), 5 nights at the Hua-Hin on the 5 for 4 deal, in a Suite, and a further 2 nights at the WGS on an award in a SPEC2 room (exec club). Obviously, I'm not a complete fool, so I'd corresponded with the Hua Hin, confirmed the terms of the transfer and got an E-Mail back from then that said the shuttle ran every day to both the airport and the WGS, but that we may wish to reserve a seat just in case it was extra busy. Note that we'd made a holding booking at this stage, so the Hua Hin knew we weren't traveling until much later in the year.

Arrived early into BKK, and thanks to the amazing TG First arrivals service, we were at the head of the notorious BKK taxi queue before you could say "valet service", but once we got to the WGS it all went horribly wrong!

We'd sent an E-Mail to the Hua Hin to reconfirm our plans as we left HKG, but had not got a reply, so we asked the WGS to confirm everything for us at check-in, and were presented with blank stares that clearly said "What is this Shuttle Service of which you speak?".

Oh dear!

Went to the bar whilst they tried to sort it out for us, bless them, and the answer came back that the Hua Hin had canceled the contract for the Shuttle Bus service some 4 months ago, citing commercial issues, and that our only transfer option now was a hotel limousine for the eye-watering price of THB 7800 each way (roughly GBP 310, or USD 500 return!)

We were completely stuffed, of course, having passed the cancellation deadline for our reservation tomorrow, and with no practical way of getting to Hua Hin. Since it was now getting on for half past midnight, there was only the night staff available in Hua Hin, and they did not seem to be keen to cover the transport costs, even though the staff at the WGS had seen our previous E-Mails from the Reservations Manager at Hua Hin and vouched for their contents.

I did what any sensible Flyertalker would do, and got Starwood Corporate involved, and they managed to agree a solution the next morning that (as long as it all pans out) should solve our problem (though I wish they had a way of giving us back our nights sleep we paid THB 5000 for and never got!), but I can't help but think that we can't be the only people who have booked the Sheraton Hua Hin earlier this year based on their transfer service that has now dissapeared! I also can't help but wonder if we'd have been quite so well looked after if we hadn't had E-Mails from the hotel on my laptop, and if we hadn't re-confirmed the shuttle service with the Gold line when we booked our stay....

So, if you've booked, or are considering booking the Hua Hin, beware the sudden change in transfer services, and be aware that whilst it is a very nice resort (review will be forthcoming, Willard promises!), and a 5 night suite redemption here is, in my humble opinion, a very good use of miles, it's only a good deal if you happen to be passing Hua Hin anyway, which, given it's location, nearly 200 miles south of Bangkok, is pretty unlikely. If you find yourself suddenly paying for a private transfer both ways it may suddenly turn out to be a very costly option that you may regret!

It goes without saying that if it hadn't been for this shuttle service, we would not have booked the Sheraton Hua Hin, nor the paid and award stays at the WGS.

Questions that arise from this experience:

You don't suddenly wake up one morning and think "Hey, I'll cancel the Shuttle service today!" - These decisions take time, and yet the Reservations Manager confirmed the existence of the shuttle service well into the future only a few weeks before it was apparently canceled. How could he possibly have not known about this impending decision when he E-Mailed us at the end of March?!

Having made the decision, wouldn't it have made sense to E-Mail anyone who'd asked about the transfer service warning them of the change? Even better, wouldn't it have been a good idea to send an E-Mail to everyone with an upcoming reservation?

Rather than "dissapearing" the text from the website, wouldn't it have been a good idea to add a note warning of the change, and/or a "Special Condition" that would trigger Starwood Reservations Staff to warn customers when they made bookings?

It's a shame, as it's been a blight on an otherwise very good trip, and a very good stay at this resort, but I can assure you that you don't know the meaning of the word "Fear" until you've realised you're stranded 6,000 miles from home with nowhere to stay for the next 5 nights, and a potential no-show charge of thousands of dollars to boot!

To end on a positive note, I'd like to say that were dealt with very considerately by both the Ireland Starwood call-centre, and by Starwood's Asia Head Office in Singapore, and that the WGS were more than willing to get involved in trying to fix a problem that was in no way of their making. I just wish it hadn't all had to be sorted out at 3AM just after a long flight!

Ken.

Willard the Bear -- And they kept me up until all hours whilst they were on the 'phone too! A bear needs his sleep too you know!

 

Not that it excuses what happened to the OP but there are other ways to get to/fro Hua Hin

metered taxi will quote a charge of 2500 baht one way (and sometimes can be negotiated down) bangkok to Hua Hin

For return you can usually negotiate a lower rate when there are fewer tourists (the Bangkok taxi's go back empty unless they get someone to pay). I last paid 1000 baht HH to the airport (which included the 200 baht the driver paid to the guy who called him - he wanted me to pay the toll charges but I wasn't in a hurry. Told him 800 baht was better than 0 to which he smiled)

If you are adventurous it is easy to take the public bus from the southern bus station (costs 150 baht) - but don't take the local (I didn't realize there were locals until I made this mistake - it just took longer and made a LOT of stops). If you have it written in Thai the bus will drop you off directly in front of the resort. There is a guard shack there and they will call the hotel to send a buggy to pick you (and your luggage) to the hotel entrance which is about a 10 minute walk otherwise.

 

Sorry to learn about your surprise.

THB 7800 is about USD 230 each way. Hotel limo is usually the most expensive, although luxurious, form of transportation possible. But as estnet mentioned, you can do much better with regular taxi, which was probably the reason why the transfer service was discontinued. There was simply no market for it.

So, did Sheraton Hua Hin reimburse you for the difference?

 

Hi KenF,

Thank you for notifying me on this issue. I apologize for the inconvenience caused during your stay with us.

Let me try to get some answers during my next post.

[email protected]

Thyetus Lee | Online Forum Coordinator(AP)
Starwood Customer Contact Centre (AP) Pte Ltd

 

Unless they have upgraded the buses, the bus ride from Southern Bus Terminal was quite a torture to me (but then one would truly appreciate the comfort of the sweet sleeper bed after the ride).

I seem to recall there was also a shuttle service operating between hotels in Bangkok and Hua Hin. Has anyone used this service before ?

 

Dearest members,

I have an official statement from the management of this property and would like to share it with everyone reading this.

"We would like to apologize for the inconvenience caused to member KenF and other guests affected by the termination of our Scheduled Van services. After conducting several surveys and observation, the management has decided that this service has not create that much impact as it was previously planned. We would also like to assure our guests that extra measures have been taken to prevent similar mistakes from happening again.

Guests may opt to use the limousine services provided by the property instead of the Scheduled Van."

[email protected]

Thyetus Lee | Online Forum Coordinator(AP)
Starwood Customer Contact Centre (AP) Pte Ltd

 

I'm actually quite sorry that they don't have a shuttle. I've been to the hotel a few times in the last few months and each time I have to think if it is worth the hassle and expense to get there. I've asked multiple times about a shuttle either from bangkok or the airport but have always been told there isn't one - guess I missed whatever window they had one - WHICH MIGHT HAVE BEEN USED MORE IF IT WAS PUBLICIZED! (or maybe it never in existed except as a concept?)

In any case I'm just sorry they don't have one as I would stay there much more often if it weren't such a hassle to get there when I have limited time in the country.

 

Sorry for the delay, we've been in transit and/or sans internet access for the last few days, but I thought I'd better post some feedback as soon as I could.

Yes, in the end they covered both transfers at the agreed cost, the outbound was provided by the Westin, and the return was in a taxi arranged by the hotel. It's a shame we could not have got this agreed by the hotel themselves when we raised it, but I accept it was very late in the day when we arrived at the Westin BKK.

Given the figures quoted by estnet (which are lower than I guessed - I knew Bangkok taxi drivers were negotiable, but I didn't expect them to be that negotiable, and figured THB 3,500-4000 as a likely figure given the rates to Pattaya from Swampy) I can see why the BKK transfers, at THB 1100 each way per person were unattractive, as a taxi would be both competitive and much more convenient than the hotel shuttle. However, I'm surprised that a shuttle service that is co-funded by the BKK starwoods and Hua Hin can't work - I can't be the only traveller that worked out that the promotional transfer rate justified a stay at the Westin both ways - perhaps if the ROS kicked in as well?

I'm glad for the official reply from the hotel, and I'd like to thank Theytus for getting involved - if he could also pass my best wishes on to his colleagues both in Singapore and Ireland who went to bat on our behalf, I'd be obliged, they definitely helped both in terms of delivering on their promises, and also reassuring us that the problem would be sorted out - definitely a credit to Starwood, both of them!

Actually, having now researched the history of Hua Hin as Thailands first "seaside resort" I might consider using the train service if I were to do this again, though I'd like to get an idea how long it would take. The hotel was a good choice (as long as you get Club benefits, I'm not sure if I'd recommend it if you didn't) but given the prices to fly to Krabi, and the fact that the Sheraton Krabi is the same Category, and has a better "ecosystem" (read - cheap restaurants just outside the hotel!) if I'd have known in advance of the transfer problems, that's where we'd have gone, and not only would the SHHR lost out on a stay, but so would the Westin!

All in all though - the order of the day is "all's well that ends well"

Ken.

Willard the Bear - and the staff at Hua Hin really liked me!

 

Glad things worked out for you and *wood took care of it as I would expect. As a single traveler the shuttle would make sense for me (at least from a security pov) but most travelers aren't single so I understand why it doesn't make sense for the hotel.

I really like the train BUT there are only a few (I think 3) a day and they are longer (?4 hours), but you can walk around and the scenery is nice. I'd still take the train if I were going to the Hilton as you can walk there from the train, but for the Sheraton you still have to either negotiate an extortionate taxi rate or walk to the shuttle bus (if you know the town and the schedule) - which costs 200 baht for 2 people - more than the bus ride from Bangkok for one. I quite like the new Southern bus terminal.

The hotel's cars are really nice (I was comped one once), but I can think of sooo many other things I could spend the money on (give it to a good charity?) in exchange for a free land tour and listening to my ipod (or watching a movie on my computer) for 3 hours