STARWOODS IN VEGAS - WHERE TO STAY NEXT TIME?

I would always rave about the Westin Casuarina in Las Vegas. It's off the strip but it's the most normal priced normalish hotel in Vegas. For a business traveler who doesn't gamble, like me, I just want to stay somewhere comfortable. I think I may have stayed there 5-6 times. Bonus - it's a starwood!

This time was different... they couldn't find my name in the reservations, okay - try my starwood number (which i had to look up - pulled out my Macbook pro, inserted my verizon wireless card, connected, pulled up a browser, signed into SPG), tried my confirmation number - took 3 tries. But I wasted time... maybe 10-15 minutes....

They tell me I have packages for me and that they'll have someone bring it up. 10 minutes later, knock knock. 2 people bring 2 packages. I ask, "Do I need to sign anything?" They say no. Okay. Then 30 seconds later, they push the door open (this is when I realized that the door doesn't close shut behind me like most hotel doors - you have to pull it shut). Kinda alarmed when they did this. It's like 11:00pm and someone is coming in through your door! They say that they'll come back with papers to sign. Told ya - I'm a pro at this. I wait 15 min, 20 min, 30 min - no show. I go to sleep. Seriously irked. Midnight LV time is 3am East Coast time. Wasted another 30 minutes....

I get up early in the morning, 6am. I open my packages. Ummmm missing stuff!! I freak out and call the front desk. It's 6:50am. They say that the business center handles packages and will be open in 10 minutes to call back. I say it's urgent and that the front desk handled my packages the night before (so she should too!). She puts me on hold... In fact, she puts me on hold until 7:00am!! Someone else picks up the phone and says that the business center is open and he'll transfer me. I'm polite - it's not his fault. Stupid lady! Wasted 10 minutes...

I have the confirmation numbers and everything ready at this point. I try the speaker phone so I don't have to hold the handset - it's broken. The guy at the business center has the nerve to say that he just opened and needs 10 minutes to boot up his computer and he'll call me back. *Sigh* really? FINE! I give him my hang up and wait for him to call me back. No call for 20 minutes. Go down, tell the guy I was waiting for his call - once I got there some bell boy ended up getting my package anyway. Wasted time... 20 minutes...

I needed to get to the Paris Hotel by 8am. Was not going to make it unless I was smart about my time. I needed to go to Kinkos that morning. I get in a cab and ask the guy if he could just wait for me to make my copies since it's hard to get a cab off the strip where they were. While my copies are being made, I go next door to the starbucks and get some coffee for me and the driver (He was Ethiopian and we chatted about the Ethiopian kids I used to tutor... he was so nice. He said I was his first customer that morning and that I totally made his day ;D) Got to the Paris conference center by 8:30. 30 minutes late.... spent $20 extra on cab fees.

When I got to the conference center, I opened the new boxes that I'd picked up that morning from the business center. There was apparently another package that they'd missed. I had missed it too, but still... I thought it was all in that one box. I confirm with my vendor who sent the box, confirmed the delivery with fedex. Too late to head back to the Westin - I run to the Paris hotel business center and print out new signs. Spent about $20 on this as well.

Grand total - About 1 Hour and $40 lost.

The guy next to me on the plane told me about how he writes complaints because thinks the hotels want to know how they can be a better hotel. So.... I draft my first ever complaint to SPG. I told them I usually enjoy my stay but this time was different. It hurt to do it. *sniff*

A week later, I get the final resolved email. A VIP guest specialist addressed the issue and communicated it with the staff at Westin Casuarina. I betcha some of them remember who I am. I felt a little bad because there were good things about the hotel too --- they just gave me enough things to complain about. The email ended with the fact that they were going to give me 10,000 Starwood points. :D This is why I love SPG. 1 Hour of my time, $40 lost -- recovered. Plus, they get a happy ending to my blog post!!

So - where will I go next time?? I'm still hesitant to go back to the Westin Casuarina. The only other Starwood there is Planet Hollywood. I used to stay at the Aladdin (which was there before PH) and hated it, but Planet Hollywood was redone and it's on the strip... Maybe I'll give that hotel a chance?? There is a chance I'll be repulsed by the casino air and long walkways and end up back at the Westin Casuarina again... after some of my anger has cooled. 10,000 helps :D