Of course!

[HotelMinion]

I also work at a Hellton property. This youtube video is pretty damn accurate for Diamond Members.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCqm4H3m3Ew

LOL. I watched those vids a long time ago. I really wish that I could make our sales and corporate team watch those, since they seem to think all guests are reasonable. Since they make us watch creepy videos about getting friendly with the guests. Too friendly, in my opinion. One creepy video shows the clerks getting into BED with the guests and having a pillow fight, WTF?

[Mr Hero]

LOL. I watched those vids a long time ago. I really wish that I could make our sales and corporate team watch those, since they seem to think all guests are reasonable. Since they make us watch creepy videos about getting friendly with the guests. Too friendly, in my opinion. One creepy video shows the clerks getting into BED with the guests and having a pillow fight, WTF?

Ever seen the movie, "The Room"? Pillow fights were what they did for foreplay in the first sex scene.

The chain I work for doesn't do this, but the one I worked for when I first worked hotels did. If a diamond member booked a room 24 hours or more in advance, they were guaranteed a room. Even if the room was already sold out for the next day. Means we'd have to walk some poor schmuck. And if the entire city was booked up, we were pretty much going to get yelled at by those we kicked. And guess who had to had to be the target of that suckiness. Spoilers: Not management.

[eltf177]

The chain I work for doesn't do this, but the one I worked for when I first worked hotels did. If a diamond member booked a room 24 hours or more in advance, they were guaranteed a room. Even if the room was already sold out for the next day. Means we'd have to walk some poor schmuck. And if the entire city was booked up, we were pretty much going to get yelled at by those we kicked. And guess who had to had to be the target of that suckiness. Spoilers: Not management.

There is a policy guaranteed to cause major resentment and total meltdowns. I wouldn't appreciate losing my confirmed reservation for some member, and if everything else in the area is booked you're damn right I'm going to be upset!

[Jay 2K Winger]

Ever seen the movie, "The Room"? Pillow fights were what they did for foreplay in the first sex scene.

The chain I work for doesn't do this, but the one I worked for when I first worked hotels did. If a diamond member booked a room 24 hours or more in advance, they were guaranteed a room. Even if the room was already sold out for the next day. Means we'd have to walk some poor schmuck. And if the entire city was booked up, we were pretty much going to get yelled at by those we kicked. And guess who had to had to be the target of that suckiness. Spoilers: Not management.

Ha ha, what a story, Mark.

[PastryGal]

Ever seen the movie, "The Room"? Pillow fights were what they did for foreplay in the first sex scene.

The chain I work for doesn't do this, but the one I worked for when I first worked hotels did. If a diamond member booked a room 24 hours or more in advance, they were guaranteed a room. Even if the room was already sold out for the next day. Means we'd have to walk some poor schmuck. And if the entire city was booked up, we were pretty much going to get yelled at by those we kicked. And guess who had to had to be the target of that suckiness. Spoilers: Not management.

If you want to check out a real doozy of a movie watch Four Rooms. Quite the film.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_Pd2pGkq54

[Antisocial_Worker]

What's funny about my property is that the Cubic Zirconium Members actually aren't the most important guests here. We have a special arrangement with a major local tourist attraction through which guests can book "bed and breakfast" packages.

Those guests are the ones who get the rooms with views and the rooms on the quiet side of the building. The Cubic Zirconium and Brass Members get what's left over after those package rooms are taken care of.

[Catwoman2965]

I will admit I have a bunch of reward cards. As long as they're free, and I know i will shop enough to possibly get something out of them, I'll sign up. I have one for a major shoe retailer. Bought 6 pairs of shoes, got a $30 reward since they had double points at that time (i didn't plan it, just got lucky)

I have one for a high end beauty store; i use my points for free samples of stuff I either can't afford, or would like to try without breaking the bank.

And another chain dept store, where i spend enough to get their store 'cash" and reward certs based on what i spend.

[wolfie]

If a diamond member booked a room 24 hours or more in advance, they were guaranteed a room. Even if the room was already sold out for the next day. Means we'd have to walk some poor schmuck. And if the entire city was booked up, we were pretty much going to get yelled at by those we kicked.

There is a policy guaranteed to cause major resentment and total meltdowns. I wouldn't appreciate losing my confirmed reservation for some member, and if everything else in the area is booked you're damn right I'm going to be upset!

A policy that corporate clearly hasn't thought about all the implications of. What happens if there's a big event in town that specifically attracts diamond members, so that more diamond members book 24 hours or more in advance than you have rooms? Policy says that ALL of them are guaranteed rooms, even though you don't have enough rooms to meet the guarantee.


Also, what happens if the "peon" who gets bumped even though they have a confirmed reservation has significant "clout", such as being the CEO of a corporation that has a LOT of person-days of corporate travel even though they personally don't travel much (and therefore aren't a high-tier member at the chain). I can easily see word going out from "on high" that hotel chain X is NOT to be used for corporate travel, costing the chain a lot of business.

The "peon" being bumped could have booked that particular hotel for a reason. For example, they're mobility-impaired and it's next door to the place that's the reason for their trip, or the hotel is beside one of the city's rapid transit stations but the place they're "walked" to is over a mile from the rapid transit, or a couple on their 50th wedding anniversary had booked the same room they'd stayed in for their honeymoon. Getting bumped from a room for which there is NO acceptable substitute due to someone with Super Elite Asshole membership wanting *A* room is going to cause (justified) SC behaviour.

[eltf177]

A policy that corporate clearly hasn't thought about all the implications of. What happens if there's a big event in town that specifically attracts diamond members, so that more diamond members book 24 hours or more in advance than you have rooms? Policy says that ALL of them are guaranteed rooms, even though you don't have enough rooms to meet the guarantee.

Also, what happens if the "peon" who gets bumped even though they have a confirmed reservation has significant "clout", such as being the CEO of a corporation that has a LOT of person-days of corporate travel even though they personally don't travel much (and therefore aren't a high-tier member at the chain). I can easily see word going out from "on high" that hotel chain X is NOT to be used for corporate travel, costing the chain a lot of business.

The "peon" being bumped could have booked that particular hotel for a reason. For example, they're mobility-impaired and it's next door to the place that's the reason for their trip, or the hotel is beside one of the city's rapid transit stations but the place they're "walked" to is over a mile from the rapid transit, or a couple on their 50th wedding anniversary had booked the same room they'd stayed in for their honeymoon. Getting bumped from a room for which there is NO acceptable substitute due to someone with Super Elite Asshole membership wanting *A* room is going to cause (justified) SC behaviour.

I hadn't even thought about these! Yes, there are in many places events that fill every room for miles around. So you can't walk anyone because there's no place within 50 miles to walk them too!

And things like a specific room for accessibility or because it's close to where they're going/availability of transport/nostalgia. Those can also be quite an issue and cause for legal actions.

And what if the hotel is full? Those renting the rooms have been staying and will be continuing to stay with confirmed reservations. I can't see you being able to walk them as they have had and continue to have a valid reservation. If you try I can easily see legal action.

And your thoughts about a CEO or other important person getting bounced. Oh yeah, something like that could easily cost your hotel major money in the long run. And they talk to one another so word will get around.

I think we all can agree, this policy needs to die a quick death before it ruins your business' reputation!

[wolfie]

I hadn't even thought about these! Yes, there are in many places events that fill every room for miles around. So you can't walk anyone because there's no place within 50 miles to walk them too!

Even though I have absolutely no experience in the hotel industry, I'm clearly not qualified to work in corporate - because I can look at a "great idea" that some MBA who's never worked "in the trenches" came up with as a perk for Super Elite Asshole rewards members and see the problems it can cause.

[Jetfire]

The solution to the Cubic Zerconium guarantee is easy. If you get enough CZ members that there is a risk of them buying out a hotel for an event, you skim off the top 25% or so of them and make a new Top Tier (Black Hole level), give THEM the absolute guarantee, and modify the CZ guarantee so they can't bump BH level.

Meanwhile if the CZ level 'disaster' happens, try to placate with excuses and apologies and free coupons, as usual. A CEO-type would probably have enough flags on their accounts to be a pseudo-higher level anyway, and it would be lower level CZ folk who'd get walked if needed.


As for me, like others, I only bother with reward cards I know I'll use. My local grocery store has a similar program and I've gotten over 100$ in free groceries since it started. (And frankly, I don't mind they're tracking my purchasing, since it means they give me points on stuff I usually buy anyway)

Most other reward cards I don't bother with because I don't use them enough one way or another.

[Totiono]

The only reward cards I have and use are for the two biggest grocery chains in my state. I don't care about the potential rewards or points that might actually accumulate but just by being a member they can give a significant discount on groceries. Just the other day I spent what would've been $70 but after I punched in my phone number it went down to $45, and this was without even looking for the yellow price tags on the shelves.

Plus, my favorite brand of vodka usually goes for about $30 a bottle but gets marked down to $14 with the rewards card. That comes in handy after long, grueling days of dealing with my own sucky customers.

Other than that I don't find most rewards programs to be worth it. All I ever seem to get out of most of them is endless e-mail advertisements that I usually have to unsubscribe from at least three times before they actually stop sending me weekly (sometimes daily) offers.

[wolfie]

A CEO-type would probably have enough flags on their accounts to be a pseudo-higher level anyway, and it would be lower level CZ folk who'd get walked if needed.

In my example, I was thinking of a "silent partner" type owner when I said "CEO" - someone who puts together a bunch of qualified people, then sits back and lets them generate profit (yeah - I know that's a unicorn). While he doesn't travel much personally (and therefore would not have a very high tier on his rewards program), the company as a whole generates a lot of business travel (salespeople, applications engineers, etc.). To the hotel looking for someone to "walk" due to a Super Elite Asshole rewards member booking when they're already sold out, he'd look like a peon - but get him mad and the chain can lose a LOT more business than they'd lose by telling SEA "Sorry, we're sold out".