http://mrcell.livejournal.com/ ([identity profile] mrcell.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] dragoncon_lj_archive2011-09-26 10:33 am
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Westin Questions

I have a reservation at the Westin for 2012 Dragon*Con. I've never stayed there, so I looked at somme of the rating sites to see what other people think of it. The reviews are mixed, but I was surprised to see how many bad reviews there are recently. The complaints included stained carpets, dirty sheets, frayed and worn furnishings, loud air conditioning, bad TV reception, shaky elevators, and lousy housekeeping. I take internet reviews with a grain of salt, since you never know what's really motivating the posters. But, the number of recent bad reviews bothers me. So, here's a few questions for those who have stayed there:

1. How was the housekeeping? Was your room cleaned well and in a timely manner? This is the most important one to me.
2. Was the TV reception bad? I'd like to have decent reception for Dragon*Con TV.
3. Did your room look shabby? Were there stains on the carpet and furniture? Did it smell like mildew? Many of the complaints focused on a bad odor in the room.
4. What was your experience with the elevators? Did you have a long wait to get one? What floor was your room on?
5. In general, what did you think of the hotel and the staff? There were almost no complaints about the staff, except for the valet parking, which I won't be using.

Finally, on TripAdvisor, many of the recent bad reviews had received a personal response from the Westin's Guest Relations Manager. She, of course apologized for the problems. She stated several times that the hotel was overdue for a renovation and would be getting one, starting later this year, with new furnishings, carpets, and TVs. I can't find any announcement about that on the internet. Does anyone know if that's a sure thing? If so, I wonder if it'll be finished in time for D*C. Could on going revovation cause an "over booking" situation like the one at the Hyatt this year? :-O

Thanks in advance for any replies!

[identity profile] eidolon-bird.livejournal.com 2011-09-27 05:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Regarding deposits, here is the info I was given: http://dragonconrooms.livejournal.com/446070.html?thread=1655670#t1655670

[identity profile] maryquesera.livejournal.com 2011-09-27 06:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Thanks, yes, that's what's on the "details" item when you hit the reservation page, and how you're reading it is how I'm reading it, that if you cancel a few days before arrival, you shouldn't be liable for the one-night charge. It just isn't very clear from the wording whether they will refund what they charged when you made the reservation, although I'm not sure if anyone has actually seen that charge go through yet.