This week, the Compensation Clinic case comes from a recently reflagged Novotel Bangkok Silom, which nowadays trades as Hilton Garden Inn Bangkok Silom.
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You can access Hilton Garden Inn Bangkok Silom here.
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Reader’s Case:
Hilton Garden Inn Bangkok Silom – Entire hotel walked due to Aircon meltdown
I had booked an overnight stay for today Feb 23rd at Hilton Garden Inn Bangkok Silom (formerly Novotel). I’ve stayed there a number of times in the past and although I don’t particularly like the hotel, I do like the situation near Bangrak, the river and Chinatown. As an Accor Platinum member I was often upgraded to a suite and the management have carried this benefit forward for me (I also have Hilton diamond) despite the reflag.
Upon arrival (3 pm) we went straight to the check in desk, only to be told that the entire hotel was being evacuated due to an aircon system meltdown. In the first instance check in staff offered 2 options :
Option N°1 : « You can cancel free of charge » (so ridiculous I almost fell over laughing)
Option N°2 : « We will accommodate you at Four Points Sheraton Ploenchit »
I asked to see the Guest Manager.
Obviously I wanted nothing to do with either option and promptly requested that they book me into the nearby Hilton Millennium, but was told that they had no « agreement » with them and that this would not be possible.
The real reason is actually that The Garden Inn Bangkok Silom and The Four Points Sheraton Ploenchit, despite being under 2 different flags (Hilton and Marriott), have the same owner. Both hotels were formerly Novotels and are among the now 8 Bangkok properties that are part of the recent mass Accor exodus and subsequent reflag in the Thai capital.
It was time to take a firmer stance. I remembered an article John had written some time ago about a $200 compensation for diamond guests being walked, and decided to throw that into the balance. I brought the article up on screen and showed the Guest Manager, who then decided that it was time to take a break and (presumably) review the situation with her superiors.
During this time it was getting really stuffy and sweaty in the lobby. The construction is not a recent one and is in itself a mini ecological nightmare – if the aircon is not on all the time it will heat up really quickly. It was also quite amusing to note that the cannabis shop at the entrance to the hotel (part of the same building and thus also without aircon) had opened its doors to create a form of air flow and that whenever the hotel’s doors opened the entire lobby smelt strongly of weed. Welcome to Hilton, Bangkok style !
After about 30 minutes the Guest Manager came back to me and offered 20,000 points as compensation – 100$ if you buy these in one of Hilton’s almost back to back « sales ». I refused and requested 40,000 points, and after another referral to back office this was quickly accepted and posted a couple of hours later to my account :
I did have to pay the room charge though (2700 THB). I suppose I could have pushed for this as well but I was looking for a quick resolution and also wasn’t entirely sure if the aircon failure and subsequent relocation of guests officially amounts to being « walked » or not. I requested that the hotel confirm all this in writing and it was done on the spot :
I was happy with the outcome.
And also relatively surprised by The Four Points Sheraton Ploenchit, which is in a much better state than the Garden Inn Silom. We were upgraded to a Junior Suite (original booking at Garden Inn Silom was for a basic room) and received a nice fruit platter, and even a handwritten note from the management.
It was also good that the resolution was quick and easy – no endless ping pong exchanges of emails to the hotel and Hilton diamond desk. I had to stick my heels in but it was worth it. I could have pushed for relocation to another Hilton property but felt that this would be an uphill battle so took the easy option to get it sorted quickly.
It would be good if all hotels could deal with problems in such a quick and efficient way.
We did indeed publish a piece back in 2017 with Hilton walk rules:
Hilton Walk Policy & Diamond Member Extra Compensation
And I stayed at this hotel almost a year ago, soon after the reflagging had taken place:
Conclusion
I am glad that the reader knew what they were due and could get the hotel to do what they should have done in the first place, in the case of walking a Diamond member.
As the reader points out, quite a few hotels have left the Accor system in Thailand, and these properties have been reflagged under Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, and Minor brands. Most recently, the Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport became Hyatt Regency on February 1st
Review: Staying At The Reflagged Hyatt Regency Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (Former Novotel)
Hotel reflags occur more often nowadays, as most chains have gone asset-light. These properties are owned by outside investors who appear to be quite trigger-happy when it comes to changing brands.
These chains should ensure that when hotels are reflagged, they meet the brand standards rather than soon start the “transformation” process.
