Adelaide Hilton - Bait and Switch or Misleading and Deceptive Conduct?

[MrJetset]

A fortnight ago I made a reservation via Hilton's website for a King Suite at the Adelaide Hilton for 4 nights. Upon reading that some of the rooms have been refurbished, and others have not, I just called the hotel to ask if they could prebook a refurbished suite.

The Front Desk Manager informs me that they have booked in a Junior Suite and she will mark my request. Confused, I said, I think you mean King Suite and she states "Oh, there is a discrepancy between the website and our room types. A King Suite online is a Junior Suite, it's just the layout is all in one room."

I look up my documentation which reads "King Suite." I expect a suite to have a separate living room and bedroom. I call Hilton Central reservations where the agent advises that I have indeed booked a King Suite, and not a Junior Suite. The agent was truly dumbfounded and said that during his entire history at Hilton, he had never seen such an issue.

I just tried to make another reservation on hilton dot come and the only suite type listed is "King Suite." If the hotel room types and the chain's own websites don't match, surely this is the fault of the hotel and the reservation should be honoured. Interestingly the NOR1 upgrade system lists "King Spa Suite" and "King Executive Suite" as possible upgrade options, so clearly there are indeed King Suites.

I don't expect more than I agreed to pay for, but I do expect a hotel and reputable chain to honour their commitment. So what are my options?

 

[markis10]

You may have something to complain about, while they only seem to have one type of suite, regardless of the name its still a suite, from their website:

"Luxurious spacious surroundings in these suites which are the equivalent size of four standard rooms"

Now lets look at the reservations descriptions:

KING SUITE
Spoil yourself in this 64m²/689sq.ft high floor suite with Executive lounge access.

QUEEN HILTON GUEST ROOM
Enjoy your stay in this contemporary 36m²/387sq.ft room with separate working and seating areas

Am I missing something here, is 387sq. ft really 1/4 the size of a 689sq ft room???

 

[Mal]

I hope you get some satisfaction from Hilton, although I am curious - Is there a defined layout for a "King Suite"? Versus say a Junior Suite or just a regular Suite?

I can't recall coming across a definition for one, although I believe the main difference should be the bedroom being in a different room to the lounge area.

On the HH website, The "King Suite" is pictured and described here: http://www.hilton.co.uk/HiWayWeb/ap...t_9_2&_pageLabel=hotel_room_detail&_nfsp=true - In other photos it is described as a "Junior Suite".

The other two suite categories are "King Executive Suite" (which has a separate lounge area) and the "King Spa Suite".

There are only 8 suites in the Hilton (apparently), so not sure of the breakdown between each type.

 

[MrJetset]

Mal, that link your provided refers to a 32sqm suite. How many conflicting pieces of information can Hilton have?

My confirmation simply reads:

King Suite.

N.B. The virtual tour on the website shows a two room suite.

The NOR1 Upgrade page offers the following descriptions:

King Spa Suite, 64m²/689 sq. ft.
Located on top floor with stunning views of Adelaide Hills
Separate living area with dining table
Large spa bath in en-suite with separate walk-in shower
Full Executive Lounge privileges

King Executive Suite, 108m²/1,162 sq. ft.
Located on the 16th floor
Luxuriously appointed with separate bedroom, lounge and dining area
Two bathrooms (guest en-suite and main bathroom)
Full Executive Lounge privileges

So I guess the King Executive Suite could be considered 3 times the size of a standard room.

I've sent an email to the General Manager politely asking for him to address the issue. I've also recommended updating the room descriptions an categories asap so that future guests don't face the same issues.

 

[MrJetset]

RESOLVED!

After a polite email sent to the hotel's General Manager he responded within 24 hours to say that he will investigate and within 48 hours acknowledged that their different systems have different room descriptions. He has agreed to honour the original reservation to a King Spa Suite.

Full credit to his sense of customer service, and efficient dealing with the matter.

 

[Mal]

RESOLVED!

After a polite email sent to the hotel's General Manager he responded within 24 hours to say that he will investigate and within 48 hours acknowledged that their different systems have different room descriptions. He has agreed to honour the original reservation to a King Spa Suite.

Full credit to his sense of customer service, and efficient dealing with the matter.

A good resolution!