anyone good at writing letters?

[awinner]

going back east in 2 1/2 weeks and i would like to write a letter to the 4 gm's of the hotels i will be staying at ahead of time ...basically saying, how much this trip means to me and my wife, we are long time customers of your hotel chain, we are coming there to celebrate something special, its my wife's 1st time in ...., what ever you can do to take care of us by either giving us concierge level or an upgraded room, etc....


does anyone have a letter or a website that has sample letters to help me get what i want when i get there? btw, the hotels are all owned by starwood, not that has any difference.


thanks in advance .... :D

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I know this is annoying advice, but seriously, go to the public library. They have tons of books with form letters in them. Complaint letters, letters of praise, letters to get what you want, all kinds of stuff. I'm sure you can find ideas there.

[Betty]

You might also try the Microsoft Office website for templates. http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/default.aspx

Not sure if they'll have one - but they've got template letters for all sorts of things.

[mousepod]

I'm not sure where "back east" you'll be going, but in NYC getting friendly with the concierge (and being a little generous up front) usually works wonders for perks. Dinner reservations, tickets for shows, the concierge can be your best friend.

[awinner]

I'm not sure where "back east" you'll be going, but in NYC getting friendly with the concierge (and being a little generous up front) usually works wonders for perks. Dinner reservations, tickets for shows, the concierge can be your best friend.

New York-W Times Square
Boston- Westin Copley
DC-St. Regis

I already have the dinner reservations that I need (Per Se, Inn at Little Washington), I like to try to get an upgraded room prior to coming and if they have a "concierge floor" to be sure to have access to it. Can only hope :eek:

[awinner]

Here is the letter I have written so far...it will be slightly modified for each of the hotels...tell me what you think.

March 7, 2005


Jim McPartlin – General Manager
W Hotel – Times Square
1567 Broadway
New York, New York 10036



Dear Jim,

My wife and I are loyal Gold Members of your Starwood Preferred Guest Program. We have been staying at your fine hotels and resorts for many years. This will be my wife’s first time to New York, and I have told her about the fun, excitement and adventures she will have over the next few days. I want her to have the true New York experience, which is why we decided to stay at this property, in the heart of it all.

We will be staying at your property from March 23rd – March 27th, and it would mean so much to me if you could make it as special as it has been in the past at your other properties whether it is an upgrade to a suite or even access to club/concierge lounge. I know that with the reputation that the “W” has you will do whatever in your power you can to make sure we both have the time of our lives.

I just want to thank you in advance for going out of your way and trying to accommodate us. When we get to New York I will have to meet you in person to thank you personally. We look forward to enjoying the marvelous dining and other facilities your great hotel has to offer. I look forward to your hospitality.


Sincerely,




Andrew Winner

[Motorboat Cruiser]

Please diregard this if it is naive. I admit to not having much experience in this area.

But, if I can play devil's advocate for a moment...

I question the effectiveness of the letter writing route and wonder how helpful it will be. It seems that a letter like this might seem a bit pushy or taken in a way that suggests "Do you mind if we impose on your daily job requirements and give you more to do? After all, we are good customers." I know those aren't your feelings but letters can be impersonal and easily taken the wrong way.

It seems that this might be better handled in person, when you can build a bit more of a relationship with the person before asking for favors. I'm not saying that you don't have a right to those favors or that you are wrong to ask for them, especially if you are one of their better customers. I just think about how many people there are that use a "sense of entitlement" to become royal pain in the asses to every service person they come across, and even worse, then neglect to tip for this service. If the guy reading your letter just had a few encounters like this, they might not be so receptive to your letter.

What if it was more in the spirit of, "We just want to introduce ourselves. We are really looking forward to our visit, as we have always enjoyed our visits to your hotels. We would enjoy the opportunity to meet with you once we arrive so that we may learn more about the services available to us."

That seems less imposing.

Again, sorry for the hijack. Just wanted to share what my first impression was telling me. :)

[Name]

My take, if you truly have a history with the hotel chain, and have stayed with them many times, and are a preferred guest card holder, it is not too imposing to ask for a one time special treatment to show your wife/family a good time. In cases like this, it never hurts to ask, for the worst they can ever say is no. And I am sure they would rather give you as much as you want as far as a suite goes(as long as there is one available and not already booked). Tis' better to write off an upgrade then let a room sit empty. Basically, if I were to receive that letter as written so far, I would take it into consideration, dependant on what else is going on at the time in my establishment, and your history with the hotel may be checked, so make sure that all your facts are accurate. One thing you may want to avoid though is using the same letter for each hotel, make sure it is personalized for the hotel you are sending it too.

[Name]

Here is the letter I have written so far...it will be slightly modified for each of the hotels...tell me what you think.

March 7, 2005


Jim McPartlin – General Manager
W Hotel – Times Square
1567 Broadway
New York, New York 10036



Dear Mr. McPartlin:

Will you please help me make my wife's visit to your hotel and New York City a memorable one?

My wife and I are loyal Gold Members of your Starwood Preferred Guest Program. We have been staying at your fine hotels and resorts for many years. This will be my wife’s first time to New York, and I have told her about the fun, excitement and adventures she will have over the next few days. I want her to have the true New York experience, which is why we decided to stay at this property, in the heart of it all.

We will be staying at your property from March 23rd – March 27th, and it would mean so much to me if you could make it as special as it has been in the past at your other properties whether it is an upgrade to a suite or even access to club/concierge lounge. I know that with the reputation that the “W” has you will do whatever in your power you can to make sure we both have the time of our lives.

I just want to thank you in advance for going out of your way and trying to accommodate us. When we get to New York I would like to meet you in person to thank you personally. We look forward to enjoying the marvelous dining and other facilities your great hotel has to offer. I look forward to your hospitality.


Sincerely,




Andrew Winner

My feedback is above in red, just some minor changes that may or may not make the letter read better. If you like it, use it, if you don't like it, leave it out. Maybe someone else can help some more.

[Betty]

Liked the letter and it's revisions too. Nice job!

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I think the letter is good, and Name's revisions were very good. Go for it. :)

[mousepod]

It just occured to me that you might want to check out Peter Greenberg, The Travel Detective (do a google search). He always has good tips on getting upgrades.

[awinner]

Somebody thought I should change the following:


Quote:
We will be staying at your property from March 23rd – March 27th, and it would mean so much to me if you could make it as special as it has been in the past at your other properties whether it is an upgrade to a suite or even access to club/concierge lounge. I know that with the reputation that the “W” has you will do whatever in your power you can to make sure we both have the time of our lives.



to something similar to this:


Quote:
We will be staying at your property from March 23rd – March 27th, and it would mean so much to us if you could make every effort to make this visit as special as our past stays at your other properties. The reputation of the “W” is that you will do whatever you can to make sure we both have the time of our lives and we very much look forward to enjoying all your property has to offer.

what do you think...keep what I had and ask directly, or beat around the bush and ask casually?

[Name]

My thoughts are ask directly for what you want, but in a casual way....in essence, combine the two so its not pushy but politely ask for specifics. Let the manager know exactly what it is the hotel can do to make your stay special. They may say no to the big thing, but give you something smaller that will still make the trip a great one. In my opinion, there is nothing worse then vague answers when asked what can I do to make an experience the best. Just my 2 cents.

[awinner]

My thoughts are ask directly for what you want, but in a casual way....in essence, combine the two so its not pushy but politely ask for specifics. Let the manager know exactly what it is the hotel can do to make your stay special. They may say no to the big thing, but give you something smaller that will still make the trip a great one. In my opinion, there is nothing worse then vague answers when asked what can I do to make an experience the best. Just my 2 cents.

i agree w/ that, i am in the customer service business, and when i ask a customer what can i do for them, give me specifics, not just the answer of "do what you think is right", it is very hard for us to read your mind.

[Name]

wee, there you go, pretend you were going to receive this letter next time you read it and ask yourself what is missing, or what is too much.

[awinner]

Just wanted to give an update, got an email today from boston:


-------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Mr. Winner,

On behalf of Vera --------, our General Manager at The Westin Copley Place, we would be delighted to extend the "welcome wagon" to you and your wife for her first visit to Boston. We will certainly upgrade your room accommodation and ensure you are both very well looked after. Afterall, you are very valued Gold Members and we appreciate your loyalty to our hotels.

Please advise of your arrival time if possible so we can ensure your room is ready.

Kind regards,

Susan ------
Director of Rooms

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so far so good...I leave wed for ny, i will fill you on on what happens when i return :eek:

[Betty]

Way to go! :snap:

[Name]

Sweet!! :cheers: