I’ve never actually stayed at either the Le Parker Meridien New York or Palm Springs (now the Parker New York and Parker Palm Springs), though I’m certainly not a fan of the former. About a month ago they added a $10 “facilities charge,” essentially the city hotel equivalent of a resort fee. This set an awful precedent and was enough to convince me not to stay there, given how many great properties there are in New York.
Well, it seems that “facilities charge” was the least of their concerns. Via the New York Post, this property is in trouble with Starwood:
The owner of the swanky Le Parker Meridien New York ripped off more than $1 million by cooking the books to claim fraudulent reimbursements from Starwood Hotels & Resorts, a suit filed yesterday alleges.
Workers at the Meridien “falsified records and fabricated room reservations for fictitious guests” in order to boost payments from the customer loyalty program of Starwood, the suit alleges.
Over/under on when they’ll no longer be a Starwood property? 😉
(Tip of the hat to Jamison)
@Rob,
Are you a spg gold or platinum member? they have no reason to charge an elite member. Plus, even if they do charge non-elite members, they should tell you beforehand.
i just receivd an email from le meridien arlington's general manager to apologize and gave me 500 spg points to compensate a full breakfast they owed me Tuesday morning. is the 500 spg point worthy of a full breakfast?
plus, i saw my amex spg card had a temporary charge $243. my hotel bill showed $191. if the card temp charge became permanent, i am going to file another complaint.
this troublesome le meridien!!! i...
i just receivd an email from le meridien arlington's general manager to apologize and gave me 500 spg points to compensate a full breakfast they owed me Tuesday morning. is the 500 spg point worthy of a full breakfast?
plus, i saw my amex spg card had a temporary charge $243. my hotel bill showed $191. if the card temp charge became permanent, i am going to file another complaint.
this troublesome le meridien!!! i have to waste a lot of time to track and follow up. all the purpose is to earn extra 2,000 sog points per stay? is this really worthwhile? should i cancel my remaining reservations with this hotel (reserved two nights per week until 2/28/2013)?
I've stayed at Le Parker Meridien in NYC. I find the location excellent, great staff and elite recognition. However, some stuff they do is a bit shady, like charging you for using the swimming pool?!?!?
I stayed at Le Meridien twice last Dec to earn the promotion points. Monday(1/7/13) I stayed again at Le Meridien Arlington. I booked breakfast rate $174 offering two breakfast. The restaurant staff refused to gave me two and only gave me one. I filed a complaint to SPG and SPG just replied sorry without any acutal help or compensation. Terrible experience with Le Meridien also occurred in Dec for my breakfast. I am not surprised...
I stayed at Le Meridien twice last Dec to earn the promotion points. Monday(1/7/13) I stayed again at Le Meridien Arlington. I booked breakfast rate $174 offering two breakfast. The restaurant staff refused to gave me two and only gave me one. I filed a complaint to SPG and SPG just replied sorry without any acutal help or compensation. Terrible experience with Le Meridien also occurred in Dec for my breakfast. I am not surprised at all to read your post and find this hotel is close to evil ...
In the past when I filed a valid complaint with Marriott or Radisson, marriott always gave me 20,000 points and Radisson gave me 30,000 points. The Le Meridien is really a shameful chapter of SPG.
I've always considered the NYC Parker Meridien an impersonal and insincere hotel at best. My last stay there two years ago, during which I was put in a room that seemed to be directly above the very noisy loading and garbage dock that was very active at 4am. No apology when I told the front desk. Good riddance I say.
You are right -- my bad. I confused Le Meridien with Le Parker Meridien.
I have two stays there next week for a business trip! I think I'm probably okay - I need the SPG nights, and I need those two stays at a Le Meridien for the double dipping SPG bonuses!
@ Tom -- Yes I did. :p
@ Jeff -- Sorry for any confusion, but the headline says "Le Parker Meridien." Unless I'm mistaken there are only two "Parker" branded Le Meridien properties, no?
I'm curious how they did this. Seems way too risky to deduct from some random person's account...they'll catch it, but the points don't come out of thin air, so it's not like they can create new accounts.
Pretty misleading headline -- refers to the entire Le Meridien chain leaving the Starwood brand rather than a dispute with one or two specific hotels (which themselves may not even be leaving).
Thanks for the Hat Tip Ben!
@ Tom:
"Starwood also wants a court order canceling licensing agreements to run the hotels under its “premier, internationally renowned Le Meridien brand.”
Are we talking new york? Where a 3 foot long bathtub at a sheraton is called a bathtub? They'll be staying.
@Kane: I agree about Le Parker Meridien being vastly overrated. The rooms are a triumph of style over function, particularly re totally inadequate lighting. Worst of all are the TINY "tensor-style" wall lights, one on each side of the large bed in the suite I had. Quite stylish, I suppose, but the wattage was literally less than the bulb in a refrigerator, making it totally impossible to read in bed.
Say it ain't so. The location can't be beat. And Norma's for Sunday brunch was the best! Wonder who it'll turn over to?
Disputes with ownership are not uncommon. Before suggesting they would leave, did you read the complaint to see if that was some of the relief Starwood was seeking?
Pretty creative idea. I wonder if spg members flagged something wrong with deductions from their accounts?
ya i think this is the best spg hotel in nyc from a value perspective. love the art deco decor in the rooms.
Shame, this is a fantastic hotel in a very good location. Losing Hotels like this weaken the SPG portfolio.
This is still a nice bit of distribution for Starwood. We'll see if Starwood pulls out.
I wonder if this is the reason some Starwood properties try to deny suite upgrades to high-level elites. Those suites are already booked by "other" guests.
It's always been my favorite hotel in NY because of the burger joint and Norma's, as well as the park view, but mismanagement like that is good reason for Starwood to pull out.
Agree with Steve, this property is very overrated. For the price, there are better options in the area for starwood. I'd be happy to see them go.
Good riddance, I say.