A few days ago, I met up with two of my friends for a “girls only” weekend in New York City. We get together every year and usually stay at the same hotel. I used my American Express (AMEX) points to pay for the room we would share and even upgraded us to an executive level floor. On this trip, however, we encountered a snag or two. I thought I'd pass along my experiences, since they are useful to anyone planning future trips.
The first hitch was with the hotel reservation. One of my friends, flying in from across the country, was arriving early in the morning at the hotel before the rest of us. We agreed she would wait for us in the executive lounge.
However, when I made the hotel reservation using my credit card points, I neglected to note the names of my guests. I called the hotel to inform them of our plan, but they indicated they could not modify the reservation in any way because it was done via a travel website, and not directly with them. While my lovely AMEX platinum card travel agent was eventually able to call back the hotel and leave the note I wanted, it is a good idea to disclose the names of all guests at the point of making the initial reservation to spare you aggravation later.
Another hurdle involved a new hotel policy we didn’t know about. In years past, I was able to secure a rollaway bed with no issue. This allowed all three of us to feel comfortable without the expense of getting a second room.
I was really surprised to find out upon my arrival that the hotel’s rules had changed and they were not going to allow a rollaway bed in a room with two double beds. Their claim was that this was due to a new fire hazard policy.
While my friends graciously went along with this new arrangement, it is important to reconfirm any specific needs you may have with your hotel before your arrival. This is true even if you are familiar with that establishment and never encountered issues before with any of your requests.
Spending time with friends away from home is a chance to enjoy each other and have fun, and with the proper planning, you can minimize travel surprises.
As always, I wish you and your friends happy travels!
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