Alila Ventana Big Sur Canceled Reservation
The Alila Ventana Big Sur has been one of those sought after properties since it first joined the World of Hyatt program. So much so that I wrote that it was becoming the new Maldives. At least in terms of people thinking it was a miles and points travel badge they had to get. Even though the hype has died down some, people still put the property in the upper echelon of Hyatt hotels. That is why my buddy was so surprised that Alila Ventana Big Sur canceled his reservation coming up. The fact that he is a high end Globalist makes it all the more weird. I will say that I think they did a good job of making it right when it was all said and done.
What Happened
My friend has a had a Alila Ventana Big Sur reservation for early summer on the books for a while now. He received an email this week saying that Ventana Big Sur had to cancel his upcoming reservation, or “walk” him. I guess they had overbooked the resort. I am not sure if they ended up having a wedding book the resort or what. The email was pretty surprising to him since he was a Globalist and already had a suite upgrade confirmed and attached to the reservation too.
Here is what the Alilia Ventana Big Sur offered for his cancelled reservation:
- They offered different dates with availability with a premium suite attached
- He could also move to a nearby Hyatt hotel
- Carmel Valley Ranch
- Park Hyatt Aviara
- Alila Napa Valley
- Alila Marea
- Cancel the reservation for a full refund PLUS get a 40,000 point apology
At first glance this doesn’t seem to be near enough when Ventana Big Sur charges the nightly rates they do. Much less for a World of Hyatt Globalist member. That is especially true with the cost of flights these days. Moving his dates could incur hundreds of dollars in additional fees for the difference in flight cost (or miles). Especially this close in.
Just getting a bump to a better suite, or moved to a near by property, simply isn’t enough in this situation in my opinion. Maybe if they had offered either of those options AND the points it would have seemed about right. The points alone will be worth a lot less in a few weeks anyway. I doubt 40K in points would even cover the difference in cost he would pay to rebook later in the year after the devaluation.
Finding A Better Solution
My friend responded to the email and said he didn’t think any of these options were fair for the inconvenience. That is when Hyatt finally stepped up with a good offer and made it right after contacting him via a phone call.
He was able to work one of the available dates into his schedule and change their flights etc. but asked for points as well for the date change. That is when Hyatt offered the following:
- Rebooked him into the new dates in a premium suite (above what he would have received with his suite upgrade award)
- Give him 45,000 World of Hyatt points
That is a much better offer and more in line with what I would expect. If they would have offered the change of date / move to another hotel AND the 30,000 points initially then it probably would have been accepted by most. By trying to get people to move on the cheap it cost them 15,000 more points than it could have. I assume enough people will just accept what was offered versus pushing back though, and that it is cheaper overall.
Alila Ventana Big Sur Canceled Reservation: Final Thoughts
Let me know what you think about this final resolution down below, or in the MTM Facebook Group. Do you think the initial offer would have been enough for you if Alila Ventana Big Sur canceled your reservation a few months out? Or, would you have asked for more if they let you know that you were going to be “walked”?
I think Ventana Big Sur ended up doing enough to make a tough situation right when it was all said and done. Kudos to them for stepping up.
