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The St. Regis Aspen Has No Qualms About Charging Joe Sharkey Cancellation Fees

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 315 E. Dean Street [map], Aspen, CO, United States, 81611
October 14, 2008 at 9:15 AM | by juliana | 5 Comments

Joltin' Joe Sharkey, the NY Times Business Travel columnist, is not excused from hotel cancellation fees. In his recent column, he gripes about having to cancel a business trip to Aspen where he was going to attend an aviation conference.

He had booked two nights at the St. Regis Aspen which had negotiated good rates for the conference of $414.29 for two nights.

Yet when Sharkey had to cancel the day before, the hotel told him that they would have to charge him the "whole enchilada" because he had missed the cancellation deadline which was two weeks prior.

Had I known that the St. Regis in Aspen confiscated the full two-day rate, I would simply have made a reservation elsewhere.

Not even speaking with a Starwood rep got his money back. Sharkey then went on to interview our old friend Scott Booker of Hotels.com who shed light on some of the fees that hotels are charging these days.

Still, none of this helped good ole Joe who was out $714.29 from a business trip (that's including his airfare) that he didn't take.

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Joe Sharkey Last Man Standing in Hotel Business Centers

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 1000 H Street NW [map], Washington, DC, United States, 20001
July 13, 2006 at 9:30 AM | by juliana | 0 Comments

In his recent column, Joe Sharkey griped about the outrageous fees the Grand Hyatt Washington DC business center which amounted to $43.55 for 22 minutes of internet use and 10 pages of printouts.

While we agree these are ridiculous fees that Hyatt is charging at its business centers, we can't help but wonder why Sharkey, a reporter who writes about business travel, is still using a business center?

Doesn't the Times pay for him to have a laptop so that he can get wireless access? Since most Hyatt hotels partner with T-Mobile Hotspots, all Sharkey has to do is pay $9.95 for a 24-hour period. Maybe he likes to keep it old school but either way, it doesn't keep him on top of the business travel beat.

Regardless, his column goes on to profile some of the very legit gripes hotel guests have with hotels today such as not allowing hangers to be removed from the closets, luxury hotels that charge for bottled water, harsh bathroom lighting, difficult alarm clocks, monster pillows and valet parking.

Still, Sharkey contends his biggest peeve is that higher end hotels charge higher fees for internet use while mid-level hotels offer it for free.

Sharkey, if only you read about our WiFi report back in March, we could have saved you the $43.55. Oh, that's right. You don't get WiFi.

Related Stories:
· They sure beat airlines but hotels could still... [NY Times]
· Worst WiFi Hotels 2006 [HotelChatter]
· Best WiFi Hotels [HotelChatter]
· Grand Hyatt Washington DC reviews [TripAdvisor]

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No Shit Sharkey

January 18, 2006 at 11:26 AM | by markj | 1 Comment

We kid, we kid.  We just couldn't help oursevles. Joe Sharkey is a rock star, and we love his MTV ready web video pieces in the NY Times Travel section.

Sharkey is always filling our head with great business traveler hotel tidbits, however, his newest column fill us in on Manhattan hotel news that we are already way too aware of:

New York City hotel rooms will cost you, on average, around $300 a night, and NYC hotels are consistently over 90% occupancy these days.

People from out of town sometimes ask me in tones of desperation where they can find a hotel for less than $150 a night.

Dude, we did that earlier this month without a problem. Yes, prices were "knock your hat in the creek high", back in December, but we have noticed that the new year has brought prices back down a bit, at least in January.

On January 5th we scored a room at the passable Ameritania for $111/night (review forthcoming).

Our advice to the deal hunters? Set your ceiling at $200, plan as far ahead as you can, use the web, and don't expect to nab a luxurious hotel for under $200--you are going to get a box with a bed--deal with it.

Here are a couple of old HotelChatter stories that should point you in the right direction:

·   Trying to Score a New York City Hotel Under $200

·   The Elusive Sub-$200 Room In Manhattan

Related Stories:
·   Ameritania Hotel Reviews [TripAdvisor]