Marriott’s Japan Site and Customer Service Suggest Elite Late Checkout Devaluation — 4 p.m. Cut Back to 2 p.m. for Platinums

Marriott’s published terms on their Japanese-language website, and Marriott customer service, suggest that the Bonvoy program’s late check-out benefit is being devalued – that Platinums will only receive guaranteed 2 p.m. late check-out instead of 4 p.m., with 4 p.m. made ‘subject to availability’.

Hotels Don’t Like Late Check-Out

Late checking is challenging for hotels to offer. When an elite stays until 4 p.m., that room isn’t available to give to another guest at 4 p.m. check-in time. And when a large number of elites are staying at a hotel, availing themselves of late check-out, it takes a lot more housekeepers to turn the rooms over for the next guest all at once.

Marriott Bonvoy Already Killed The Best Program Benefit This Year

And reducing elite benefits is almost sine qua non of the Marriott Bonvoy program at this point. This year they quietly stopped promising upgrades to available suites to elites. So surely they’re coming for late check-out next?

4 p.m. Late Check-Out Is A Competitive Advantage Over IHG, Hilton

After Marriott acquired Starwood, the first loyalty program change they made was guaranteed late check-out for elite members. It’s something Starwood did – in fact, 4 p.m. late check-out was something Starwood was the first to guarantee. Hyatt has it. Hilton is only just now going to start offering it, and only for their new Diamond Reserve top tier members. Hilton and IHG Diamonds only get let check-out if the hotel says it’s available.

• Marriott Platinums are entitled to guaranteed 4 p.m. late check-out
  
• Except at resorts and convention hotels
  
• It is not subject to availability – it is a guarantee – although some marketing material says otherwise, and some hotels pretend otherwise.

Marriott’s Japanese Terms And Conditions Say Only 2 p.m. Is Guaranteed

The Bonvoy progam’s terms and conditions in Japanese, though, suggest that the benefit is being changed to 2 p.m. guaranteed, and up to 4 p.m. subject to availability.

Japanese Terms and Conditions were updated to state that Platinum and higher members are now guaranteed late checkout only until 2pm, with checkout up to 4pm offered based on availability. English version of the terms has not yet been updated but I confirmed via the ambassador line that this is indeed the new policy.

Here’s the terms in Japanese:

v. 午後4時までのレイトチェックアウト: プラチナエリート以上の会員資格をお持ちの会員は、チェックアウト時刻を参加プロパティの現地時刻午後4時まで遅らせることができます。会員は、セントラル予約システムからの予約時、チェックイン時、モバイルアプリ (利用可能な場合) から、またはご滞在中のいつでもレイトチェックアウトをリクエストすることができます。プラチナエリート以上の会員には現地時間午後2時までのレイトチェックアウトを保証します。また、現地時間午後4時までチェックアウト延長をリクエストでき、客室の状況に応じてご利用いただけます。この特典は、すべての参加プロパティで保証されますが、リゾート、コンベンションホテル、StudioRes、およびDesign Hotels™では空室状況によりご提供できない場合があります。マリオット・バケーション・クラブ、マリオット・グランド・レジデンス・クラブ、シェラトン バケーションクラブ、ウェスティン バケーションクラブ、フィニーシアンレジデンス，ラグジュアリーコレクションレジデンスクラブ，スコッツデールおよびリッツ・カールトン・リザーブは、本特典の対象外です。

Let’s read this with Google translate – late check-out is only guaranteed until 2 p.m., with 4 p.m. made subject to availability:

v. 4:00 PM Late Checkout: Platinum Elite and above members may delay checkout until 4:00 PM local time at the participating property. Members may request late checkout when booking through the central reservation system, at check-in, through the mobile app (where available), or at any time during their stay. Platinum Elite and above members are guaranteed a late checkout until 2:00 PM local time. They may also request extended checkout until 4:00 PM local time, subject to room availability.

This benefit is guaranteed at all participating properties but is subject to availability at resorts, convention hotels, StudioRes, and Design Hotels™. Marriott Vacation Club, Marriott Grand Residence Club, Sheraton Vacation Club, Westin Vacation Club, Phoenician Residences, Luxury Collection Residence Club, Scottsdale, and Ritz-Carlton Reserve properties are excluded from this benefit.

Just as a reality check, I had ChatGPT translate the text as well:

v. Late Checkout Until 4:00 p.m.:
Members with Platinum Elite status or higher may delay their checkout time until 4:00 p.m. local time at participating properties. Members may request late checkout when booking through the central reservation system, at check-in, through the mobile app (when available), or at any time during their stay.

Late checkout until 2:00 p.m. local time is guaranteed for Platinum Elite and above. Members may also request an extension until 4:00 p.m. local time, which is offered based on room availability.

This benefit is guaranteed at all participating properties, but may not be available at resorts, convention hotels, StudioRes, or Design Hotels™ depending on availability. Marriott Vacation Club, Marriott Grand Residence Club, Sheraton Vacation Club, Westin Vacation Club, The Phoenician Residences, The Luxury Collection Residence Club Scottsdale, and Ritz-Carlton Reserve are excluded from this benefit.

Is This Just A Mistranslation?

Under U.S. program terms, 4 p.m. late checkout is a guaranteed benefit when requested at most properties. At resorts, convention hotels, StudioRes, and Design Hotels, 4 p.m. late checkout is based on availability, not guaranteed.

In the Japanese text, 2 p.m. is the universal guarantee and 4 p.m. is always “if available”, which is more restrictive than the actual global English T&Cs for standard hotels.

However, the U.S. program terms specifically call out different rules for Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy (Sonder) which are now defunct. These are not mentioned in the Japanese text.

Sonder had 2 p.m. guaranteed, 4 p.m. on availability. The Japanese version drops the Apartments/Sonder line, but keeps the “2 p.m. guaranteed” idea. So I am guessing that they translated the Apartments-specific rule and then mistakenly applied it globally in the Japanese version of the terms. In other words, that this is an error rather than a change coming to the broader terms.

But Marriott Customer Service Says This Change Is Coming

So why might Marriott Bonvoy customer service (Ambassador line) confirm that this is a change that’s happening, if it isn’t?

• Because Marriott provides poor customer service
  
• Their agents almost universally side with hotels
  
• And say that benefits are less than what’s described in the terms

When a hotel says late checkout isn’t guaranteed, customer service usually says ‘of course it’s not guaranteed’ even though the rules say that it is. So if you ask customer service whether the rules are being adjusted to guarantee less, that matches the agent’s (incorrect) understanding of the rules more closely – so of course the language is being changed to match what’s more ‘accurate’.

I Think This Is A Mistake, Not A Preview Of Elite Devaluation – For Now

My Occam’s Razor bet here is that Marriott made two mistakes – first in translating their terms and conditions, and second by providing their usual level of poor customer service – rather than Marriott actually planning to reduce the benefit for Platinum members to 2 p.m.

However, with as many Platinums as are out there and as much as hotels don’t like the benefit due to the need to pay so many housekeeping staff to turn rooms around quickly, it wouldn’t actually surprise me to see them adjust this benefit at some point to reserve actual 4 p.m. only for true upper-tier elites like Titaniums and Ambassadors.