On paper, Marriott Bonvoy is probably the best large hotel loyalty program. It’s not as rich for elite members as World of Hyatt, but the chain is more than 5 times as large.
Since combining Marriott Rewards, Starwood Preferred Guest, and Ritz-Carlton Rewards into a single program, though, Bonvoy seems as though it’s primarily worried that someone, somewhere might be getting great valuable out of their membership. And so we have seen annual devaluation after devaluation, including the elimination of award charts, the removal of caps on how much free night awards might cost, and the introduction of blackout dates for legacy Starwood hotels.
But what’s most frustrating about Marriott Bonvoy is the extent that hotels seem to be allowed to flout the program, and rules of the chain itself.
Reader Z.L. shares the welcome message from the Marriott Courtyard Lake George, which explains that it explicitly will not honor Bonvoy elite food and beverage credits because their restaurant is operated by a third party.
In May the St. Regis Chicago played this game denying breakfast benefits to elites claiming they’d outsourced their restaurant and had no obligation to honor it. Then last month it was the Muir Autograph Collection in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In response to a guest complaint about the Muir, Marriott Customer service actually responded that there are no standards, “each hotel has its own policies and offerings.” While Marriott offers a cash guarantee for its elite benefits, the Muir simply said it had been exempted from that.
Marriott’s terms and conditions contain no exception to the breakfast benefit for situations where “the restaurant at the hotel is operated by a third party.” However,
- terms and conditions don’t matter if Marriott won’t enforce them, and
- in my experience, Marriott customer service invariably sides with hotels against the customer even when the customer is right.
Hotel owners want loyal customers from a hotel chain (what they sometimes call ‘leads’) but don’t want to deliver on the expectations the chain has created to build that loyalty. Marriott has been broadly allowing hotels to get away with this more and more, focused on owner costs rather than protecting their brand. They’ll often enforce brand standards when called out, though.
That’s a short-term mindset, because in the asset light model where hotel chains tend not to own their properties, all they have is their brand. They’re afraid of antagonizing owners in a way that costs them revenue in the short term, but that risks sacrificing even more revenue in the long term since the brand becomes the only thing of value that they have, the reasons customers book through their platform. Without a brand driving bookings, a booking platform has nothing else to offer.
The problem with Marriott is that they’ve kowtowed to owners for short term fees, while sacrificing the reputation that brings customers – and therefore value to owners. By allowing one property after another run roughshod over the published benefits of the program – by not proactively auditing and enforcing standards – Bonvoy remains valuable only on paper and not in practice. And that’s a hole right down the middle of Marriott’s strategy of infinite brands held together only a program that is anything but rock solid.
Titanium member here:
I booked two rooms at the New St Regis in Chicago and I literally begged for an upgrade for at least one room for my kids but they wanted to charge me $700 a night for an upgrade. They did however give me $50 per room credit for food.
Cosmopolitan in Vegas: $10 or 1000 points as credit. wanted me to pay $150 for an upgrade.
The Cove at Atlantis in the Bahamas. This was the worst of them all. They said they are not affiliated with
People need to stop going to Marriott hotels.
I hear many people complaining about the lack of elite benefits at Marriott hotels, but they just complain and don’t do anything about it…they still stay at Marriott properties even though they get treated like trash.
I almost think these people deserve to be treated this way because of their stupidity of blindly throwing away money to Marriott.
This will not change unless people stop staying at Marriott hotels and stop giving them money.
JL – you are correct … I am titanium and abandoning Marriott – one is loyal in expectation of a reciprocal recognition but there is so little.
I mostly travel internationally, and in the mid East, there is recognition almost always. In Europe frequently, but in North America I am made to feel that I am a nuisance.
Very sad.
Titanium here. I am seriously questioning whether it is worth it
Marriott is pretty much dead to me. I’m a lifetime titanium, and will only stay at their properties to use up the points I’ve accumulated over the years.
It’s frustrating how useless their rewards has become. It seems better when traveling abroad – but stateside, I find the hotels are run down. I’m also a member of Choice, and many times am treated better, their front desk clerk is dressed more professionally, and they are 1/2 the price. Of course, it depends on location.
My SIL and husband just took their dream trip and I booked them in Courtyard Edinborough then to the Town Hall in London. They were treated well and did get a nice room upgrade in London, hopefully from my lifetime Titanium. I shoveled more points than I expected and didn’t ask about the freebies but they were very happy.
I booked my sister into DC, NYC and Boston later this year and those guest bookings have always gone well. It is costing about twice what it used to, on million pointt account got hit for big numbers but, if my relatives and guests are happy I will live with it.
Amused to see the Marriott Town Hall charged my guarantee card cash for the stay so I called for assistance and heard from the hotel within 2 days. It took them about 2 weeks to credit me and, for a change, the exchange rate helped, I was credited about $40 more than they originally charged. Life happens.
Marriott definitely needs to come down hard on this “3rd party restaurant excuse”. This absolutely undermines trust in the brand. A couple of small businesses are effectively killing a multi-billion dollar brand because Marriott doesn’t have their act together to enforce contracts designed to protect that brand. It’s incredibly bad management and like a weapon of brand destruction for them if they don’t enforce their contracts and rules.
I’m a lifetime Platinum but now stay about one or two nights at Marriott’s solely because of convenience. I prioritize Hyatt, then IHG, but again only if convenient. Overall I find Hyatt points to be the most valuable. If Hyatt is smart they will always ensure a good return on points. Marriott points are worth close to nothing anymore so I’ve already cancelled cards with them.
Fortunately there are many great hotels out there and I’m starting to enjoy other more regional brands like NH Hoteles or Dusit.
St Regis Chicago does give breakfast credits, $25/person. I stayed there in June 2023 for three nights.
Being a titanium member for 5 yrs straight I don’t feel I get much. Never any suite night award up grades or credits at hotels
It would be great to put together a list of Marriott hotels that dont honor the Bonvoy elite food and beverage credit and publish this.
Hyatt offers a much more superior product and their points are much more valuable. I can’t remember Hyatt not honoring benefits. Marriott hotels in US are a joke these days when it comes to benefits. If you travel to Asia, Europe or Middle East a lot, it’s still worth it there but if most of your travel is within North America or Caribbean, then forget it.
I’m a lifetime titanium, I prefer to stay at Marriott properties since I expect some benefits to my lifetime status. Unfortunately recent visits to elite concierge rooms have been bitter disappointments. The perks in these “special lounges” have been cut back to almost non-existent. As each service/perk is removed there is always an explanation provided that it was not “green” enough (no bottled water offered) or the change was made for the environment (no automatic housekeeping services). Confess Marriott, these are all cost saving measures and you are sacrificing years of our loyalty for short term profitability. Shame on you!
Everyone was ragging on Hilton…I’m at the Doubletree Toronto. Gold and Diamond get the breakfast buffet at the “third party” restaurant for the wife and I which is a CAD $28.00 cost without the status.
Marriot Toronto…zero breakfast. You decide.
Well, we can start a Yelp and Google review blast campaign and/or relentlessly call the manager of the hotel. We can barrage social media with facts of the situation and they WILL have to eventually cave.
Who’s in!!!???
I’m LT Titanium and it’s sad to see how far Marriotts loyalty program and services have tanked since the old, valuable SPG days. Still worth having status for Asain and many European properties but elsewhere, the lounges, service and perks are a joke. The worst part is Martiott corporate just doesn’t care anymore. Best benefit for LT these days is the freedom to stay elsewhere and not have to worry about chasing Marriott nights…
Have been staying at Marriotts a lot in the last year for business. They just seem to be getting more and more run down. I believe they are franchised and it shows. Switching over to Hilton. BTW had a Marriott try to charge me $350 for a service dog fee! Basically illegal. I left and will deal with it with corporate
Ambassador Elite/Lifetime Gold/Vistana Vacation owner
Ambassador meant something in Europe, in the states I have had deplorable experiences (asking for a bottle of water at check in and being told that I would be charged, denial of early check-in despite prior confirmation, no offer or complete denial of upgrades, etc.)
Traveling abroad the experience was quite different – with thank you notes, automatic VERY nice upgrades, even complimentary baskets or bottles of wine & chocolates, and personal post-visit follow up. And the only real difference between TE and AE is “Your 24” which worked a couple times for me – otherwise there is no additional point bonus/suite nights/free nights/etc. – NOT worth the extra 25 nights and $23k spend.
I’m at 80 nights this year with Bonvoy (so TE for next year) and I have officially switched to Hyatt. Even with NO status, Hyatt’s customer service BY FAR exceeds Bonvoy – I just wish there were more of them!
Agree with most of the comments here. Bonvoy in the US is a joke — I checked into the W in Hollywood as a Platinum after the hotel had “lost” my reservation, waited 30 minutes and then they magically found my room. No apologies, no follow-up after the stay. Corporate gave a measly 10,000 points and no response from the hotel. In Asia where I do most of my travel, the service is impeccable, status is recognized, and they always remember your name.
@DANENMCI
Thanks for ruining a great exchange by your pathetic political rant. SAD!
Make Lying Wrong Again!!! Grrrr. This goes for Marriott too!
Obviously it’s just not worth becoming a so-called elite customer.
Folks its easy do as I have simply dont complain just avoid staying at any Marriott property and stay in any of the other thousands of rooms available from other chains
Lifetime titanium elite.
Marriott domestic award program is awful.
Worth keeping for EU and Asia stays where they still recognize status.
But the constant devaluation of hard earned points is really frustrating.
The one good thing they did vs American Airlines…. when Marriott added tiers, my lifetime status always stayed at the top tier. AA “platinum for life” was earned when that was the top tier….. now it is nearly worthless when compared to upper tiers.
@Mike G…. It’s darn close to a GIMMICK…. Also with their surprise $5000 to $10K penalty for not being able to make it to a trip you paid with your hard earned points! If this isn’t a scam, it’s an expensive program!!
I recently stayed at the Courtyard in Lake George and all I will say is that they are doing you a favor not honoring your food benefit as that restaurant on the property is absolutely horrible. The food is bad and the service is a joke…Marriott should seriously think about replacing that restaurant.
As for Marriott Rewards I agree with most here as the program does little to none for their “most valued” members. I feel like someone can walk in off the street and get more than I do and I have been Titanium for quite some time. I’m starting to move away from them and book with other chains for all of my business travel.
Well, not anymore, as the default Bonvoy lifetime status is now Platinum, rather than Titanium…
With so many lovely property options when traveling, we have recently been constantly disappointed in choosing Marriott because of our loyalty, not theirs. We spend plenty on hotels as we want nice accommodations, but when the accommodations are not as advertised and the benefits are not even honored (upgrades, etc) why would we continue to chose Marriott??? But, you never know until you get to the actual property because of all the franchises/third-party excuses. You might as well go on Priceline.com and try your chances if your expecting quality.
The actual hotel service at Marriott branded hotels has completely tanked. I’ve given up on them. The value isn’t there. I’ll stay at Hilton on their Friends and Family rate or booking discounted rates through ID90 Travel when Hilton isn’t available. I won’t be chasing hotel points or elite status going forward. What a waste.
I am very loyal to Marriott. But i am currently struggling with the level of their loyalty to me.
We were just at the Ritz Carlton Amelia Island Florida and they did not honor any breakfast benefits for Platinum
The old SPG honored its customers better. Marriott could not care less.
After 8 years as Platinum and a LT Gold, they dropped.me to Gold by some erroneous mathematics.
Complain to HQ brought a condescending and uncaring response.
Time to explore other chains.
Hyatt, Hilton, IHG…anything but this inhospitable hospitality brand called Marriot.
I have always been successful at early checkin and 4pm checkout. That’s nice when I drag myself to the hotel at 10am from the long flight.
The comments here I see are I’m lifetime, I’m lifetime. Let’s start with no one sees that, they see member, silver, good, platinum, titanium or ambassador. So maybe check that I’m lifetime at the door. Kindness goes a long way, so try not being an asshat to someone who cant control the hotels occupancy. please understand that there are about 40-50 other platinum guests at the hotel on any given night, PLATINUM not including other levels so if they can’t upgrade you it’s probably because someone asked before you. And please for the love of God check your shi@@y a$$ attitude at the door it’s not the front desks fault if they don’t have an upgrade available. Gold members you are the worst with your entitled attitudes, gold gets you bonus points at check in that’s about it. Treating people like they are beneath you gets you know where, well Maybe on social media like so many have done. And just an FYI that tantrum you had at your last hotel more than likely is now part of your bonvoy record, and the next hotel can see what you did or said. The hotel industry was hit hard during covid and people don’t want to come back and work for a bunch of jerks to just yell at them about their UPGRADES. This is for all hotel brands not just Marriott.
Marriott/Bonvoy have always been my first choice. The brand, the quality, the benefits have always been on point. I was dedicated and loyal. Since the Starwood merger, Marriott Corp has considerably lessened its value, quality and loyalty to its members. Its sad, very sad so I have opted to do the same. So I have moved a lot of my loyalty to other companies and stopped remaining loyal to Marriott/Bonvoy. It’s a shame that we hear stories like this of hotel affiliates not embracing the premium benefits of our loyalty. I’m just one voice, I’m just one person, but I now throw in the towel! I will no longer be loyal to the the Bonvoy…I will spread my wealth to other intities as well! It’s all on your shoulders Bonvoy….too many poor choices against your loyal members!
I’ve used up all my marriott points and have just stopped even looking at marriott as an option for booking. The hotels rarely honor their program, so what’s the point of having loyalty to them.
Another Titanium here. Complained about atrocious customer service and Marriott backed the hotel, telling me they knew I had a choice of hotels and could basically go elsewhere. That’s exactly what I’m doing. In the process of using my points and then it’s a goodbye for me.
@Rob Gabel? What breakfast benefits? There are none at Ritz properties.
Marriott has become a joke.
For months, years even I have noticed a steady decline in their services.
For the past 2 years I have become elite with Hilton and so far so good there.
LT Platinum as well. I now avoid Marriott. They dont deserve loyalty anymore. Think its called short sighted greed. Wonder if they heard about how long it takes to get customer loyality and how quickly it dissappears.
Prior to merging with Starwood, Marriotts Elite rewards was the industry standard. The stays and service provided a consistently high quality experience. Since the merger however, and change to Bonvoy, we’ve seen the downgrade of Platinum to Gold, reductions of Elite benefits, inability to even provide late checkouts to Gold, the list goes on. And so Marriott has failed in the pressure race to stay on top. They are no longer the high quality brand of hotels that they were known for. Now it’s Hilton for the stay! As Gold with them I get food credits honored well at all their chains around the world. Service is impeccable and the quality is high and consistent. A new King is crowned!
Abandoned Marriott awhile ago. Glad we did. Keep hearing about devalued points and poor service for elite members. Focused on earning Diamond for life with Hilton. They are not perfect but I do get free upgrades and free breakfast credit.
Marriott does offer guest compensations if some elite benefits are denied. For example in any hotel a guest is entitled lounge access, the lounge is closed, and breakfast is not provided the member may contact Marriott for $100 compensation. If your booked room type is denied you get compensation, I forgot how much at each hotel. Technically, if a welcome gift is not offered you get $50-100 depending on hotel. I’m not sure if that means you want food over points and it can’t be fulfilled you get compensated. I’m platinum elite, and lately I have to email for points because I don’t get thanked or asked what I want gift wise for being a member upon check in. I may just call and see if I can get the $50-100 instead next time this happens.
I’m fighting with them now. Stayed at the Cosmo in Vegas a few weeks ago. I had no points credited to my account and had to file a case for them. (They say that the cosmo doesn’t automatically credit points). They have finally credited points for the room but the $800 in food I spent on property and charged to my room is being refused to be credited. I’m ready to cancel my bonvoy credit card after this whole fight with them.
35 year long time rewards members and have to say that I probably won’t stay at Marriott properties any longer.
The changes that have happened and of course got worse after covid hit simply says they no longer care about loyal customers…their success was based on creating loyalty with a very good rewards program.
My mind set I check all hotel brands to get the best rates and even if marriott has lower rate…I won’t book…tires of being told there are no upgrades and they don’t care when I say I was truly exclusive to their brand for 35 years.
There are so many other choices….I’m done being loyal.
Willard must be turning over in his grave seeing his baby ruined by equity capital and a CEO who is nothing more than a mouth piece for franchise owners/operators. I still kick myself for being so loyal all these years, disclaimer I grew up in DC and knew the family but then we all did ! Now it’s a shell of once great brand. There are better brands out there but honestly loyal means sh%t these days.
@Aaron c
Good luck with that since the arbitrators of the dispute are the individual property who denied the “benefit” in the first place. Furthermore, any claim must be made on site before you leave. Lastly, the Marriott Corp now sides with the property no matter what.
It is a shame.
I’ve been loyal to Marriott for over 25 years, but I’m now at the point where I put my loyalty into earning AA points and book thru their site.
I’m Titanium with Bonvoy and stopped short of Ambassador this year to focus instead on using AA’s site to book properties (frequent business travels) and now am the highest tier of AA, Executive Platinum.
I get sooo many more benefits from this air line than I do from Bonvoy.
Over the past several years, staying more than 100 nights per year in Marriotts and I’ve gotten upgraded only a handful of times. I’ve often had to ask for breakfast, as they don’t offer, and rarely acknowledge my status at check-in.
Bonvoy is a joke!
I am relieved to see these comments. I thought that I was the only one. Guess i have to give my stats. Platinum for life and at least PL for the last 12 years. Titanium for the last 5. I did not even realize that there was a lifetime Titanium before.
Thankfully most of my travel is in Asia and Europe and as many have said, service even at even a Loft or Four Points is outstanding and at a JW or W it is superior. But in the States, I feel like I need to apologize for being a member. Being loyal, it hurts me when I see MY brand being letting me down. All these years gaining points and status. I am embarrassed and angry. I just don’t even know what to say. On the other hand, I was forced to stay at the Hyatt Regency in Boston and they charged a 30 dollar per night “destination fee” that provided a 10 dollar discount on food but only for dinner as a loss leader and free internet. Lucky me! So maybe Marriott is not the only company trashing it’s brand, but it IS the one where I have built up points so not sure what to do. Stay in Asia I guess. The U.S. affiliates have lost the plot.
I am LT titanium but have moved to Hyatt and have been Globalist for two years. What a refreshing difference!
Is this the same as the Marriott. Vacation club??