We’re all familiar with lies, damn lies, and statistics. Well Pizza in Motion highlights this whopper from Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson during the chain’s earnings call:
In a recent survey of Bonvoy members by an eight to one margin. Respondent said, they preferred the new Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program over either Marriott Rewards or SPG.
No one I know was surveyed. No one I know prefers the current loyalty program over the old one by such a large margin. The best I can come up with is that the sample for this survey consisted of:
- ex-Marriott Rewards Platinums
- Who now have an Ambassador
- And rated their Ambassador highly on a separate survey
The new program has higher redemption prices than Marriott Rewards. It has weaker elite recognition than Starwood Preferred Guest. There is virtually no enforcement of elite benefits at the property level, at best paying our rewards to hotels for elite satisfaction scores. The great SPG benefits of 24 hour check-in (that used to come at 75 nights) and a dedicated Ambassador (that used to come at 100 nights) both require $20,000 annual spend.
To be fair, the old Marriott Rewards had little in the way of elite benefits to speak of – guaranteed late check-out didn’t come until after Marriott acquired Starwood. And Starwood’s rebate for in-hotel spending was weaker than what Marriott offers today. But there used to be a credit card worth spending money on over on the Starwood side.
In the past Arne Sorenson has claimed that massive IT problems with the program integration were just ‘noise around the edges’. They weren’t, and seeing what program lead David Flueck looked like before the integration and after you can tell the toll that it took.
Sorenson also says resort fees are good for you and represent great value – which, if true, would mean they didn’t need to be mandatory.
Bill Marriott said the purpose of the merger was to give Marriott scale and leverage and I noted at the time this included leverage over customers. I told Arne Sorenson I didn’t believe him when he said they were going to create a more valuable program that would be the only one you’d ever need. Indeed the truth is that the new program is designed to cost Marriott less than before.
Do you like Marriott Bonvoy more than both Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest? I’d love to see if we’ve got an 8-to-1 margin here… or if this is just Sorenson being Sorenson.
This isn’t a real statistic. It’s just a damn lie. I’m one that couldn’t stand the noise around the edges and have moved to Hilton. Better, nope. Just more certainty and more honesty.
Obviously the Marriott CEO is sadly misguided. They’ve managed to destroy the vastly more popular SPG program.
Count me a someone with no preference for Marriott, having moved most of my stays to Hyatt where practical.
I’m certain the Marriott apologists will jump in to paint everything as rosy, but the bottom line registers the disappointment of previous regulars who are booking elsewhere.
No. Blech. Just…no.
This is beyond a damn lie…… he is in a state of altered reality. They never asked me….probably they were afraid to hear what I would say.
At the end of the day, the only salvaging of this merger, is a divorce. Actually an annulment since they still have it screwed up.
@ Gary — This is shocking. I will not even consider Marriott when booking a hotel. IHG, Hyatt, and Hilton have me covered at about 99.99%.
100+ paid nights a year with Starwood now 0 yes 0 with Bonvoy(ed). Being lifetime titanium won’t do me much good – but the program STINKS now.
I do have one thing to thank him for, though, reminding me how lovely independent hotels can be and what value they often offer – so I end up paying less and getting better value!
I can’t decide whether this is a lie or a damned lie. It’s certainly not statistics.
you all are missing the mark here…I’m sure what he said is 100% correct. Let’s analyze this a little.
If he asks 10 SPG loyalists if they prefer Bonvoy over SPG the results would be 0/10.
If he polls 10 Marriott Rewards loyalists 10/10 would prefer Bonvoy.
I’ve never flown Hawaiian Airlines but have flown Delta a bunch. Which airline do I prefer? Delta, of course. Y’all seem to need some sort of stats analysis lesson…
What a $hithole! %astards! and NO, I didn’t get the survey!
There’s a logical explanation. You heard the news that Starwood was hacked some time back. Clearly the hackers answered the surveys in lieu of real members, and came out 8-to-1 due to all the free nights they scored.
Undo the merger.
Sheeeeeeeeeeet, total crap. SPG for life!
If I say this is BS am I alone !! What crap Marriott like most major flags are in a steep decline they’re so concerned with “door counts” that the franchise department over looks everything wrong..
I took the survey and prefer the Bonvoy name.
Wonder if he and Doug Parker hang out together on the weekends to come up with this nonsense.
He is either smoking weed or his cancer meds are clouding his brain. This SPG Plat lifetimer still hates Marriott properties and the Bonvoy benefits are just not there imho.
I had the Starwood business card and consumer card which were both converted into Marriott credit cards. I canceled both because I hate this new program. Also two good friends of mine are eliminating their Marriott cards within the next two months. I really miss Starwood’s program.
Feh! This is like listening to AA’s CEO Parker in his parallel universe, third dimension squawk.
Nothing was better than Starwood-in USA, and as I marveled, in Europe.
I remember how after Marriott picked off Ritz Carlton, the F&B at their site at Amelia Island deteriorated to the fullest.
Remember how United in the 1980s was to evolve into a full transpo company with its subsidiary Western International hotels? Well, AA and Marriott deserve each other these days!
Not sure where these stats came from. CEO must have his head in the sand 24/7. My status level dropped from platinum elite to gold elite for no reason. Customer service professionalism is now nonexistent. Marriott employees all indicate the Starwood merger and change to Bonvoy is a nightmare. They deal with complaints daily. Once loyal customers now seeking out other brands.
Bonvoy is a huge disappointment versus Marriott Rewards. Plain and simple.
I received no such survey either.
Just proves that 60% of stats are made up.
There isn’t a SINGLE THING that Bonvoy has over SPG. And the door you hear slamming behind you is all the SPG members leaving for other programs.
I’m not usually one for hyperbole, but this is Bullpoop. Bovoy has some advantages over Marriott Rewards, but is so vastly inferior to SPG that comments like these (including “Noise around the edges” and those about resort fees) make me distrust not only Sorensen, but all of Mariott. Arne, this isn’t “1984”. We are able to see and understand the truth for ourselves, no matter how often you try to tell us we should believe you over our own eyes. I value honesty in my relationships with people and corporations. You are actively damaging your brand, not enhancing it.
If Hyatt were to use SPG as a template and duplicate what they did, i think you would see a mass exoudus from Bonvoy that would help to fuel a Hyatt growth spurt. I will make the transition to hyatt or hilton shortly once i burn through my 3 million plus points
typical corporate lie. Marriott watched as Hilton gutted its program a few years ago and was still raking in $$$. So Marriott figured why not do the same thing to reduce expense for MR.
I was not a huge fan of old SPG as midlevel elite perks were worse than Marriott. But at least I could earn points easily with SPG Amex and redeem for Cat 4-7 at reasonable pricing. Now Marriott reduced my gold perks and increase the price of awards. So I find it highly unlikely anyone is happy with this lose/lose scenario except maybe top level elites who got suite redemptions as a bone.
I would prefer they keep the programs separate but convertible, just like the initial transition period.
My Ritz Carlton card isn’t as good for high spending. The physical card is less luxury.
SPG had better CCs. Marriott earning rate improved. Wish they kept lifetime Titanium. Upgrades are harder.
Barefaced lie.
I like Marriott so much I stopped staying with them and canceled my credit card. Top notch! (New Hilton at T2 LHR is very handy, btw.)
What a joke! I was Lifetime Platinum with SPG and was treated extremely well. On my last big trip to Greece before Marriott ruined the program, my friend and I used points to stay at Luxury Collection hotels like Vedema in Santorini & King George in Athens. The year before it was Blue Palace in Crete & Hotel Grande Bretagne in Athens. We returned because we had been treated like Princesses. SPG Rewards not only took 4 nights on points/5th free, but upgraded us to a 2 bedroom suite at HGB and bilevel in Crete. On points! When we returned it was to the best service imaginable.
Now the hotels are higher categories and Lifetime Plat means nothing. I stayed at a few Marriott properties and still am shocked by the awful treatment. Suites? Never. One property in NYC rented me a room that didn’t exist!
Sorry, rant over. But BonVoy is worse than I ever expected. It’s not even close to SPG. But they don’t care. That’s exactly how I feel- the people running BonVoy don’t care.
I really miss Starwood. Marriott took a dry-aged steak and ground it into a hamburger. Still good, but no longer special.
I thought I was reading The Onion!
Just in he mind, no only they destroyed the SPG program, they monopolize the rate and destroy competition in the business, I don’t understand why the Government allowed this acquisition.
Why is it that CEOs become delusional and blind? The program has lost value… for the customers.
Bonvoy sucks. All the great hotels from SPG are triple what they used to be and Marriott properties need massive updating. That headline/survey is fake news.
One only need to look at my number of nights pre-BonVoy versus post. Case closed.
I loved my SPG!
Can’t say Ive felt the same with my new card.
My points get me nothing compared to what I used to get.
I feel a bit scammed.
I worked so hard to build my points.
Now I just use Priceline.
SPG was really great. BONVOY is not. No free breakfast and variable rates…and takes more points for stays. Welcome points are a joke and some hotels give less points overall than before! SPG started to cost too much for the CEO.
Yeah, there’s probably 87.5% of the people who prefer a program that still allows redemptions over one that doesn’t anymore…
SPG yes. Bonvoy, nope.
Halarious. Titanium here (formerly ambassador/plat for last 15 years). I’ve never met a human being who prefers this disaster to Starwood.
If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State (Bonvoy Marriott) can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie.
Attributed to Goebbels and now adopted by Arne Sorenson
Can you publish his email address so we can thank him personally?
Professionally speaking – the only way to get to this 8:1 output is:
– non-representative sample
– biased questioning
Arne is flat out lying (or in the age of Trump and his band of grifters, presenting “alternative facts”)
Hi there from Sunny Singapore! Yes I totally agree that the new Marriott program sucks Nothing like SPG! I am now supporting IHG n Hyatt more So Bonvoy please make things right ♀️
This titanium for life says damned lie.
So disappointed in Bonvoy after years as a Gold on SPG!
8:1 in favor of Bonvoy is a massive stretch!
Lies Lies Lies !
He must be drinking Trump Water !
Why doesn’t Marriott offer anyone who wants to go back to the old Starwood system? Since almost nobody will choose that, Marriott will prove just how superior Bonvoy is by comparison.
@christian
Don’t get caught in the stampede!
The way Trump, his family, and his acolytes spin the facts — claiming what they want the world to believe is true regardless of its variance with reality — appears to be contagious. Sorensen’s claim is laughable. He may be able to point toward a slanted, stilted, unrepresentative “sample” as the source of his nonsense, but anyone who’s dealt with/experienced both SPG and Bonvoy will not be fooled. Like others in the thread above, I’ve learned the pleasures of independent luxury hotels and no longer give my loyalty to an undeserving brand as I did to SPG.
Some of his board members should see this, and kick the Sorensen guy in his balls for corporate lying which seems to be a common trait amongst CEO’s who have overstayed their effectiveness. I have him at about the same level as the Parker guy and the Muilenberg denier.
I received no survey. And am only Bonvoy member because I already was SPG member. Bonvoy nights booked in 2019: 1.
The SPG program was great to the extent I would go out of my way to stay with them and collect my nights. Which I did for many years and earned me a nice status. As my 2019 Bonvoy history shows: I don’t care at all anymore and just book through OTA’s now.
Yep titanium this year was reached but I never like to use points for a hotel. They are so much less than SPGs value. I miss the good days of spg.
Just plain BS. Lifetime SPG Plat, burning points, cancelled credit card,. Acquired Hilton card and kept Hyatt., have not spent a dime with Marriott’s chain in 8mos.
Leave it to a deranged liberal Scott B, to make this political, dragging in his TDS into the conversation. Scott grow up.
Just plain BS. Lifetime SPG Plat, burning points, cancelled credit card,. Acquired Hilton card and kept Hyatt., have not spent a dime with Marriott’s chain in 8mos.
Hey Arne – isn’t it a bit early to pull an April Fool’s Day hoax?
What’s up with the Trump bashing? It’s like you have nothing intelligent to say. Grow up!
I have no issues with the new program. I actually like the website and phone app is quite easy to use. I am 2 months from lifetime silver and trading in my points for free nights with the wife for our anniversary worked really well.
Wow. Talk about “head in The sand”. How obtuse can you get. Bonvoy sucks and has turned into a bait and switch company. Case in point:
I wanted to use points for a 5 night stay in Tokyo. Total cost 275000 points. As I went to finalize the reservation I navigated to the appropriate site to purchase the 25000 points. Done
Imagine my surprise the next morning when my reservation was not finalized because the “new” reservation required a whopping 340,000 points. Calls to the platinum elite line fell on unsympathetic ears. I was reminded that Bonvoy has dynamic pricing and while my points waited to post the price went up.
So so wrong. First of all “waiting” for points to post is laughable in today’s computer age. You charge my credit card immediately but I have to wait? And then you raise the price? Never again. Go “F$&*”” yourself Bonvoy
I have spent a third of my year in Marriott hotels, currently I have 122 room nights and I am still traveling.
Here is what I have learned: upgrades do not happen. Most of the time I don’t even get my preference as noted on my account. The rooms temperature is remote from the room so you now need to sleep in the temperature someone has selected for you.Unless you ask for something no thought I’d put into making your stay extra special. i don’t see any benefit other than the points and now that process has become complicated. I am considering a new chain next year. It will take time to get to where I am with Marriott but I think it might be worth it.
One more point: during my call tp Marriott they repeatedly told me that my room wasn’t even available using points. It did not matter that I was staring at the checkout screen that said my reservation required 340,000 points. This time I instantaneously transferred Amex membership points (a horrible redemption I know but I was desperate. Should have done that in the first place). and completed the reservation as they chirped in my ear that the room wasn’t available.
Sigh. I truly got Bonvoyed.
I hope someone takes the time to read this and learns from my mistake Re purchasing points and dynamic pricing
Bonvoy is horrible. Lifetime Platinum with 2019 $36,000 spend and 214 nights so far (123 paid). 2021 will be very spend and 100% points burn if 2020 is not better than 2019.
I hate dynamic pricing! Add in seriously devalued points and rare upgrades, how can anyone (other than Marriott management) think this is better?
Total rubbish. Marriott is terrible in comparison. I am Platinum for life and regret wasting my life getting it based on current construct. Its United and Continental all over again!
8 to 1? Really? The point redemption increases alone make that statement preposterous. Starwood was a great program. I miss it.
I am not a “hotel points guy” by any means. I don’t really care about the hotel brand, although I do have a list of “acceptables” that a hotel needs to deliver on for me to book it: proximity to work location or airport, 3 or 4 stars, points exchange with my frequent flyer programs, cost.
I stayed at a Marriott last week for the first time in a very long time. Upon checking in, they asked if I was a Bonvoy member. I said I used to be a Marriott member and with that number it turned out I was “Bonvoyed”.
It was late and I had done a lot of flying so I ordered room service. They told me that they now do things differently, in that they don’t serve room service on a trolley or tray anymore, but boxed in a bag. OK… And that there was a $5 delivery charge, unless you were willing to pick the meal up yourself. WHAT??
So not only has Marriott gone Bonvoy, they have also gone Deliveroo/Uber Eats. What a scam!!
PS It was a California based property so I don’t know if that has any significance to this. They also still had the individual mini plastic toiletries.
At 170 nights plus paid in 2019. About 17500 spend. Rule if I’m checked in at Albany for the month go into the city for the weekend cannot earn points and credit at both properties. Huh…anyways upgrades not as expected front desk clerks making decisions when there is open rooms but no upgrades online. Burn points this winter and head back over to Hilton in 2020. Adios Bonvoy.
Wrong by my standard. Starwood was way,way better. Starwood made you feel welcomed and valued. Even room 0roducts were better.
Been Lifetime SPG for 16 years and not a single dollar was paid by my companies or credit cards, since they don’t work here in Portugal. This said, I always felt very welcome at any of the SPG properties, was almost every time upgraded and got nice little welcome gifts at every hotel.
This said, I have been waiting for more than a year for my new Lifetime Titanium Card, for which I had to fight for, through inumerous emails, phone calls, etc.
So I wonder how Mr. Sorensen can make such silly a statement !!!
Lies.
Can’t type…laughing too hard…HA, HA, HA…good one…what? I’d prefer Bonvoy over being burned alive or having my skin stripped off, but anything else…who is he kidding!
@carlh. Is that burned alive or skin scraped off credit card going to have a welcome bonus? Is it Capital One?
I loved Starwood!! And I hate Bonvoy. Starwood points were worth THREE TIMES Marriott. Now, they take away Starwood SPG and give us Bonvoy Credit Card and we get 1/3 the points. For a month they lost the stay which put me into Platinum Elite. Have to watch them like a hawk to make sure you’re getting your points, value, etc.
Was a loyal Starwood member. After all the Bonvoy changes and increased points needed to get a free stay, I switched to Hyatt. Will never go back to Bonvoy.
We thought they the bonvoy would be better until we booked a trip in Atantic City and a couple weeks before my husband and I was discussing about seeing if we might can split the vacation. I picked up the phone to call and they didn’t even have us down for our trip it had been cancelled they say do to we not having enough points. We should have been notified by phone of this but when I called that’s when we found out. We were very upset about this they said they sent an email. That should have been a verbal conversation because we could have went on this trip which is about 12 hours for us just to find out we didn’t have a place to stay so guess what we had to do since it was late we had to go stay where we’ve stayed almost every other year in Florida because they said nothing was available closer to us. We didn’t like that not one bit
100% rubbish. SPG far better.
The integration of programmes is still not complete. Many tech glitches that you would notice. SPG staff way better trained.
Perhaps he just got it backwards. Starwood was far superior.
I hate the new Bonvoy programs system, valuations and interfaces. Lifetime Titanium Elite here with 14 straight years of Marriott Platinum status achieved.
Starwood was way better than the now Bonvoy. Starwood made you feel welcomed and as if they valued you as a customer. Someone needs to look into this. Word of mouth is everything and if people do not feel valued and special while spending their hard earned money they will find some where else to spend it.
I do not like the Marriott Bonvoy program. Redemption is more expensive and difficult, and upgrades are almost impossible. I have not come across anyone that is a fan. I miss SPG.
Bonvoy is so bad, I would probably prefer Best Western or Comfort Inn’s program to them. Fortunately there are better options. I will be cancelling my Bonvoy card at the one year mark. ALL FOUR OF THEM. No need to waste credit on a company with no respect or concern for customer loyalty.
PS: With a CEO with his head up his ass, it is not going to get any better.
Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson is a disingenuous liar for saying that. He’s full of hot air and fake news
Not only are my points worth less, Marriott has black out hotels with points. Sheraton never did that. Ditching my credit cards and moving on. Their are better reward programs out there that make you feel rewarded instead of second class.
I rant whatever it is that Arne is smoking so I can hallucinate too. I was LT Platinum with SPG now LT Titanium with Bonvoy (combined LT nights with both programs). Bonvoy had been such a disappoint coming from SPG. Like others have said, upgrades to something of value are few and fear between. SNAs are a joke! I haven’t had 1 clear this year. Oh how I long for the days of SPG.
Every week I miss SPG 🙁
I’ve been Bonvoyed so many times. Having to pay more in points to stay at some of the properties that aren’t worth it. Stay (no, not browse on the web) at the new wing of the Jaffa Hotel in Tel Aviv and seriously tell me it’s a level 7?!?!? So many other examples. Marriott pushes you to use the web to make reservations or any kind of changes but then when it doesn’t go through they tell you you should have called. WTH?!??? Also, they don’t have the point calculations worked out because if you change a reservation from high season to low season, 4 months later they still have not adjusted your balance. It gets annoying to always have to take screenshots to keep a company honest. Customer service does not respond to email inquiries. Their foreign country reps who do email do not understand English and do the opposite of what you requested. Their in-country customer service phone numbers (like in the Middle East) do not work so you have to call the US while on travel. I was never surveyed. REALLY wish I was. Hey, if any of you know Arne, please pass this along – he’s full of BS. SPG was a far better program and its customer service was out of this world.
There is things I like and things I dislike.
Like:
1. more elite levels and their bonus earnings,
2. access to a lot more hotels around the world,
3. Your Choice Benefits (choose a gift at 50 / 75 nights)
Dislike:
1. The name, Bonvoy,
2. Dynamic pricing for point redemptions,
3. Marriott’s moves to strip lounges for the elites,
4. Not allowing members to achieve lifetime titanium status,
5. New credit card offers,
6. Weaker MegaBonus promotions,
7. Most promotion codes have been deactivated or simply made incredibly expensive for nothing,
8. Points have been devaluated
9. After your first meeting, no more 10 EQNs.
So the results are in: I dislike the new program more than I like it. Even merging everyone in either SPG or MR would’ve been a better move than this.
Total bull crap. No one I know likes it. It’s so good that must be why I made IHG gold months ago and will continue using SPG (bonvoy is truly the stupidest name) as my second tier hotel. I’m titanium elite for life already so I’m losing nothing and certainly gaining nothing by staying.
Hands down a worse program. As stated. It all started by never admitting the integration issues. It took seven weeks to transfer points which are now sitting unused at LH! Apologies, no! It is not in their arrogant minds. BTW, I am at Ambassador level which was a lot better under SPG.
New program much worse – Under SPG, if there was a room available for cash there was a room available for points. Tried booking a room with points and there was no availability, they only wanted cash customers.
Bonvoy SUCKS!!! I am a SPG and Marriott Platinum Lifetime member now Titanium and the level of treatment has dropped tremendously. 8 to 1? Hmmm, sounds like the polls that Hillary had when she was running for President.. Welcome Hilton!
This is BS. I was SPG member….and very happy. The new Bonvoy program did nothing but devalue my points and make it harder to upgrade. I’m Diamond at Hilton and will happily shift all my stays to them. Bye bye Bonvoy!
Well, if this thread is any indication, Arne Sorenson is dyslexic!
Lifetime Titanium, 25+ years. Merger was worse than United+Continental and who thought that was possible? Currently Hyatt Globalist. Slightly higher price points but treatment is much better and they still offer points+cash like Starwood did. Not as many properties but enough for most. That said, can’t avoid Marriott, it’s OK but as said, you get nothing extra except points.
Bonvoy sucks compared to Starwood.
If anyone wants to ring a bell, report this to the SEC. Very serious to make false statements on an earnings call, and if the approach to their data was not reasonable, that could be a violation as well.
I got a new Marriott Bonvoy credit card. Does this mean that all the BENEFITS of the old Marriott Rewards card are gone on my account, specifically the Travel Insurance Benefits? That would make me cancel immediately and just stick with my Chase Sapphire Preferred card with the insurance benefits.
I HATE Bonvoy vs SPG (I didn’t have Marriott prior to the merger). The merged program is far worse than what I had before; most prominently the 1/3 loss of point value in converting program points into airline points.
From a technology service point of view, Marriott should be ashamed of itself. It tried to jam a square peg into a round hole. Starwood’s site was far more robust than Marriott’s yet the corporation was unable to leverage that superior technology, and as a consequence put thousands of customers through a world of hell during the merger.
Since that time the overall treatment of members is just mediocre. Adequate I guess, but certainly not developing customer affection and loyalty. The name, “Bonvoy” is a joke and although I have not yet done so, I expect to burn through my points in 2020 and switch to another hotel group out of sheer disgust with the fools at Marriott who have deceived themselves into thinking that they haven’t screwed up royally. 8 to 1 over Starwood? Be serious!
What alternate universe is Ms. Sorensen living in?
As a nobody silver I can say I haven’t really experienced “bad” service at SPG or pre/post Bonvoy. I don’t stay enough to get an accurate pattern. Hyatt is a little more welcoming at check in. Certainly hate Marriott for their whatever award rates, piss poor redemption values and broken site. Still prefer old SPG.
Nope, dislike the new program vs. SPG. Marriott Rewards was useless.
This is such BS….Ambassador this year but stopped staying at Marriott in July due to individual properties not giving a damn…
Sorensen is a liar:
* he truly does not care about the most loyal of the stayers
*he is happy to change the rules mid game..ie suite night awards which I have been unable to use for 3 years
*No one I know received a survey and for damn sure no one I know would rank Marriott over SPG…never
*In short, BONVOY is not only a lousy name it is a travel program that sucks!
couldn’t possibly be farther from the truth!
I miss the Starwood program. The new Bonvoy website is not user friendly and just try booking air! It’s outsourced and costlier. Used to be so easy to book air. And yes, I’m a 4 star elite member but with Bonvoy this doesn’t seem to carry much weight. I’d love to know who those 8 to one are.
I loved SPG and I have spent over 2,000 night with Sheraton and Marriott Rewards over the latest program that know one understands and makes it hard to get any benefits. I was not surveyed and if thing do not change I will have to move all business to Hampton and Hilton. Get real Marriott when was the last time any of them spent time in a Fairfield Inn or Springhill Suites they are going down hill fast!!!
This man must be living in an imaginary world inside his head. I worked very hard this year, and at some extra expense, to achieve my first Platinum Elite status. I feel so let down. I have enough Bonvoy for a winter holiday, but the 200,000+ Amex Membership Rewards I collect each year will no longer be going to Marriott. How does a CEO oversee such a disaster and manage to keep his job?
Lifetime Platinum with over 120 nights this year and should get the spend this month for Ambassador. All of that will be for nothing as I will be switching to Hilton (already booked 20 nights this year). All has been said above: no upgrades, minimal recognition of status, Suite night awards are a joke and trying to use points anywhere but some place no one goes costs 3x what it should!
Bon Voyage Bonvoy!
As a person that was a member of SPG for many years, I miss the program. Bonvoy does not measure up for me. I do not travel for work, but have spent many vacations at SPG properties both paid and on points. I now pay for many more nights since the devaluation of the points and the increase in points needed to redeem an award. After the end of this year, I plan to do an analysis to determine if it is worth keeping my Bonvoy AMEX or just using my Chase Sappphire Reserve for all hotel stays.
I’m shocked that a high integrity guy like Arne Sorenson, in an organization that allegedly lives by Mormon values, would have anything to do with circulating these lies and fabricated data. In fact, based on these antics, my regard for Marriott has plummeted. These people are clearly out of their mind. The Ring Leader in all of this is David Flueck, who came to Marriott from Starwood, having been the architect of the once stellar Starwood Preferred Guest Program; Flueck apparently followed the money, and was willing to sell his soul, by designing an anti-consumer, brand loyalty program – – one that benefits no one other than Marriott International and Marriott hotel owners (by reducing their costs and liabilities) – – and then thinking that we (the public, and Marriott and Starwood’s once loyal guests) are so stupid, that we will accept his rhetoric for face value. The bottom line Mr. Sorenson, and Mr. Flueck is that Marriott Bonvoy sucks, and I am beyond offended by what you have done to destroy the Starwood Preferred Guest Program, and the lesser-valued, Marriott Rewards Program. Really, do you think we are so stupid to believe your rhetoric? I get it, Flueck is willing to sell his soul for a paycheck, but, come on. Please don’t continue to insult me with your rhetoric.
Do not like the new Bonvoy program, Hyatt is much better just not as many hotels, as a lifetime Titanium perks just not there no one seems to know anything in detail about the perks and they are all different at every hotel. Nothing is consistent with this program.
Lifetime Titanium (under the 1000 night system)
From what I can tell,
The overall value has gone WAY down. Marriott keeps increasing the property award levels, increasing the points for a stay. Off peak doesn’t exist.
The excellent lounges are being forced to dumb down their offerings so other properties don’t look so bad.
Upgrades and recognition seem to be dwindling.
So I guess overall value reduction appears to me at a 30-50% loss. And neither the JFK courtyard or Fairfield Inn rates above a 3.
There is NO WAY that Bonvoy is better than SPG. I feel raped by Marriott. My points are now worth far less than with SPG. I am a Lifetime Titanium member and have lost all loyalty to marriott (they don’t deserve to be capitalized). As an example, my welcome gift would be 500 points. It would take 20 stays (before marriott felt the need to raise the value of their properties) to earn a night at the Swan or Dolphin at DisneyWorld. It will now take 120. How is that better? I used to get resort fees and parking waved. Not any more. How is that better? marriott’s acquisition of SPG was the worst thing to happen to SPG. I would love to be divorced from marriott! I don’t know what Mr. Sorenson is thinking or where he pulls his numbers from, but it certainly isn’t reality!
The bonvoy website is a joke. They should take a look at what SPG had, where you could see up to 4 rates at once. Being limited to only one at is time is very poor.
I think the 8-1 response makes total sense, and it completely accurate. I am not the least bit surprised by it.
BTW, Arne only asked 9 people and they are all on his executive staff, but it was still 8-1. 🙂
And, that new credit card is uglier than the old one (spg) too!
I think that is is so interesting that I can now drop ‘borked’ from my vocabulary and start using ‘bonvoyed’ (so true). Out with the old! In with the new!
For me, the Starwood program was much better than Bonvoy. I was hopeful that it would be at least as good, but that has not been my experience. Nevertheless, I have accepted that those of us who came over from Starwood now have to deal with a diminished program. I do find the addition of the Marriot hotels convenient – the additional locations make it easier for me to both earn points and redeem points. Just sorry that the Bonvoy program is not nearly as good as the old Starwood program.
Marriott vs Starwood, Starwood is the best. Have a time share with Starwood it was great . Marriott took over all went down hill. Why were we not offered to sell back. Lots of money gone to waste. SPG the best.
Actually, as a former Starwood Platinum, I do prefer Bonvoy. Here’s why:
1) A gazillion more properties are available to redeem or earn points. Marriott properties are everywhere.
2) At the 3:1 conversion rate, combined with the redemption levels (even after the revision of all the award levels by Marriott) the value of Starpoints-converted-to-Bonvoy-points actually increased.
3) Marriott Platinum customer service on the phone is excellent. Easy to reach, knowledgeable.
Mr. Sorenson is clearly a troubled man who can’t see or is afraid of the truth. You’d wonder if such bizarre statements as the 8-to-1 preference are misleading enough to be flagged with the SEC?
Absurd. After over two decades of SPG loyalty, platinum for life status and 18 months of frustrated efforts securing value and comparable excellence from Marriott and Bonvoy, I have begun building loyalty with Hyatt and Hilton. Marriott destroyed the best program in the market. And add me to the list of those not asked. Horrific decline, and thoroughly unbelievable statement.
I echo others comments. The Bonvoy program is absolutely horrible and Mr. Sorensen is either being misled by his underlings, or he’s deaf to what his customers are saying.
I’m a Marriott lifetime titanium Elite. The Bonvoy program is a huge step down from all three of the previous programs that were combined. The Ritz-Carlton program, the Starwood program, and the Marriott rewards program. Redemption values are practically nonexistent. They have so upped the requirement and made it so difficult cash in points, it’s hardly even useful to try.
I now only stay at Marriott properties when I’m required to buy specific contracts that I work on. This is down from approximately 100 to 300 nights a year that I used to spend at Marriott properties.
Because of the change in Marriott, I now much prefer Hyatt Hotels. I’m attempting to get Hyatt lifetime status, and have achieved their premium status called globalist the past three years because of Marriott’s shenanigans.
It would be interesting to see what Mr. Sorensen’s comments are if he viewed the comments on this blog. I’m a lifetime titanium Elite and I’m never upgraded at Marriott properties, I’m never welcomed as a quote-unquote special guest, and I’m seldom offered the points or some item from the “market” or, or a food credit. If I remind the front desk about these benefits, they react with shock and surprise and then deny same in most cases.
I think Marriott just became too big too soon and is having a hard time handling it all. They have not adequately educated their front desk staff, nor seemingly their management staff and they’ve over-promised and under-delivered to their loyal customers.
I can only imagine that he asked himself 8 times, and a customer once to get that ratio. I am lifetime titanium and am now spending most of my time at Hilton properties. Points don’t go as far as they used to with Bonvoy, if you can get some of the benefits at all. And I agree that the individual properties do whatever they want. There is no Bonvoy program, just a bunch of individual hotels with the same name. It has become a farce.
Dear Arne: you’re full of it. Bonvoy, as well as the Marriott management team led by you, are huge downgrades from SPG and SPG management:
1. suite upgrades are the exception, rather than the rule. More than once I’ve been “upgraded” to the same room on a higher floor, which means I have a longer elevator ride, and nothing more.
2. SNA are damn near useless, and usually expire unused due to “unavailability”.
3. Your IT sucks — far more than your “noise around the edges” comment.
4. While I was not happy to hear of the SPG data breach, I was even more unhappy to hear that Marriott failed to detect it prior to the merger. This further demonstrates the incompetence of your management team.
5. You allow properties to game the upgrade system by arbitrarily removing rooms from upgrade inventory.
6. bonvoyed.com
In short, you seem to feel that the properties are you customers, and not the folks that pay money to stay in them. That’s your choice, of course, but don’t be surprised by folks defecting to other hotel chains.
Signed,
a very pissed-off Bonvoy “elite” who misses SPG
As an SPG member I do not care for Bonvoy at all. Don’t know anyone who does. They must not have asked anyone who came from SPG.
I’m Bonvoy Platinum and I miss SPG. That was a great program. Room upgrades happened frequently, they had no trouble accurately tracking rewards earned, and customer service was very good-excellent.
Bonvoy has devalued rewards. I always check to see if my room nights have been counted because they are not far too often. I have never been able to redeem a Sweet Night Award.
It is laughable to think Bonvoy is a better program than SPG.
After the merges, Marriott came out the new program called Marriott Bonvoy Royal Program, but the program is getting much worth than forever. I am a lifetime Titanium Elite member, and I feel that every time when I called to the Titanium Elite Dedicated line, I either got hung up the phone with some bad staff who were lacking the training and no any customer services experience to deal with the elite members, or they try to kick out you off the line. I loved SPG that I remembered every time when I called to Elite call line, the associates I spoke to either to work closed with you to assist you to solve the issues or concerns not like Marriott Bonvoy Elite line are completed opposite and no satisfaction would be placed at all. I do believe very strongly, the CEO of Marriott Corporation International, who is lying to the people especially to the members like me that I had with Starwood Preferred Guest program for more than 18 years as Lifetime Platinum Elite member, and I never had bad time with their Elite line customer services associates but I have very difficulty time with Marriott Bonvoy Elite line customer services associates. I recently had encounter to speak one associate that she told me that she is higher individual in the escalation department when I asked for the manager to speak to , and finally she hung me up the phone call. Do you believe that facts presented and I experienced are not applied to CEO Arne Sorenson what he said statement with conference. Please face to reality and make real survey to real people with all kind of travel experience
Not happy with Bonvoy. Definitely don’t know where the 8 to 1 statistics came from. Then again, I have heard that 79% of all statistics are made us.
No, I was not contacted about my experiences, and I will reach my Bonvoy Lifetime status this year. This gives me better Internet and late check-out for those events I attend using a Marriott property. Then I will put my Lifetime Bonvoy card in my back pocket and move on over to Hilton to climb their ladder. I dislike things about both programs, but at least HIlton’s properties are more consistent and staff are friendly. Have you stayed at a Renaissance lately (PHL airport the worst!). The one thing that PMO the most is cutbacks on lounge quality and inconsistent breakfast benefits. They are degrading (and devaluing) the good properties so the bad ones don’t look so bad!
I’ve all but abandoned Marriott. The most horrible hotel company I’ve ever dealt with. SPG had problems, but now looks heavenly compared to this outfit. Benefits not recognized at many properties, upgrades rare (for Lifetime Platinum) anyway. There isn’t an idea in their mission statement that they even begin to live up to. Don’t get me started on what a waste of breath Flueck is. I’m just grateful that I qualified for Lifetime status under SPG I; hopes this company breaks up and I can carry that status into an improved smaller outfit at some point. As for this 8 to 1 statement……I don’t know ANYONE who likes Marriott over old SPG.
I can’t really comment on the old Marriott Rewards program; I was a long-time Starwood person who avoided Marriott before the merger. But Bonvoy is definitely inferior to SPG. My million points have been devalued, benefits reduced, and the recent change to the suite awards is just one more little cut. I’m sort of locked into Marriott for reasons I won’t go into, so I’m not likely to switch away, but I would if I could.
The Bonvoy Program JUST SUCKS… it was inferior from the beginning… The Marriott CEO is spreading FAKE NEWS!!!
with over 240 nights this year so far & probably another 20 more before years end
i can only say that Starwood put customer service first, they did anything & everything in their power to make the customer happy specially as the status got higher
in todays market the customer has lots of choices and if Marriott wanted to really be the biggest & best in the market then they better listen to the customer
there’s over 90 comments and I think maybe 4 were positive to Marriott,
I honestly doubt that 8 to 1 prefer Marriott over Starwood, not even close
I’ve heard from a number of SPG customers how they were treated a lot better before the merger. I was a happy SPG customer going back 20 years ago. My company preferred Marriott. So I switched to Marriott 7 years ago and was treated as well if not better (I average 240 nights a year; did 320 nights one year).
After the merger, I HATE the Bonvoy program. It seems Marriott has decided to treat everyone badly.
My company PREFERS Marriott but I’m free to book other options and probably will.
A lifelong Marriott member who is now switching loyalties to Hilton.
Bonvoy has destroyed any sense of loyalty and have shown they could care less about their members.
Have felt the same as apparently everyone else this year.
Have been elite at both Starwood and Marriott several years—-and was hoping the SPG quality might rub off on Marriott.
As that looks to NOT be happening, I though I would let all know that I was recently informed (off the cuff, perhaps, at my last timeshare visit) that the next/imminent rollout would include Hyatt and I believe perhaps it was Hilton.
So….plan accordingly.
(Apparently the only winnings now are management bonuses!)
I definitely miss the old Starwood program. From much lower and easier points redemption to earning elite night stay credits for up to 3 rooms. That was slightly replaced with the elite stay credit for every 3K spend on the Bonvoy Visa. But also the 20K spend for Ambassador is a pain.
My Brother was Ambassador level the past 2 years – it had some advantages but not that many.
We still try to book mostly Bonvoy properties for Business to keep up the status (I believe I just hit my 10 year milestone for Titanium for life status? We will see how that goes.
That’s pardon my French complete BS on steroids.. !
SPG site was easy to navigate it didn’t crash or freeze like Bonvoy site, it also gave loyal members more benefits and I was 50 nights away from Lifetome Platinum now it’s taking 150 after so many years of being a loyal SPG Member. Merging with Marriott is like being a Delta or AA Platinum Member, everyone is one..! I use to fly Virgin America all the time 9/10 in First Class and when not available I was always regonised as a VA Gold FF, with Bonvoy it’s avrage to be a Platinum Member ow there is another two levels above Platinum with SPG it was “a thing” and getting upgrades now is so so to day the least.
The CEO of Marriott cannot be serious in his statement what so ever, typical American Corporate BS…!
There is absolutely no way Bonvoy was liked 8:1 over SPG!! 100% impossible. I was SPG Platinum w/ambassador. Started with SPG in 2006.
Until August of 2018 I concentrated as much as humanly possible to SPG stays domestically & globally. After the shoe dropped in August of 2018 I started looking around and quickly realized that Hyatt had a way better offering for their elites. In no time, I was a Hyatt Globalist and have not looked back.
Even though I still have around 500,000 Bonvoyage points which are worth way less than they used to be, I will probably transfer them to American Airlines for travel as needed.
Hyatt Globalists receive much higher recognition and benefits than Bonvoy Titanium Elites do (free breakfast at all properties – free parking – no resort fees – ability to grant someone my Globalist benefits on another reservation so that they receive the same benefits as I do – each suite award good for stays up to 7 nights (not 1 night per award like Bonvoy) – suite upgrade confirmed at booking vs waiting until 5 days out. These are SIGNIFICANTLY better perks than Bonvoy.
So as I’ve said before, BONVOYAGE!!!
I agreed 100% that Hyatt is doing much much better than BONVOY. If all members with Elite status with BONVOY, please join with the World of Hyatt that you will be better received much much benefits. No other program can beat with Hyatt. Go for the World of Hyatt.
8:1 but after you factor in devaluations and point-inflation, it comes out to 2:5 against.
I will be the oddball and vote Bonvoy about equal, in some ways better, than SPG. Part of this is personal circumstances and I completely understand other points of view. Two reasons:
First, I traveled a lot but couldn’t be brand loyal, occasionally made gold or platinum in one program or another, but never close to lifetime. That is, until SPG and Marriott we’re combined and with the combined total I was suddenly close to lifetime Platinum. That has a lot of value to me, I do a lot of international travel and really make use of the lounges and late checkout.
Second, a lot more properties. SPG was great but often didn’t have a property where I needed it. That is much better.
Devaluation? No question and that’s a negative. But overall I am not unhappy.
WIth fewer competitors in the airline, hotel and rental car segments, why do they actually need to improve the program. Name any company in any of these segments who has NOT decreased their benefits to frequent users. Blame the various politicians who have allowed large consolidations in each of these segments as opposed to enforcing the antitrust laws.
Personally, I do NOT make much effort to collect the points anymore. And since all of my travel is on my dime as opposed to “other people’s money”, I am looking for the best deals that I can find.
I have been Lifetime Titanium since the program started, and was Lifetime Platinum (plus Platinum Premier) before that. Been with Marriott for over 22 years. I am seriously considering switching my allegiance to either Hyatt or Hilton due to the devaluation of the points (or rather the ongoing inflation of the rewards costs).
I agree with the vast majority. I have been a SPG member for 35 years, from way back when it was Sheraton Club. After the merger with Marriott, the points cost to book nights at all properties went way way up, while earning those points did not become any easier. I wish we had the SPG benefits as they were before.
As an Ambassador member for the last 3 years, I too am offended by Mr. Sorenson’s claim that bonvoy members prefer the new system over Starwood….since it is absolute BS. I currently have 115 nights and will not reach the Ambassador level this year because I did not spend $20K!!!!! Before the end of the year I will have almost 140 nights….and that means nothing to Marriott.
I an definitely considering moving my “Loyalty” to Hilton or Hyatt. Loyal Starwood members got screwed!!!!!!
I was lifetime platinum on both. I have repeatedly asked what they were going to do and the answer was “titanium” which is not even as good as platinum used to be. Far as I can tell my loyalty got me nothing – well actually less than nothing. Oh Well there is always hilton, Hyatt and accor. Bon-voyage Marriott.
Too bad we can’t say bon voyage to Marriott. They’ve got us hooked. We’re in their system now and have to play by their ever changing rules. One good thing still is that when I’m at my Vistana and Westin properties my 4 star elite status is recognized
Bonvoy is not worth a penny.
Marriott reduced very discretly Gold benefits, increased points needed for free nights. In addition it remived email addresses from all hotel websites making communications very difficult or .. expensive (international call).
I miss SPG!!
Will probably switch to an other group after I have used my points
Good Grief no Marriott rewards! Unsat!,,
I prefer the Starwood rewards system. It was by far easier to navigate and rewards were higher!