Marriott’s new program doesn’t just require 100 nights a year to earn top tier elite status, it also requires $20,000 in spending. That’s odd for a loyalty program with so many hotels in China and elsewhere that rates are super cheap. It’s possible to stay nearly 300 nights with Marriott in a year and still not be a top tier elite.
One man probably wasn’t testing to see whether tips would count towards qualifying spend, though Marriott is at least in the process of rolling out points-earning for food and beverage while not a guest on property (something that Starwood offered for years).
Instead the man who tipped $22,000 at JW Marriott Nashville’s bar was arrested for public intoxication. (HT: 777 global mile hound)
Bar at the JW Marriott Nashville
Friends of the man started receiving “strange texts” from the man about taking drugs that would “increase[..] his intelligence” and about drinking while carrying a gun. At least he’d be smart about it.
Apparently he was also posting to Facebook at the time that he planned to give away his child.
Police said when officers found Boyers at the JW Marriott hotel on Eighth Avenue South in Nashville, he admitted to drinking all day and smoking marijuana while carrying his firearm.
Hotel staff told police he’d also caused a disruption at the bar because he made several high-dollar tips — amounting to $22,000 — and waitresses were competing to serve him, something hotel management said interfered with the operation of the bar.
Fortunately the man peacefully gave up the firearm in his pocket (perhaps he was just happy to see the cops) and he was arrested on “charges of public intoxication and possession of a firearm while intoxicated.”
Plenty of Marriott Bonvoy members have been driven to drink dealing with IT and customers service issues from the new program, not to mention the hack of their personal information.
Another case of classic Gary click bait — the title of the post does not relate to why the guy got Arrested. Dude – seriously, you need to do better at creating titles for your post.
Not everyone appreciates my sense of humor. But definitely not “click bait” Sigh.
Ugh, I fell for the clickbait. If I want clickbait, I could just go over to TPG.
I don’t like the title :/ I love your blog, but disappointed by the title here.
Readers are much fairer determiners of what is click bait. The headline is click bait. Joking about an armed alcoholic contemplating child abandonment hints at a very odd sense of humor.
If you think that headline is not clickbait, you really do have a sense of humor.
What I’d be curious about is what would his credit card company do with bar charges from a guy this intoxicated? Are the charges legit? Reminds me of John Bolaris vs. American Express. Google it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJcOZp7H_7E
BTW, I was over 100 hundred nights both of the last two years. I was nowhere close to $20k.
“and waitresses were competing to serve him, something hotel management said interfered with the operation of the bar.” – Odd. It is actually against the law there to serve alcohol to visibly intoxicated people. The fact they were competing to do so really should have resulted in actions being taken against the bar and servers, especially since it appears they were quite willing to continue serving him but for the guy’s friends contacting the police out of their concern for his well being.
Put me down for click bait on this one.
I find these stories entertaining besides the sadness of the individuals involved
No matter what ones post there are always going to be mixed opinions out there of love/hate it!
I felt sad for the man when I read the title
I felt sad for you (and your readers) when I read the article
Yes of course it is clickbait. Deception rarely goes over well with readers.
Definitely click bait
Thought leader doesnt have a sense of humour, doesn’t know click bait
they should have pressed charges against Marriott for serving an obviously intoxicated man. they were doing it to take advantage of him tipping obscene amounts.
given that they called the cops on him, he should contest the charges; as he certainly didn’t know what he was doing and the people taking his money knew it.
oh, as to the click bait chorus…. wtf did you think the story was going to be? if you weren’t smart enough to know this was going to be one of these kinda posts– then it’s all on you, not Gary.
Enjoyed it. If a reader really thought they were going to be reading about someone who tipped $22k to gain status, then they must be drunk as well.
… But didn’t answer the core question: Did they keep the tips?