An Autograph Collection hotel in Detroit – the Hotel David Whitney – is playing an interesting game with denying elite breakfast benefits to guests, and it underscores just how confusing and messy the Marriott Bonvoy program has become.
- Autograph Hotels in the U.S. have to offer a Welcome Gift of points or breakfast if they’re a resort.
- If they’re not a resort, they can offer points or a $10 food and beverage amenity.
This hotel is not a resort. They offer points or a $10 food and beverage amenity for use at their market.
U.S. Autograph Hotels generally have club lounges where Platinum members and above can have breakfast. If they do not or the lounge is closed – and they’re not resort – then they have to offer points or restaurant breakfast.
When a Participating Property’s Lounge is closed, or property does not have a Lounge or approved alternative, the property will offer a daily continental breakfast in the restaurant for the Member plus one (1) guest, or Member can choose 750 Points per night of Stay.
These are two separate benefits. At this U.S. hotel, which is not a resort, guests either get club lounge access or a choice of points or breakfast, and they get a welcome gift of points or a food and beverage credit.
The hotel doesn’t have a club lounge. So they have to offer restaurant breakfast if the guest wants it. Except they don’t. And Marriott’s rules say the hotel should compensate guests $100 for this.
Pursuant to section 4.1.c., if Lounge Access (or alternatives or exceptions as outlined above) is not available, Platinum Elite Members will be compensated $100 U.S. dollars for the inconvenience.
The property is a rebranded Aloft (the former Aloft Detroit at The David Whitney). Based on correspondence I’ve reviewed, their position seems to be:
- They don’t offer a lounge, so they offer points or a food and beverage credit valid at their market.
- They do not allow restaurant breakfast because the restaurant is operated by a third party.
- “The guest choice of where breakfast is offered is not included in the guarantee and many of our guests are very satisfied with the market’s breakfast offerings.” (Emphasis mine.)
The hotel conflates the two benefits. This hotel is required to provide points or a food and beverage credit as a welcome gift choice, and because they have no club lounge they must provide restaurant breakfast.
- The welcome benefit doesn’t satisfy the ‘in lieu of club lounge’ benefit.
- It’s not the ‘guest’s choice’ where breakfast is offered, it’s spelled out in the Marriott Bonvoy terms and conditions.
The St. Regis Chicago tried this same excuse and it didn’t fly. The terms and conditions contain no exception for situations where “the restaurant at the hotel is operated by a third party.” Also, ownership of a restaurant is beside the point to the guest. Any restaurant that accepts room charges is a hotel restaurant for this purpose.
Presley’s Kitchen + Bar is the hotel’s restaurant. It is advertised on the hotel’s Marriott.com page. If a hotel is supposed to be exempt from honoring the benefit, that should be in the program terms and conditions. In fact there are a handful of exempt properties, each listed individually in the terms (with the exemption lasting only through June 30, 2024). The David Whitney is not in that list.
The David Whitney, by the way, also refused to upgrade this Ambassador member at check-in. Only after the originally-assigned room was found dirty were they willing to assign a junior suite, also in contravention of Marriott’s terms.
Back in the Starwood days, the Starwood Preferred Guest program could actually enforce its brand standards. They’d compensate a guest for the hotel’s failures, and bill the hotel for the cost plus an administrative fee. Even with Ambassador customer service, Marriott pushes the issue to the hotel.
The Marriott Bonvoy program is too complicated, with too many asterisks, and hotels don’t always understand it. Marriott customer service associates don’t understand it, and they’re trained to follow the lead of the hotel. The hotel explains they’re in compliance, that seems to be enough for front line customer service (and even managers) and it takes real corporate escalation to get anything beyond that fixed.
I always call hotels now before I check in and ask about each of the elite benefits, I’m supposed to receive. I get the name of the person I spoke to. Unfortunately, this seems to be the only clear way to know which hotels to avoid. Obviously, the David Whitney will now be on my blacklist and all of my business colleagues. By the way, I’ve never had this problem as a Hyatt globalist so curious if anyone else has?
Not with Hyatt. Frequently with Marriott and Hilton (for room upgrades)
The hotel owners and management operators for Marriott and IHG hotels in the US willfully choose to try to go cheap on customers entitled to elite status benefits — particularly the “expensive” one of breakfast. They play the same sort of game and know what they are doing: trying to keep down their costs while reeling in people via elite status benefits that they don’t really care to deliver. There is a reason they try to default to pushing the meager, low-value/low-cost elite status welcome amenity benefit of the points but aren’t so eager to push the elite status breakfast benefit. And the worst of the lot play that game while also trying to even charge a useless “resort/destination/city/amenity” scam fee to those who have no use for it and don’t want it.
The hotel loyalty program owners/operators want their cake and to eat it too, and they are getting worse and worse about proactive policing delivery of elite status benefits because the hotel brand owners’ primary customers are the hotel owners and hotel management operating companies.
We guests with our heads in the bed are considered easily replaceable product being sold to the hotel owners/operators.
Gary, you are wrong.
Most US or Int’l Autograph Collection hotels do not have a lounge as they are one off, usually boutique variety hotels.
Gary – yet again the fixation on breakfast. You and many others could afford to skip it and drop a few pounds. Also if you must have it spend a few bucks for a change. Finally upgrades are not guaranteed and at hotel discretion (may have planned to sell it as an upgrade)
Please quit posting on minor alleged slights. You come across as a needy, out of touch, entitled whiner!
Had the exact same experience here last week. No upgrade, no breakfast, no room service…lol and refused to provide the $100 when asked. I need to know what to do to get them to give me the $100
@retired gambler & Gary,
to me this post does not come across as needy and out of touch.
I don’t have a lot of extra money to spend and appreciate that Gary makes me aware and raises the flag.
It’s not complicated. There is a guaranteed benefit. Marriott markets these benefits because they know they influence customer decisions. They want you to feel so confident you will receive these benefits that they guarantee to pay you off if you don’t. So hotels, GIVE THE BENEFIT!
It’s healthier to eat a bigger breakfast than eat those same calories for dinner.
Who sounds like the out-of-touch whiner? The people whining about rightful complaints when hotels are failing to deliver what the hotels market in terms of loyalty program benefits.
It’s sleazy to reel in customers via dishonesty that markets one thing and then delivers less than what is marketed. But this is the expected outcome as hotels have gone away from 100% satisfaction guarantee because of their own greed and willingness to fleece customers.
This is ridiculous. Marriott needs to start laying the hammer down on these rogue properties and removing asterisks.
Glad to see HADLEY V. BAXENDALE posting, that’s a reminder about law, if you hurt somebody … you’re liable for all damages that result from it … food poisoning at breakfast=medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering … not just a refund of the breakfast bill. Also applies to bedbugs and such!
GUWonder: Many corporate travel policies require selecting a hotel with free breakfast if an option. Some have gotten savvy and recognize frequent traveling employees have elite benefits and corporate travel knows those benefits and books accordingly.
All the more reason hotels should provide what they advertise or their brand says they will have. I have less of an issue if they are on the exceptions list. If you aren’t going to do something, tell me in advance and I’ll make other plans. But we all know why they won’t do that….
@ Gary — Just don’t stay at Marriott. I spend half my nights in hotel rooms, and I never step foot in a Marriott.
Hotel loyalty programs are now past their “sell by” date. They anger and irritate customers.
I have many thoughts in this regard:
(1) It is remarkable how, over time, Marriott has so (operationally and culturally) deteriorated, and how Marriott’s once brand standards are not worth the paper they are written on. Today, hotel owners seem to have much more control, than Marriott, when it comes to brand (NON) standards, and compliance with the Terms and Conditions of the Marriott Bonvoy program. Today, Marriott hotel OWNERS RULE, NOT Marriott guests (the guests seem like a nuisance to Marriott hotel owners);
(2) The Starwood Preferred Guest Program was exponentially superior to Marriott Bonvoy or Marriott Rewards, and, Starwood had dramatically greater control over Starwood Hotels who opted not to “play ball,” when it came to their compliance with the Terms and Conditions of the Starwood Preferred Guest Program;
(3) OF ALL PEOPLE, the architect of the Starwood Preferred Guest Program, is David Flueck, Marriott’s Senior Vice President, Global Loyalty Marriott Bonvoy, and Marriott Bonvoy’s henchman. David knows better than the mess that he embraces, today. For some odd reason, Gary Leff does not ride the tail of David Flueck, and demand transparency and accountability;
(4) Breakfast is an important part of our hotel stay, and day, just like a gym or fitness center. I agree with Gary’s attentiveness to “Elite Breakfast Benefits.”
How does Marriott Bonvoy define a resort? I have an upcoming stay at a Delta property that has “resort” included in its name. When I browse hotels on the website there is a filter to apply for hotel type = “resort” but this property is not included in the search result.
Why not start a web site where travellers can list those hotels that do NOT honour the terms and conditions of the Marriott programme.
Ditto to list those that do. Then Marriott Titanium etc members can avoid staying at those hotels that do not comply. Over time, those that do not comply will pay for their parsimoneous behaviour by having fewer guests. I have such a list for my personal use, but worldwide participation would bring substantial pressure to bear.
It’s not just the breakfast benefit I was just at the Marriott Cool springs in Franklin Tennessee for a week and I have several weeks coming up and they refused to honor my titanium lifetime benefit all together it’s shameful of Marriott to behave that way
Gary have you developed thick enough skin for some of the responses you get. Ouch! The hotel biz doesn’t operate much different than the airlines nowadays.
@Retired Gambler – ‘upgrades aren’t guaranteed’ to the extent that the room may have been sold and therefore isn’t available at check-in. but at check-in, if available for the duration of the stay, they are an absolute benefit of the program. and so is breakfast. marriott sells the benefits as a reason to choose their brands over competitors – the customer has to give their business first to earn these benefits – i expect hotels that are part of the program to deliver their end of the commitment.
@Hadley V Baxendale – the benefits say if they have a lounge, here’s what’s provided, and if they don’t have a lounge, here’s the benefit.
Really appreciate this article. Makes me aware of what to do prior to booking a Marriott. I already did this with Hilton, since the stiffed me once before.
Marriott is so hit or miss. Both the Park Tower Buenos Aires and Panamericano Bariloche gave us wonderful full breakfasts and the PT executive lounge was outstanding. But the (Accor) Mercure Iguazú gave us 6pm checkout without asking and both (Wyndham) Dazzlers in Buenos Aires gave us 4pm. We are spending more nights with non-Marriott hotels than ever before. Most of my July hotels will be with Accor, IHG, and Hilton.
I’ve run into issues with upgrades at the Royalton Hideaway in Punta Cana and the Fairfield in Niagara Falls Canada. Both times a check-in upgrades were available however the hotel would not offer the upgrade to me even when I called them out on the availability and the response was that they did not take part and the Marriott upgrades even though they’re both Marriott properties.
The Bonvoy program is losing its luster and a question if it’s worth being a loyal Marriott customer?
Retired Gambler needs to shut his piehole and let Gary continue doing an excellent job. Free breakfast is a big deal, it’s an important perq for elite status. Heck, in Asia a hotel without free breakfast for all is considered ‘low rent’. Shut your piehole RG and mind your own business.
I agree with you. Marriott’s program used to be simple. Lounge, eat there. Lounge closed, eat in the restaurant.
I’m LTE approaching 4,000 nights. Stayed in an airport hotel that had unique benefits pre COVID. No lounge, so they had a bar menus with several light dinner selections, 2 free drinks per person and Breakfast. This time, exchange points for breakfast, bar benefits gone and when asked, a $10 one time food credit.
Just booked the Hilton for the first time in 25 years and doing a status match. Hyatt’s footprint is too small.
Marriott benefits now take a search engine to sort them out. Resort fees and other fees are crazy
I now have to call the hotel to see if or what elite benefits are offered, do rooms have tubs and or showers, lounge open/closed or non existent.
Major brand full service just means “guess”. Nothing consistent or really guaranteed. The program has no enforcement.
Hilton’s rep isn’t a lot better at times, but I saved $50 by moving the next res to Hilton. Minimal status so breakfast won’t happen, but it is an airport. Lounges, restaurants and if I’m desperate, a McDs.
Marriotts program is falling apart.
@Gene In that case, explain why you ban Marriott ?
Lots of good responses here. And the usual “let’s insult Gary” diatribes.
Similar problem here trying to get Marriott to enforce the internet replacement benefit. Hotel playing games saying that they are exempt because all guests get complimentary internet… and yet that is also clearly listed as part of the mandatory resort fee. Marriott customer service just rolls over and accepts that as being good enough. Completely defeats the purpose of the benefit.
@ANI Patil : Sall claims court.
pretty much done with Marriott… this is my last year to qualify for lifetime Platinum, but that really doesn’t mean much anymore. I get permanent Hilton Diamond with the Amex card, and the benefits are worth way more than I pay for the card. I no longer even really bother looking at Marriott hotels because of things like this.
And this is why when traveling we do not stay in American owned hotels or fly on American owed airlines if we can avoid it. Both entities have forgotten what customer service means. Too busy trying to extract every dime from their customers. Okay, this customer goes elsewhere where I am not lied to and abused.
What a shame. Great location historic building, I’m so sorry they are treating elites like this.
Since the cost of violating the guarantee is spelled out in the Bonvoy TOS, we just need a class action law firm to beat the $hit out of them.
I only continue to read these complaints to remind myself why I’ve opted out of loyalty fights… and delivery of promised benefits is absolutely a fight between the parties it’s attempting to serve.
FHR is sometimes better than even globalist , and definitely better than Marriott status. I don’t mind paying for breakfast but I’m not going to stay somewhere that delivers a reduced breakfast
@ De_Guatemala — Only Hilton will give you a 6 PM checkout, but only if your name is DCS.
@ Pascal — Why? Becuase they are liars. They promise XYZ and then don’t deliver it.
Marriott, hilton and hyatt(in the process) do not own 98% of the hotels with their branding. Hyatt is in the process of selling what properties they have remaining. The wall st journal has a YouTube video created about 3 months ago explaining all of this. Approximately 3 companies own all of these physical properties and I’m betting they are trying to figure out what they can get away with to save money. For people saying it’s just breakfast well you don’t really think in big picture and just can focus on 1 thing at a time. It doesn’t end with breakfast. It’s just a start to figure out where that line is.
Sheraton Reston is the same. No food served in the club, no breakfast for elite members, and they try to charge you for internet. You have to go to the desk to get that charge taken off. I brought all of this to their attention and they couldn’t care less.
It’s quite sad because many hotels abroad in the Marriott spectrum do a pretty good job with the breakfast benefit restaurant or lounge from past experiences
In some cases an amazing job like the new W Sydney or Sheraton Grand
In the US it’s another story and a free for all with some hotels giving elite members the shaft
Added to that Marriotts extortionate Award pricing which is odd because on revenue rooms they tend to be somewhat competitive.All reasons to run from the program.
On top of that Marriott has created a massive conundrum giving out free
Platinum status like candy to credit cardholders making it extremely difficult to manage hotel
budgets.Both breakfast and upgrade expectations may be shattered
Hotels either rise to the occasion or find anyway they can to slither out of
their contractual obligations.From there it’s smoke and mirrors or the elite status illusion
As a surprise you’ve fallen for the largest well known Ponzi scheme in the world!
Some may be aware or noticed that Marriott doesn’t give a rats @s$ about elite members
It’s all about their bottom line greed and getting your wallet
They know many Marriott cult followers will complain but always come crawling back for more.Which makes it a cake walk to ignore the noise around the edges as long
as the cash cow is still getting milked they continue to look the other way Ka Ching!
Moooooooo
Btw Great job Gary as always for keeping up with what matters to most top tier members
Just look at Rio in the Hyatt thread on FT if there is any doubt how important the benefit is to most top tier members..Perhaps excessively so.
While nobody can all agree on anything no one is starving to bad @ a Hyatt property
Bonvoy is such a mess of a program and when they absorbed Starwood it got even worse. Marriott marketing keeps sucking people into Bonvoy via credit cards and other offers but really no longer delivers what it promises. Corporate doesn’t care so why should privately owned properties care either?
As a LT Titanium I’ve learned not to expect anything, especially in the US, where front desks are pretty apathetic and lounges are a waste of time (Yeah, I can sit at the bar and pay 8 or 10 bucks for a beer too). Asia is a different story at least and you pretty much get ALL the elite perks you’re entitled to as well as all around top notch service. Perks are good when I get them but so glad I don’t have to chase nights at Marriott anymore.
“Back in the Starwood days, the Starwood Preferred Guest program could actually enforce its brand standards”
I disagree. Marriott can easily enforce their rules, they simply choose not to. If the company actually cared that hotels were cheating guests they would crack down.
All elite members let’s bomb their google review with 1 star.
So they know the consequences of not providing benefits.
United we win! Spend 5 min and leave a 1 star review on Google.
Skip staying at the iconic Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC, now rebranded as an Autograph Collection propety. As I understand it, they will no longer provide for the breakfast benefit either. Higher level corporate action is needed to fix it. Perhaps View From the Wing can confirm this deficiency and with their clout pursue the breakfast offering.
As an ambassador I’ve become less enthused generally over Marriott properties in the US and have started staying at other brands due to gaming like this. If Marriott doesn’t wake up sooner rather than later, there will be a gradual flood develop with guests moving away from the chain.
For corporate travel these days, we just select the property that matches or requirements the closest. If they’re a disappointment, then just aren’t booked again.
No stressing about loyalty benefits and all that.
MOXY NYC Times Square is trying to make the same argument, claiming that the onsite restaurant is “operated by third party”.
I’ve spent nearly 4 years of my life in Marriott and Starwood properties. I have earned the benefits that are promised.
Either reflag your property out of the Bonvoy ecosystem or pull a Delta and devalue your benefits in writing.
I have been complaining to Marriott on wrong billing but no response
If Marriott continues to allow it, more Elite members will choose to leaves. I was Diamond with Hilton for 18 years and left for Marriott. I’ll leave for Hyatt if the benefits continue to be reduced.
The hotel company is not trying to piss people off. It’s not personal either. Calm down…
Thank you so much for this article. I have been an Elite Bonvoy member for years have had many different experiences at hotels and resorts. It’s very confusing and misleading. Where should I direct my complaints/concerns for the best outcome?
When will you learn ?! That claim is simply not true, for the very simple reason that hotels have full and sole DISCRETION to decide “if [an upgrade] is available for the duration of the stay”, and no amount of cyber-ink spilling will change that.
It is simply nonsensical to keep claiming or making up benefits that are clearly not yours to claim!
Hotels are Bonvoys customer.
Hotel guests are Bonvoys product.
Bonvoys model is to satisfy the customer while cheapening the product.
I am a lifetime Gold member and one year away from lifetime Platinum. Just got off the with their customer service in regards to rooms I bought and paid for but they won’t give me credit for all three rooms even though I stayed in one room and my family stayed in the other. Very disappointed with their customer service.
This is why I stopped staying at hotels and just so Airbnb unless for a points redemption. I had good luck with international lounge access as IHG Spire Ambassador sometimes but it was so inconsistent and domestically it sucked. Had 300 nights/year for 3 years and was an average Joe to them. Hilton Diamond same thing…lackluster upgrades or none at all even when website showed available inventory, no more lounges in the USA, some breakfast benefits okay and others not…but it’s all so inconsistent.
It’s not a good game to play when I can pay the same amount roughly and get a whole house.
Agreed. Marriott and Bonvoy customer service have really taken a nose dive in the last decade. I had points forfeited even though I had proof of staying several times over the course of the prescription period. Their customer service just.have me the runaround for 2 months until I gave up. I feel that the benefits have actually become worse over time. Never booking with them ever again.
Yes it’s really confusing these so called Elite members benefits
Marriott should simply it
I avoid Marriott properties like the plague. Because they usually are overpriced in comparison to all the competing properties in a given market.
Some background is needed here. I was a travel agent for 30 years. At one point, I was an agent for Amex. Amex had a “do not book Marriott properties unless the client requests them” policy. Why? Marriott was notoriously slow to pay comissions. People forget that the only reason there are Marriott Amex Bonvoy CCs is because these used to be Starwood Preferred Guest Amex CCs. Covering a large part of that 30 years, I also worked for a large US airline that does not carry passengers. Internationally, the flight crews loved Starwood and Hilton. The company signed huge agreements to provide X nights because those 2 brands catered to the needs of an overnight freight carrier. I know for a fact there was only one Marriott property that the crews preferred, the Marriott SkyCity in HKG. The company had a contract with just that Marriott property. Fast forward to 2018, when many corporations had to update their contracts because of the Marriott/Starwood merger. Guess who became the preferred supplier for hotel nights for flight crews? Easy, Hyatt! Everyone knows why?
Marriott was always known in the travel agent community as a cheap ass company run by very greedy founders of a certain religion. Their history was well known to corporate frequent guests and travel agents. We all knew what would happen. Why is everyone surprised now? The writing was on the wall for the last 30 years.
P.S.-Another example is how MGM left the agreement with Hyatt to go with Marriott. That marriage was bound to end. Hyatt wasn’t happy with earning of elite nights for a piddling. While the agreement with Marriott offers essentially nothing for Bonvoy frequent guests. Wonder why?
yes. I booked and stayed at Moxy Amsterdam from Bonvoy. I have Titanium status. I didn’t have the breakfast. they said they aren’t not Marriott.
I worked in executive management at a Marriott hotel for 10 years. Truth be told….unless you are an Ambassador or the elusive Cobalt status Marriott does not care about your loyalty tier. There are many benefits promised to lower lever tiers but most of them have asterisks by them. Plus there is such a push for front desk associates to pull in extra money from “upswells” that they will lie about room inventory or use excuses to not give the promised benefits If you flash a gold or platinum status the desk will laugh at you when you walk away. You may have some less laughs if you are titanium. Marriott customer service is just people working from home who know less about the brand than the people who work the front desk, which isn’t saying much most of the time, so again…they will be no help unless you are ambassador or above. I lived and breathed Mathis for 10 years. Marriott will find a loop hole 95% of the time.
It seems it comes down to personal expectations. I enjoy Marriott and the experience of the different brands. I just spent the last month on the road in Europe and didn’t have a bad experience. Did I get upgraded, no….I booked the room I wanted. I received outstanding service from the staff. I am a lifetime Platinum who earned status before the credit card shenanigans made it easy for people to hit thresholds. The writer seems to have some level of entitlement…perhaps he should have been greeted with the royal guard♀️and trumpets. Maybe I’m different but have no expectations of freebies and upgrades. My trips are always pleasant.
I stay at Marriott brand hotels as a “last resort” I was an ambassador for 3 years and was voluntarily offered an upgrade to a suite just one time and that was with an Ambassador assistance. Most check in staff follow NONE /NO guidance of the Bonvoy program and in fact have no knowledge of it. Most responses of staff are, “the day managers set the rooms”, when asked if an upgrade was considered. I am 2 years from lifetime platinum, yet Marriott is truly my choice of no other resort. The hotels fail to follow their own program . I’ve returned to IHG where my Diamond ,Royal Ambassor status gets me upgraded 80-90% of the time and for which I am absolutely appreciative .
Ambassador Elite member here, as well. A technical correction; per the Bonvoy Terms and Conditions, upgrades are guaranteed– but only to the extent that a room or room category has been designated by the hotel to be part of the complimentary upgrade pool. Of course, this restriction is maddening, and I suspect the criteria by which any given hotel decides whether any room is part of that pool are so mutable as to make it eminently possible to deny upgrades on a whim. That said, there are certain hotels where they’ll actually tell you when you ask which room categories are part of the upgrade pool and which aren’t. The Chatwal in NYC, for instance, when it was a Bonvoy property, was quite transparent about the fact that their upgrade pool did not include junior suites or higher category rooms (except for Ambassadors, at the General Manager’s discretion.) I found that policy sufficiently annoying that I chose not to stay there when there were other viable options.
Keep calling them out hotels that play games with elite benefits.
I am a lifetime hold member and have been faithfully staying at Marriott for over 40 years especially Maui . They have 6-7 resorts and the rooms in most other than Westin Kaanapali are disasters along with service – room cleaning at 3-4 .,, if ??
What do you want us to do for $600-$ 1000 per night ? I know and am going to another resort next time vs 27 at Marriott in Maui
Greed is terrible ! .
The Marriott BONVOY program is a bogus program and a rip-off, almost a scam. The so-called “nights” rewards are inflated benefits which you can’t really use to the extent advertised. For instance, I earned five nights in elite status and nearly 90,000 points. Yet, when I tried to book an ocean-front room, it is not available on points. Only rooms with a partial view of the ocean and eligible for BONVOY members using points. Moreover, you don’t get to stay five nights. You can stay just one night with 90K points and have to pay some $650 for the second night. A total rip-off. I will be cancelling membership just as soon as I can use the “benefit”, cut up their card and say bye-bye. A total scam.
I miss the days when we had a Westin Starwood rewards program and our AM EX provided a great value when racking up points and using them. Always reminded of all the perks for being a gold member and did reciece them. Now, I only hear crickets when I ask for any upgrade, member floor level upgrade or lounge area and we are lifetime titanium now and receive fewer benefits and limited choice of rooms when using points.
Can anyone recommend a better rewards program?
The situation is more bizarre for Autograph non-resort properties outside of the USA, Canada and Europe. No “Lounge Offer” is mandated by term 4.3.c.iv (“Guaranteed Lounge Access”) for these regions, but the compensatory offer of US$100 for not providing some form of breakfast in lieu of a lounge *is* mandated “globally”!
I recently encountered this issue at The Brix hotel in the capital city of Trinidad. (This is not a resort property). They even make you sign a declaration at check-in that you understand that breakfast is not a Platinum (and above) benefit. They are under the misapprehension however that it is the Welcome Amenity benefit that this would be part of were it offered.
Just stayed at the Marriott at RTP. That place is nosediving. My coworker fled the hotel because they wouldn’t change her room or her bloodstained mattress and sheets. They told her no other rooms were available. We pulled up the booking app and showed them that rooms were available and they still refused to give her a new room. My room was filthy as well. For $300 a night you would think you could expect better service. After 10 years and lifetime Platinum status I’m saying bon voyage to bonvoy.
Same thing at Hotel Cleveland that used to be Renaissance. Disappointed that they didn’t have lounge for platinum members. Copout by Marriott.
I’ve experienced this at the Courtyard in Sedona, AZ. Management claims they are exempt from offering Elite benefits and that they are a resort. Bonvoy agreed with me, but deferred to the hotel and closed the case without resolution. Only after calling the property out via reviews/surveys, did they later provide me a credit for what is supposed to be included-breakfast.
I agree. The Bonvoy Program requires a refresh as well as some consistency across all the brands. We had an issue with late checkout (we are Titanium) benefit at the Residence Inn Augusta, GA. Even after calling Titanium Support, the GM would only allow us late check out till 1:00pm. First he insisted that rooms were not available. The benefit again does not have conditions, it is guaranteed. He did offer us 4:00pm checkout if we paid an additional half-day rate. Another call to Titanium support and that was reversed quickly. I think alot of that has to do with actual owners who try to skirt the Bonvoy rules. We all should report these to Marriott. Hopefully somewhere these reports are documented.
I’m going to write a negative review about the hotel in Tripadvisor and Google Maps
GM Response: “Thank you for the feedback regarding your recent stay at Hotel David Whitney. We extend our sincere apology for not meeting your expectations as a valued Marriott Bonvoy Member.
Hotel David Whitney transitioned to Marriott’s Autograph Collection in March, and we are very aware of the benefits extended to Platinum, Titanium and Ambassador Bonvoy guests. To clarify, upon arrival we offer a welcome gift of 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy points or a ten dollar food and beverage credit. Although most of our guests prefer additional points, if the food and beverage credit is their preference it is reflected on the guestroom folio upon departure.
The second benefit offered to meet Marriott’s concierge lounge guarantee is the choice of 750 points or a complimentary continental breakfast for two from our Capper & Capper market. Our guests may choose from a variety of options including bagels, fresh baked pastries, gourmet oatmeal, protein bars, fresh fruit, yogurt, juice and specialty coffee.
I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss your experience in more detail to determine where there may have been a disconnect. We have located your record in our system and I will reach out to you today. If we did not offer the benefits as described above, I would like to correct our oversight and we will properly compensate you.
Also for clarification our in-room dining is offered by Presley’s and a menu is placed on the night stand in all of our guest rooms.”
Ambassador Level here and Lifetime Platinum. Thanks for this article. The other comments are also very insightful and not surprising.
They need to revamp the program or do a better job of policing it across different hotel brands and locations. I travel the world and it’s hit or miss with service. Latin America is the worst.
Marriott is quite simply too big. Basically, they have lost control of the brand and couldn’t care about it in any case. Amoral, mercenary cheapskates.
I choose Marriot for nights other than another I thought about. I booked Marriot because they advertised free breakfast. Then was told I couldn’t receive it. I booked two months ahead and payed in full. I wonder what else isn’t true.
It’s been years since my room has been upgraded, I feel lucky if the room is cleaned daily, and the quality of breakfasts at Residence Inn, Springhill Suites, and Marriotts are practically inedible. I am lifetime Titanium and notice that even the cost of using points has gone up while service has gone down. Time to get it together Marriott!
They pulled the same thing with me at the Hotel Parada (autograph collection) in Santa Cruz, California. Refused to give me anything, especially the $100. Marriott corporate did absolutely nothing except for 6000 “I’m sorry points”
Bonvoy is a Marketing program for Marriott, a Business. The goal of the marketing program is to create loyalty, which Bonvoy has done very successfully. The goal of the hotel business is to provide services to guests for profit (collect more than you spend providing such services). Short term, this appears to be a very successful business model. Who’s the pawn?
Thanks for writing this article as it is really an issue. I am a titanium member and most stays I have now breakfast is not an option. I used to be pretty reliable at Marriott proper hotels, but just last month I stayed at a Marriott proper in Orange county, they didn’t have a lounge so they gave me a voucher for a continental breakfast. I was able to get a beagle and a coffee, a big difference from what I used to get.
This was one of the Marriott benefits I really enjoyed, it’s a real shame they are slowly getting rid of this benefit one hotel at a time.
Considering the fact that Marriot rents there Suites through Airbnb, I’m surprised anyone ever gets the upgrades they tout as a benefit… It’s crazy they get away with this… Especially when you consider the fact they led the push to ban Airbnb in NYC. For reference is the article from this blog where I learned about this.
https://viewfromthewing.com/save-big-on-marriott-hotels-by-booking-them-through-airbnb/