Marriott hotels decide whether to honor Bonvoy elite benefits. If they choose not to, you can complain to Marriott. And usually the most they’ll do is refer you to the hotel, who will tell you to pound sand. One guest wasn’t going to accept that.

In my experience, Marriott customer service will make excuses for why whatever the hotel tells you is right.

Here’s a Marriott that says guaranteed late checkout doesn’t apply when they’re full.

Fairfield Inn in Dover, DE. Room cleanliness is a 4/10 and is over $400/night this weekend. I would describe this location and overall experience as sad. Lots of hair in the shower.

Overall is one step above motel quality. No housekeeping for a two night stay, but the “feel free to use this envelope for housekeeping tips” on the desk.

Benefits optional
byu/its-iceman inmarriott

Instead of enforcing benefits like upgrades, Marriott took away their promise that elites would be upgraded to the best room at check-in. Hotels can still upgrade to suites, but if they don’t they aren’t doing anything wrong under the rules. They no longer need to play games like not cleaning suites until they’re booked for cash so that they technically aren’t ‘available’ when you check in.

Marriott has a cash guarantee that hotels will provide promised benefits, but since they also (1) come up with rationalizations for whatever a hotel chooses to do, program terms notwithstanding, and (2) defer to the hotel to manage responses to complaints, the guarantee can be hard to successfully claim in practice.

One customer shares their journey successfully claiming the money after a stay at the Marriott El Paso. The property refused to honor the elite choice of breakfast for two or 750 Bonvoy points – they claimed what they choose to offer is up to them.

• The hotels’s lounge was closed. They declared eligible elite guests would receive 750 points instead, and offering breakfast was “at the hotel’s discretion.” They chose not to do so. Here’s what the terms say, and note that this is separate from the choice benefit at check-in that should be offered as well.

  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.

• Complaining to Marriott, the guest got a response that the hotel was correct (!). Marriott contacted the hotel, which told them no breakfast was offered, and that was the chain’s final word on the matter.

• Complaining again, they found an agent who understood that the hotel wasn’t following program terms and opened a ‘case’.

  I tried again and this second agent confirmed it is the guests’s choice. They asked to speak with the front desk. With the agent’s directive, I tried passing the phone to the front desk, who refused the call and said they were helping guests (This is after I’d lined up and waited to speak with them). I had put the phone on speakerphone and confirmed with corporate that the property staff is refusing to talk to corporate. A different associate overheard, ran over, and took the call.

• The case was closed concluding that the benefit was up to the hotel’s discretion. The guest re-opened the case.

• The case was closed again two days later, because the hotel denied the claim. he guest re-opened the case.

• Marriott responded that hotels honoring program terms is always ‘subject to availability.’ That is not what the terms say.

  The complimentary breakfast benefit is at times unavailable. This benefit is subject to property participation. Some Marriott hotels do not participate in this benefit, do not offer a complimentary breakfast and do not have a concierge lounge.

• The hotel closed the case seven times generally without any response.

• Ultimately the hotel claimed that (1) they decide what benefits to offer; (2) they are a non-participating property and exempt from program terms [the terms specify what properties are non-participating and this one is not included]; (3) the hotel has no restaurant serving breakfast [false, and their restaurant is advertised on their website and in the Marriott app]; (4) a cloused lounge waives requirements; (5) they actually did offer breakfast but the guest chose points.

Credit: Marriott El Paso

After several weeks the hotel agreed to pay out the $100 – seemingly because the cost to them to keep closing the claim was becoming greater than $100. And when they agreed to pay they maintained they still weren’t required to do so, because they paid out the points and that’s all the guest was entitled to. Marriott El Paso, by the way, is owned by Columbia Sussex which has mostly mostly Marriott-branded properties in its portfolio.

Here’s what the terms say about the $100 cash guarantee, specifically for failing to honor the choice of benefits when a lounge is closed at a Marriott-branded property:

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. Participating Properties outside the United States will pay the equivalent in local currency. This guarantee is offered at the following brands: JW Marriott, Marriott Hotels, Delta Hotels, Autograph Collection Hotels and Renaissance Hotels.

Was it worth all this effort? Probably not for the $100. But it’s probably worth it for the subjective, psychic value gained vindicating the principle. And hotels will only honor program terms if enough guests take it so far. Here’s how the guest explained their decision to pursue the guarantee,

If you think this is excessive for some reheated eggs and overcooked sausage, you’re not wrong. But after a string of late checkout denials, housekeeping trying to barge in at 8 AM, barrage of garbage destination fees, [Nightly Upgrade Awards] never clearing paired with offered “discount upgrades” at check-in, and even stays with no hot water – it just adds up.

Credit: Marriott El Paso

The problem, since Marriott corporate sides with hotels and doesn’t champion guests, is that very few guests will go through more than $100 effort to claim $100 in compensation (and fewer still even know about the $100 guarantee at play here). Learning about the benefit and pursuing it is too costly a process. It amazes me we haven’t seen a class action lawsuit here.

Marriott’s CEO says they’ll put ‘net rooms growth’ on his tombstone and the strategy to accomplish this is making branding with Marriott easy for owners. Enforcing program terms on behalf of guests (who are not Marriott’s customers!) would run counter to this goal in the short term. Instead, the chain tries to make Bonvoy as inexpensive for owners as possible. Remember, you still pay resort and destination fees when redeeming rooms with points – something that Hilton and Hyatt do not do. It’s more money to the hotel, and less cost to the program.

In the long run, of course, failing to deliver a consistent guest experience – what Marriott used to be known for, prior to acquiring Starwood and launching the Bonvoy program – means that guests will no longer trust what they’re getting. The brand won’t stand for anything, and customers won’t start their planning at Marriott channels. When Marriott’s brand no longer delivers guests to owners, the chain will have nothing of value to offer to those owners and their business goes to zero.