Tag Archives for elite benefits.
Delta and Marriott have perfected the same loyalty trick: strip the meaningful upgrades, then convince customers they still got one—whether it is Comfort Plus instead of first class, or a fourth-floor room and a “you’ve been upgraded” packet.
Marriott’s Japanese-language terms and customer service agents are indicating a shift to a less generous late checkout policy, with Platinum elites guaranteed only 2 p.m. instead of the long-promised 4 p.m. While the English terms haven’t changed, the discrepancy appears to stem from a translation error — though it highlights how vulnerable the benefit is to future devaluation.
A guest approved for a 1 p.m. Diamond checkout says housekeeping repeatedly entered his room before noon and the front desk refused to verify the extension. The hotel then called police, who removed him and issued a 30-day ban.
Four years ago Hilton eliminated free breakfast as a benefit for Honors Gold and Diamond members at U.S properties. In its place they offer a small food and beverage credit that can be used at any time throughout the day.
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.
Another Marriott hotel has surfaced ignoring elite member breakfast benefits.
Hilton has a new property system coming onboard to merchandise various aspects of your stay. One of the things they’re standardizing is how hotels upsell late check-out. The price for a confirmed late checkout will be set by brand.
One guest tweeted a photo of the breakfast coupon at the Courtyard By Marriott Halifax Downtown where the pre-printed US$10 has ‘US’ blacked out, and the property would only honor 10 Canadian dollars (US$7.21) a 29% devaluation.
Southwest Airlines will begin assigned seating for bookings made in the second half of next year, for flights operated in the first half of 2026.
They’ve announced what this means for their A-List and A-List Preferred elite members, and how this will affect Companion Pass.
The carrier has changed the way they sell tickets, offering fare bundles rather than a la carte and more premium services. Now they’re taking it a step further.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
