Tag Archives for marriott.
Last summer we learned that Marriott would replace Hyatt as MGM’s partner. Now the benefits of the partnership are being detailed, for when MGM properties become bookable as part of Marriott Bonvoy “early this year.”
Marriott’s transition to reset member expectations away from upgrades to suites, and to shorten the time period for upgrades, is now rolling out.
When I stay with Hyatt, I regularly receive a survey after I’ve checked out. I rarely do with Marriott. I’ve just learned why: Marriott won’t send a survey to a guest that’s completed one within the past 60 days.
Marriott Bonvoy (inclusive of former Starwood members) is the largest program while Hilton Honors has been growing quickly and catching up. Accor’s loyalty program – which is newer than the others – is small for the chain’s size. And while World of Hyatt is the smallest among these 7 hotel groups, it hits substantially above its weight, something that’s true both for program membership and for its co-brand credit card deal.
Marriott doesn’t appear to be complying with its legal settlement on resort fees. Depending on the property, they still show up as part of taxes which is deceptive. And while Marriott now supposedly lets you include resort fees as part of the total price shown on its website at first display, they are doing this only for paid rates and not for award nights (where they are even more deceptive).
Marriott has the most exclusive top elite tier with published earning criteria. The Ambassador level requires not just 100 nights in hotels but also a minimum of $23,000 in spend, nearly impossible to achieve in many parts of the world with low hotel rates.
Yet for three years the Ambassador level didn’t even come with Ambassador service. Marriott eliminated dedicated Ambassadors during the pandemic, even while Hyatt (which offers concierges at just 60 nights without minimum spend) kept theirs.
Allegations have surfaced against the private security force at the Marriott Renaissance Center, originally founded by General Motors, involving over a dozen years of racially motivated abuse and violence against African American guests and visitors. Incidents include a severe beating resulting in a brain injury to guest Demarko Brown, the detainment and humiliation of an African American woman, and other cases of harassment and excessive force, raising serious concerns about racial discrimination and safety at the facility.
Marriott is set to implement changes to their suite upgrade award process in 2024, transitioning from “Suite Night Awards” to “Nightly Upgrade Awards” and expanding the program to include more participating brands and room types. However, the new system will process upgrades only 3 days before arrival, and while there’s an increase in room inventory for upgrades, the focus will shift from guaranteed suite upgrades to a broader range of room types.
Marriott Bonvoy Titanium and Ambassador members, and United Gold elites and higher, can earn extra points when flying or staying with the other partner through December 9.
A guest booked Marriott’s Hotel La Semilla and wound up getting solicited by the hotel to prepay their reservation via Paypal for a discount. Only the hotel later claimed to have no record of the payment. Did an employee of the hotel scam them? And is this something new to watch out for when you travel?
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 »
