This Marriott Charges $5 Extra For A Room Key, Won’t Let You Cool The Room Below 73.4, And Refuses To Upgrade You

Marriott’s Courtyard by the Venice airport blocks guests from turning the air conditioning down even to 73 degrees, and charges US$5.47 (5 euros) for a second room key. It’s a deposit that they promise to refund to you when you return the room key at checkout.

They call this going green so maybe my Marriott April Fool’s post was a little too on the nose?

You can price these cards here. Standard PVC cards with magnetic stripes or RFID chips generally cost $0.04 to $0.30 per card for bulk orders. Custom printed and eco-friendly options, such as biodegradable or recycled materials, cost a little more – perhaps starting at $0.08 apiece for the largest bulk orders.
High-end electronic cards can cost more, too, around $0.12 to $0.26 apiece in bulk.

So is it any surprise that this is their approach to Bonvoy Ambassador member upgrades, bearing in mind that’s a status that requires not just spending 100 nights a year with Marriott but also a minimum of $23,000?

Starting 48 hours out and then as late as 3 hours before arrival, Marriott’s website and the Marriott mobile app showed every category of suites available. Upon arrival, the Front Desk clerk said suites were only available for an “upsell.” I asked about a complimentary upgrade and was again today suites were only available if I paid for one. I asked for the manager. The manager claimed the Front Desk was wrong and that they give upgrades but there were no suites available. When I asked why the Front Desk offered to sell me an upgrade if no suites were available, the manager was speechless.


Credit: Courtyard Venice Airport

They’re also an airport hotel that charges for use of the airport shuttle.

About Gary Leff

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 »

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Comments

  1. There is one reason and one reason only why they went green – in order to save money.
    Air conditioning is massively expensive in large hotels. This is a perfect way for them to be really cheap by couching it in the name of the environment.
    Similar to airlines. They gouge anyway they can.
    The BMI pricing is inevitable.

    https://brothke.medium.com/your-bmi-is-your-ticket-price-the-next-dimension-in-airline-pricing-c0592c755a8f?sk=6d63de598dbaa96540b9f3fc9255e571

  2. We stayed at this Courtyard last October and are booked again for October 2025. The accommodations and helpfulness of the staff were minimal at best. The only incentive is its proximity to the Venice Airport (VCE).

  3. Custom print job? Yeah, I’ve got something I’d like to see printed on Marriott room keys….

  4. And you know, those who TRULY believe in “going green” should be infuriated by businesses that pull this kind of crap. It belittles the movement by making it a butt of jokes — and feeding into questions regarding is it all just a corporate / government scam.

  5. I know most of the ways to remove the limiter for hotel thermostats. But even then some only go to an uncomfortable level of not really cool, so I always travel with heater tape. Wrap it around the thermostat, plug it in and the thermostat always thinks it’s 90 degrees in the room no matter how cold it is. Take that air-conditioning Nazis!

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