View from the Wing Archives.
Wedding guests booked nearly $64,000 at a new Marriott-branded hotel after being promised it was ready. They arrived to no AC, exposed wiring, plumbing failures, sewer smells, and doors that would not lock — and Marriott corporate said it was the hotel’s problem.
A reader staying at the Holiday Inn Oklahoma City Airport says he found what appeared to be mouse droppings near the vending machines and asked the hotel to cancel an upcoming prepaid reservation. The property refused, and IHG backed the decision, telling him that prepaid terms still apply. That leaves the guest stuck with a stay he no longer feels comfortable taking—an example of how non-refundable rates offer little protection when a hotel’s condition doesn’t match what the brand advertises.
A Marriott guest prepaid $1,000 for a stay—only to arrive and find the hotel closed. Customer service admitted they don’t know where the money went or when it will be refunded. It’s a harsh reminder that “pay now” rates aren’t guaranteed when hotels go bankrupt.
One thing we know about the ‘ultimate’ benefit guarantee from Marriott is that it’s only guaranteed if the hotel agrees to pay it. If the hotel says no, guarantee notwithstanding, you’re out of luck.
One Sheraton guest chronicles their Kafkesque quest to have the Sheraton Grand Seattle honor Marriott elite benefits. Traveler reports are that they’ve been out of compliance for years, and becoming even less customer friendly, which saddens me – because I used to much like this hotel.
A customer tried to use their American Airlines systemwide upgrades 40 minutes to midnight on the day they expired – except the airline doesn’t specify in their terms and conditions what time zone midnight is. The upgrades, which were available for the customer to confirm, could not be used – because they’d already expired 80 minutes earlier.
American Airlines has filed suit against the City of Chicago over their plans to take gates away from the airline at O’Hare airport and give more gates to United. American’s position seems reasonably strong, but it’s hardly a slam dunk. American is on solid ground, but a court could buy an alternative start date for the ramp up. And winning the timeline is the linchpin for an injunction.
One of the unique benefits of lifetime status at United Airlines is that the designated companion of the million miler inherits their status. This benefit is changing.
They checked in at the ticket counter and showed their ID. The agent saw that it was an ID issued in the state they were connecting in – suggesting they might be stopping their journey there. The agent said they suspected the passenger planned to skip the final flight segment and warned them they would be banned from American Airlines if they did not take the connection.
Yes, it was real. On Sunday I wrote about a Hertz customer being charged $10,000 for driving his rental car too much on a month-long, unlimited miles rental. And when he questioned the charge, he was threated with arrest.
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 »
