Last year Marriott’s The Laylow, Autograph Collection hotel in Waikiki refused to honor elite breakfast benefits. It wasn’t a pandemic restriction keeping them from serving breakfast. In fact the hotel was offering breakfast to Platinum members and above – for sale – just like the rest of their guests.
Now if you go to the hotel’s page on the Marriott website they advertise that they will honor 2 p.m. late check-out subject to availability, not the 4 p.m. check-out which is the benefit for Platinum, Titanium and Ambassador members. This property says Gold elites and above are all treated the same:
Gold Elite and above receive 2pm Late Check based on availability
This hotel, it seems, does what it wants (or doesn’t do, as the case may be) with impunity.
But neither of these things is the hotel’s most egregious anti-consumer move. Despite a legal settlement over misleading resort fees between Marriott and Pennsylvania, this Marriott property:
- Lists one resort fee
- But charges another
They advertise a $29 destination fee, and since this is Marriott the fee is also charged on award stays (a deplorable practice, which neither Hilton or Hyatt follow).
But they price the fee at $35:
Advertise one thing, charge something else, is the very problem with resort fees to begin with – but charging a different resort fee than what’s published on the hotel website seems next level.
Shouldn’t everyone be smart enough to stop getting Bonvoyed by now? Marriott properties are my last resort, for good reason.
Marriott corporate will likely deem it a pricing issue that must be resolved with the property itself. I’ve experienced it before. Every regular reader knows exactly what Marriott does and is. Any regular reader who still patronizes Marriott deserves what they get. It really is that simple.
Undoubtedly, there will be a rash of anti-Marriott comments — which are warranted. The answer is to simply not patronize Marriott.
PS
The general public will absolutely not know about this issue or any of the other practices of Marriott (or any other hotel chain). And, as has been commented on before, the revenue impact of in-the-know loyalty members is so small, the hotel chains really don’t care.
Someone should file a complaint using the process outlined in the settlement with the Pennsylvania attorney general.
As Gary wrote (https://viewfromthewing.com/marriott-ceo-bonvoy-and-breakfast-its-all-about-hotel-owner-costs/), the chain’s CEO has explained that “[h]otel owners are Marriott’s customers”.
No problem, the FTC says it’s cool.
Slimy hawaiians……shocking
@Chris – “Slimy hawaiians”
Oh, you think the owners are Hawaiian? That’s so cute.
Worked so hard to get Platinum For Life with Starwood. All down the toilet. So sad.
I worked for Marriott for about ten years. I always thought they were overpriced and overrated. I think it was the Mormon ethic.
This same property for years got away with selling club/executive lounge access when they don’t have a club/executive lounge. What they had was coffee, a water dispenser and doughnuts on a counter in the hallway of a floor.
This is a good property that provides a great location for a lower price than a beachside property. They are currently honouring Plat breakfast benefit with credit in their excellent restaurant. They also upgraded us to a corner junior suite.
Dragging their name through the mud over what’s clearly an oversight is unwarranted.
Made a reservation at Courtyard by Marriott in St Pete’s in FL. Mid/low level property. On reservation page, and indeed even in the confirmation email, it lists a $18/day parking fee. In fact, a special email highlighted that the parking fee is $18/day. Well, upon check-in, was told the parking fee was $25/day. When I said booking page and confirmation email lists $18/day, they said sorry, it was changed and it’s ‘listed everywhere on the website as $25/day’ — questionable. Possibly listed in one place in small print as $25/day, but everywhere else was $18/day. Would not honor $18/day, but ended up parking on street for free. So many properties are upping their various charges whether disclosed or not, and then it’s too-bad-so-sad for you.
Another solution is if there is a Hawaiian lawyer willing to take an unfair computing false advertising case…
@Esquiar: You wrote: “This is a good property that provides a great location for a lower price than a beachside property. They are currently honouring Plat breakfast benefit with credit in their excellent restaurant. They also upgraded us to a corner junior suite.”
Are they actually providing a breakfast credit that covers the full cost of breakfast, including coffee, juice tip and tax? Because before they didn’t provide a credit that the full price of oatmeal.
There is an entire thread devoted to this property on FlyerTalk. It’s been by far one of the worst offenders anywhere in the Marriott system.
@Melody: Marriott has added language that says the quoted price isn’t final because fees are subject to change. Of course, fee changes never decrease in the customer’s favor. The worst are some of the Caribbean and Mexico properties that charge a percentage of the nightly rate as the resort fee. So the guest paying $600 may pay $60 a night but the guest paying $800 pays $80 even though the amenities and services (to the extent any are included) are the same for both guests.
@Franz Christian: The Laylow is owned by Rockbridge Capital and managed by the Pyramid Hotel Group. Rockbridge CEO Jim Merkel can be contacted at jmerkel@rockbridgecapital.com
Other Rockbridge-owned hotels include The Eliza Jane, The Unbound Collection by Hyatt; Noelle, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel; and The Adolphus, Autograph Collection.
Here is a listing of all the Pyramid-managed hotels: https://www.hospitalityonline.com/pyramid-hotels/locations
@Franz: We got $30 per day for two people. Net cost was $15 per day including tip for a very high quality a la carte breakfast in great ambiance. Much better than a free Ihop-quality breakfast.
I don’t get why people are insistent on getting free generic buffet slop. Quality is worth an up charge.
@Chris – Mormon Hawaiians?
@Esquiar – A credit of $15 per day is not compliant.
As an Autograph Collection property without a lounge, eligible elites are required to receive a choice of points or breakfast in the restaurant.
Looking at the menu (see here: https://www.hideoutwaikiki.com/menu/) the only two items on the menu under $15 are $12 oatmeal and a $14 continental breakfast consisting of coffee, juice and a pastry. With tip and tax, both are over $15.
Playing Devil’s Advocate here…how many people need a 4pm checkout in Waikiki? Most of the flights people want to the US have departed long before then and almost all the flights to Asia. You’re basically looking at red eye flights with a 4pm checkout. I’m sure some people would still bite and take the 4pm checkout but as a percentage of hotel guests that number, in this particular case, is probably low. So it wouldn’t surprise me that the hotel decided to change the late checkout to 2pm…though that too is really too late to avoid red-eye flights.
@Douglas – Then offering a 4PM checkout would be perfect since they could brag about offering it but almost nobody would use it.
@Douglas: More than you think. I stayed about a dozen times in six months at the Marriott in Waikiki. I always received a 4 pm late check-out. They offered a paid late check-out to 8 pm for like $60. I always took that as well. I preferred the Seattle or Los Angeles red-eye at night from Honolulu because (1) I could work a full day or enjoy a full day at the beach, (2) have a nice dinner before the flight and (3) sleep on the plane.
“Esquiar” <—- found the loser shill from the hotel.
ther $29 vs $35 is the PLUS TAX nuts… to tax it
The people running this property are dishonest. Made a reservation in summer 2019 and cancelled it because I found a cheaper rate at a nearby Marriott. Then I was charged a no-show fee. Gabrielle, the front office manager said I never cancelled it. I had to contact BBB to get refunded.