Marriott and Chase arrangements
I recently posted the following message in a discussion centering on the new Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas ( a Marriott associate), and helpful readers suggested it might be more appropriate here. The suggestion seemed sound, so I've reproduced it below.
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Here's an issue related, not to the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas particularly, but to the relationships among hotels with some sort of Marriott affiliation. In my case, I stayed at the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco (at a fairly steep price) only to learn after getting my bill from Marriott's (Chase) credit card that the Marriott multiple (5X) to get MR points was not applied to the dollars spent there. Since my reservation was made via Marriott and, I had been led to believe, Ritz-Carltons bear the same relationship to Marriott, as St. Regis's and Park Hyatts have to their parent brands (with the exception of club welcoming), the differerentiation was, to me, unexpected (disappointing). Requests for explanation from both Marriott and Chase employees brought no insights, except perhaps into the confused state among those representartives.
On the other hand, I did receive the usual amenties that go with Marriott Platinum level membership at the RC SF, including impressive upgrading. As an aside, my opinion (and I've stayed at Park Hyatts and Luxury Collection hotels around the world) is that this RC SF is a magnificent hotel - my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our stay, including superb dining. Can't imagine staying anywhere else on returning to SF (and I have stayed in SF at the St. Regis, the Sheraton Luxury Collection, and the long-gone Park Hyatt).
I would be delighted to learn about the experiences of others regarding the ratio crediting of Marriott points on the basis of Chase credit card dollar expenditures at Marriott affiliated properties beyond the traditional ones. Better still would be an explanation of why the Ritz-Carlton is not considered the equivalent of, say, a Residence Inn in allowing points.
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