kcaluwae

Just wanted to inform others that this hotel is leaving the Marriott (and therefor also Protea group) on June 30 2017 (today).

I received a mail informing me of this today. (see below) My upcoming reservation on the Marriott website has disappeared however the hotel can still be found on the Marriott website and can still be booked.

I've a prepaid reservation at this hotel. I've mainly picked protea hotels on my trip for the points and status (used to be 12, now 11 stays in total). Based on your experiences could I get still get stays or points credited by Marriott now if I ask kindly?

sdsearch

First, according to this site:
there's another Protea relatively near another entrance gate. I have no idea whether that's a practical alternative for you or not.

Next, you can only find out what they'll other by asking, but before calling, I suggest you think about all the possible options and think about which ones you would accept.

Other possibilities include:

1. That they can cancel the prepaid reservation without penalty due to this.
2. That they can change your prepaid reservation to that other Protea hotel if it's still part of the program.
3. That they can give you some points, but maybe not stay credit (ie, it may be "goodwill" points, and thus not necessarily exactly what you would gotten from the stay, but instead some round number).

I don't know of any other Protea which left the program after Marriott acquired Protea, so I doubt there is any experience specific to that. Also, most people who are in a situation where they have a reservation for a hotel that leaves the program have a cancellable reservation, not a prepaid one, and their options are quite different (and simpler, because they include the obvious ability to cancel easily).

Happy

A couple weeks ago I booked 2 nights at Protea Hotel by Marriott® Hluhluwe & Safaris for stay in late August.

Today June 30th received an email from Protea informing me

Effective June 30th, the property will no longer be part of Protea Group.

How can they honor reward bookings when telling me the hotel no longer participates in either the Prokard or the Marriott Reward?!

Obviously they knew about the deflagging long before June, but continue to accept reservation on Marriott website! Then they sent the email on the Same Day the deflagging takes in effect!

June 2017
Dear
We write to you with reference to your room booking at the Protea Hotel by Marriott® Hluhluwe & Safaris.
We would like to inform you that as of 30 June 2017, the hotel will no longer operate under the Protea Hotels by Marriott® brand. This change does not affect your existing reservation and therefore please rest assured that your reservation will be honored as originally booked. Please note that this hotel will no longer participate in the Prokard Explorer benefits program and the Marriott Rewards loyalty program, as such the benefits of both will no longer be applicable during your stay(s) at Hluhluwe & Safaris hotel.
Please accept our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience this may cause you. Should you need to make any changes, wish to make a new reservation or have any queries relating to your booking please call the hotel on +27 (0) 35 562 4000.

Kind regards,
Area Director of Sales, Marketing and Revenue Management

UPDATE:

Just checked - the reservations were already being canceled by the hotel but the points have NOT been returned to my account!
FWIW It remains on Marriott website and bookable with payment, including Marriott member rate, just not bookable with points.

Guess I have to wait till Monday to call Marriott Reward to get back my points.

CPRich

There have been many cases of properties honoring previously-reserved award stays after de-flagging. Compensation for the stays is part of the break-up agreement.

Happy

My reservations have already been canceled by the hotel. I just checked online - they were canceled.

There is NO email on the cancellation, and NO points being returned.

Revenue bookings are available though. So it is not a complete deflag. The hotel simply does not want to participate either Protea's Prokard or Marriott Reward program but continues to sell room under Protea brand and on Marriott website!

Happy

I just checked my email today and found the same email.

My reservations are reward bookings for 2 nights in late August.

When I went to check my account I found out the reservations are already been canceled by the hotel but NO emails to me on the cancellation.

On top of that the points paid on June 15 have not been back to my account.

I decided to send an email to Marriott regarding this, and would call on Monday.

Hotel is still bookable on Marriott website but for Pay bookings only. So not sure this is a full deflag or some odd arrangement.

Last year Protea JNB (the one outside airport) did not know how to use the reduced award cert already attached to the booking at the time of making reservation, and deducted full points from my account again upon check out. Took 2 weeks before Marriott rep could make the hotel to refund the duplicate deduction.

Now I dont know how this would turn out when the hotel is gone!

Happy

The deflagged hotel is the only Protea near this park, (North Gate).

At Richards Bay there is another Protea but by no means near any entry gate of the park.

Happy

Check your Canceled Reservation list - it should be there. I dont believe you still have a valid reservation regardless what the email claims how your reservation is not affected. I can understand they cancel reward bookings, but they even cancel revenue booking yet claim they would honor your booking is BS.

My award bookings also disappeared but they are in the Canceled Reservation list.

Instead of asking for Stay Credit, you might consider asking for some courtesy points because the whole thing is handled very poorly - No cancellation emails are sent, the notification claims that my reservations would not be affected, yet they are already been canceled without refunding of the points.

kcaluwae

Unfortunately you're correct. My reservation is cancelled.
Yet the hotel can still be booked on the Marriott site. So why do they keep accepting reservations if at the same time they cancel them?

Also on the Marriott site it still says the hotel is participating in Marriott Rewards....

Best to contact Marriott about this or the hotel? (I think I will try Marriott first)

flash1129

I had a similar situation happen when a Marriott in Sydney was de-flagged. Since the hotel was moving off the Marriott platform, the award stay was "cancelled" in the Marriott system but the award reservation was transferred to the hotel. From my understanding it was basically a paid stay covered by Marriott (no out of pocket for me).

I would contact the hotel to make sure the award reservation is in place.

NotJustDreaming

Hello,

We had four nights booked at the Protea Hotel Hluhluwe & Safari in South Africa next May. This was a points reservation across two accounts.

This morning we received emails confirming cancellation as per our request.

We didn't request this so I called Marriott and was subsequently transferred to Customer Care. They notified me that the hotel was no longer accepting award reservations and it looked like they are withdrawing as a partner.

That's it.

These reservations were made in May for next May.

Is this a common approach to award redemptions when a hotel withdraws from the program?

Edit tod add:
I see others have reported same issues. Please merge with one of the other threads.

NotJustDreaming

We had four award room nights booked across two accounts. When I was speaking with Customer Care this morning, I was told that Marriott can't help and that the best she could do was contact the hotel for me and book a paid stay at our expense.

Happy

The Notification is sent by Protea in South Africa.
Read it again - the last paragraph clearly tells you to contact the hotel. Since yours is a prepaid stay, any refund also must come from the hotel.

Please accept our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience this may cause you. Should you need to make any changes, wish to make a new reservation or have any queries relating to your booking please call the hotel on +27 (0) 35 562 4000.

Given the notification is sent on the SAME date the departure takes effect, I doubt Marriott has enough time to update the website. It is quite possible Marriott does not even know about this - if Marriott only deals with Protea Group the parent company but not on individual hotel level.

The cancellation is also from either the hotel or from Protea group, not from Marriott.

I dont believe any pay stay now booked on Marriott site would stay good in coming days once every party involved (Marriott seems the only party in the dark) is up to speed.

Not going to happen. This is Protea, in South Africa. They never fully participate in Marriott program to begin with. Given the way the departure is handled, my speculation is Marriott itself is not even informed until the very last moment.

Cancellation emails came at 4am this morning from Protea South Africa on both my reward reservations. The most annoying part is, it claimed the cancellation is "as per your request".

Points show up in my account.

Given the above I do not believe the reward reservation will turn into revenue reservation and the cost covered by Marriott which seems to be totally unaware of the event as the hotel continues bookable on Marriott site with Pay booking except no award availability (inventory zeroed out by the hotel or Protea Group).

Exactly the answer I expect from Marriott.
Personally I will NOT book a pay stay with them due to the very poor handling of existing reservations from them -
1) Notify customers on the same date the departure takes effect,
2) Claiming our existing bookings would not be affected yet unilaterally cancel both Paid and Award bookings.

It seems Protea group has not informed Marriott of this hotel's departure from Protea group (it also withdraws from the Prokard program hence it means the hotel no longer is a Protea any more). Protea group just went in to cancel all bookings made thru Marriott regardless it is pay or reward booking. Then Protea group zeroes out all reward inventory.
Marriott on the other hand, may not even know about what has happened given the hotel still shows up on Marriott site as bookable with pay rates. and still says "the hotel is participating in Marriott Rewards".


Almost 3 years has passed since Marriott purchased Protea, the group continues to do its own thing and not honors major Marriott elite benefits, namely, the free Continental breakfast for both Gold and Plat. Marriott still cannot bring some of its purchased hotel groups to fully comply with Marriott Reward program. (the other obvious example is AC).
When there is any hiccup it takes lengthy time for Marriott to fix it. Now this, and Marriott simply washes its hands.

kcaluwae

The hotel seems to have disappeared from the Marriott site in the meantime. This leaves the hotel without any site of it's own. (or at least a site I can find)

I can't believe a hotel can decide to leave the chain just like that. Isn't there any notice period, shouldn't they consult Marriott upfront. There's some kind of contract I suppose...
Even if this is due to bad communication between Protea and Marriott I would think Protea could handle this more professional. The same I said about Marriott applies to Protea. You should have some control about the hotels in your group...

I'm very much astonished by the lack of professionality shown here..

@Happy: I know the mail says to contact the hotel but I tried to do this earlier with Protea Kruger Gate and it took weeks before the hotel responded and only after I went through Marriott Customer Care. I always prefer to mail to have something on paper. I know phone is faster but you have no trace of what has been said...

sdsearch

Since when is Courtyard a purchased hotel brand???

No, there is no free Continental Breakfast benefit for both Gold and Plat at most brands, only officially guest lounge access and breakfast when there's no guest lounge or when the guest lounge is closed at a handful of brands:
And you'll notice that it's not mostly a list of brands that haven't been purchased, but instead mostly a list of brands that usually have a lounge.

So also not at Courtyard, not at Ritz-Carlton, not at Edition, not at Gaylord, not at Moxy, and even not at one Fairfield !

Yes, there are some Courtyards outside the USA proper that have restaurants instead of the Bistro and which might give continental breakfast at least to Plats (I got that at the Courtyard Aquadilla in western Puerto Rico), but that's up to the hotel, it's not a stated Marriott benefit.

So IMHO on this benefit Marriott is only halfway between Hilton (which promises at least some sort of complimentary breakfast to all Gold and Diamonds at every brand) and IHG (which promises nothing at all in terms of complimentary breakfast to any elite level at any brand [that doesn't provide it to every guest], though some individual hotels here and there-- formerly some HIs, now apparently mostly only just some CPs -- may give something to higher elites on their own).