Jon Maiman

+1 That is the primary issue. Many years ago I stayed at the SHS near Hershey Park in PA when they first came out with the guarantees for Platinum Arrival Gifts. In any case they forgot to ask me at check in, so I mentioned it at checkout. Unprompted they insisted on paying me $50 for forgetting to ask me as well as give me the arrival gift points. I was just looking for the arrival gift points but they truly insisted on paying the PAG compensation and I walked out with $50 cash in my pocket. So some properties handle the program guarantees well and others just try to get away with what they can. The Blue Moon Hotel is obviously in the latter category (or at best has some poorly trained staff taking things into their own hands that need to be reined in). Makes me not want to stay at their property.

--Jon

MCOGUY

Although I'm a Hilton/Hyatt guy now, 30 years or so ago I worked at a Marriott property while in college. Even back then, it was a huge no-no to walk a top-level guest. If my memory serves me right, they were entitled to cash on the spot, (don't remember the miles part) plus the first night's room and tax, taxi fare if needed, and a phone call home. In short - you never walked an elite member.

Flash-forward to today. I really don't understand why this situation arose in the first place. Normally elites have rooms pre-assigned so there is little to no chance they will be walked. With the status clearly shown, either the FDC does not understand the program rules, or perhaps the room was booked the day of arrival, and the room wasn't pre-assigned in the morning with the other elites. I could possibly see this if it was a last minute day-of-arrival booking, but otherwise it should not have happened. In any event, the FDC should have seen the OP status when he went to check in, and 're-checked' the inventory of the hotel before attempting to walk him.

lsugolfer

I booked the room day of arrival. FDC was going off what appeared to be a spreadsheet-type of the lists of guests for the day. Said because I had booked so late, that was why I was getting the walk...until of course I mentioned the compensation. She didn't pull me up in the computer until I asked for the points and cash.

Doc Savage

Sounds like an inadequately trained FDC.

Though her reasoning seems as if she were trying to find the most equitable way to walk guests.

StevensFirstPrint

As a previous IHG FD Super, I know from personal experience the absolute least anyone should expect is if a hotel has to bump you, they should pay for the nights stay at the other hotel absolutely, no questions asked.

Also, if this person was rude, u could absolutely make a phone call to guest relations and explain and get some kind of point compensation for your trouble. A simple "it was midnight, she was rude, i was moved, they didnt even comp my other night, would get you something i am sure!"

ewok22

Their will always be times when a hotel will be oversold and it is a simple fact. It is clear this hotel property was looking for and "easy mark" or victim. I have absolutely 0 compassion for a poorly run hotel and this is why.
Lesson #1 - You NEVER EVER walk your premier guests EVER!
Lesson #2 - When you walk any guest no matter what their status NEVER EVER be deceitful, be honest and up front and explain the compensation and go the extra mile.
Based on the OP's comments this hotel broke both golden rules, obviously poor training and customer service will follow closely behind and the GM needs to be re-trained in hotel management 101.

rasheed

ABSOLUTELY NOT. I chalk this up to the place being an Autograph property, but I hope no guest that got walked accepted to pay for the night at the alternate property.

(Compensation are the elite guarantees already discussed.)

As indicated, even Silver is supported for this purpose.

In general, (excluding the specific elite guarantees) your room at the alternate hotel for the first night should have been free. Usually, the original hotel needs to bring you back for the following (or any additional) nights. This should be true for all guests (even non Elite of any type, but that occasional traveler would need to be very up to speed on their rights).

I know some chains are iffy on walking (even on elites), but Marriott is very strict about this aspect.

You can read as you like:
http://www.marriott.com/marriott-rew...s/guarantee.mi
http://www.marriott.com/rewards/terms/elite.mi

I think the valid complaint to Marriott is that they were going to walk you to a hotel that you had to still pay for the night (before even noting the elite benefits issue). I can assure you that the property GM will hear from Marriott and will be required to respond.

Others indicated about having to request guarantees before leaving the property. Well, the main reason Marriott does this is to get the property to fix the issue on the spot (and not pay the guarantee) which is what happened. It is true that if you had been walked, you could still request the items afterward (and they would have been plenty here -- the hotel night cost at the alternate property, the points and the cash). See, the property will often say, "Hey, we did not get a chance to fix the problem."

So, in retrospect, yes, you could have stayed quiet and really get the property in massive trouble. Like others, when I am arriving late, I want what I booked. Naturally, none of this drama happens when I am open to getting bumped (knowing a property is fully booked).

Rasheed

pinniped

When I was Platinum, I was walked from the Residence Inn Kingston (ON) to the Courtyard.

The compensation, at the time, was 2 free night certificates per room. These particular free night certificates were pretty special: any category, anywhere in the world. I have no doubt Marriott's internal processes charged the hotels a substantial amount for them.

The Residence Inn fought me tooth and nail and never did give me the certificates. Marriott (corporate) wasn't much help. Lots of emails and phone calls. Eventually I received CAD$800 in gift cards, plus the points I had used for the award rooms redeposited back into my account. (It was 2 rooms x 2 nights.) I was weary of dealing with it, so I accepted that. I was able to use the $800 on an already-planned stay almost immediately, whereas the free night certificates would have sat in a drawer for a while. (I'm sure I would have gone out of my way to find a $500/nt. hotel to use them, but it would have been a previously-unplanned stay.)

The amusing part is this: I was attending an event there with a rather large group. (Large enough to consume several full hotels in Kingston.) I booked my award stay at the RI a solid 10 months prior to that event. After my booking, my own organization booked a large block in this RI along with a nearby non-Marriott property - I know because I eventually got direct emails about it. I suspect that the group block is partly what created the oversell, and they took the opportunity to kick out the award user, perhaps hoping that I would not know about the reservation guarantee. Whether the hotel was greedy or just made a mistake, I'll never know...

The Courtyard people were awesome. They knew what had happened...they provided upgrades (jr suites) and ample breakfast coupons for our stay. It was a nice new CY...just not in the town center like the RI is.

gardener

That is BS. Everyone who gets walked gets the first night free at the new property and cab fare there if not driving. The $200 and 90K points is icing on the cake for Pt members.

Sounds like the FDC needs some training.

SkiAdcock

That's what I was thinking.

Cheers.

qazw1

How is the hotel?

stevekoe

Isn't being walked something of a binary situation? You either were or were not walked. YOu can add "almost" without really defining the situation or changing the terms of their obligation to you. If you were not walked, they owe you nothing. If you were walked, you have a gripe. "Almost" walked is, frankly, not a thing.

joshua362

You must be a ton of fun at parties!

lsugolfer

I almost replied to this post.

SkiAdcock

In fairness to stevekoe, he makes a valid point, even if lsu screwed him/herself out of a nice walk comp

Cheers.