The Bonvoy Rebellion is Here
Jeff Edwards March 15, 2019
Former Marriott Rewards members have started a campaign to shame the hotel conglomerate over real and perceived slights following the integration with the Starwood Preferred Guest loyalty program and the formation of the new Bonvoy rewards program. Disgruntled elite travelers have even created a “bonvoyed” website to allow unhappy guests with status to air their many grievances.
Marriott International’s acquisition of Starwood Hotels and Resorts hasn’t exactly gone off without a hitch. Now, some of the hospitality giant’s most loyal customers are going to great lengths to get the company’s attention.
In recent months, Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) members have quietly suffered the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. The combined loyalty program has left some members feeling cheated out of elite status. The thorny loyalty integration was soon followed by a particularly severe reward redemption and benefits devaluation. To make matters worse, Marriott revealed that its elite guests may have been victims of the largest data breach in history.
Even the name of the combined rewards program, “Bonvoy,” earned a collective ‘meh‘ from weary customers. The number of unhappy Marriott customers has reportedly been a boon to the Hilton Honors program which reports it has won millions of new members, in part, because of Marriott’s woes. Other loyal Marriott customers, however, have vowed to take arms against a sea of troubles.
Skift’s Grant Martin reports that a group of activist Bonvoy members have created a “bonvoyed” campaign to draw attention to their plight. The bonvoyed.com site gives dissatisfied members a public forum to air grievances about everything from long hold times, difficulty using or receiving reward points or seemingly unfixable IT issues. Some users take to the site to simply reminisce about the glory days prior to the Marriott/SPG merger.
In October, Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson attempted to appease dissatisfied customers. He promised to evaluate the company’s most unpopular recent moves.
“We are really interested and eager to see the results of that now over the next few months, but there’s a lot of work yet to be done,” Sorenson said in public comments. “When you look at the program from a credit card perspective or points earned or elite status, yes, there are some changes that are not loved.”
For the most part, unhappy Bonvoy members were not impressed by the hotel executive’s admonishment to members to “hang with us.” The bonvoyed campaign appears determined to send the message that time is up.
“Sorenson’s comments are one of the main reasons that we started this site,” Jeffrey Brownson, one of the creators of the site told Skift. “He clearly has no idea how these ‘outlying’ problems are affecting Marriott’s everyday customers.”
[Image Source: Marriott]
Marriott is bad and seems to be getting worse but Hilton is heading down hill right behind them. I will not go in to details but a lot of similar things. I have given up both this year.
Lifetime status I hit 500 nights around March of 2018 and 10 years before the August 2018 take over of Marriott .So I should be lifetime platinum .It changed to that status in Jan of 2019.2 weeks later it changed to Lifetime gold I have a total of 551 stays/nights 6 of those nights were in 2019 so take those 6 nights away its 500.so why are they telling me that I didn't have.500 in 2018 My account still shows 551 nights and 10 years that didnt change just the status to gold .Tonight my status says I am on my way to silver elite lifetime status. Its says I have 551 nights/stays 0 years platinum......
I qualified for lifetime Titanium Elite (750nights and 10 yrs plat before end of 2018). Emailed them to see whats going on, and first agent said it doesn't look like I qualify but will put in further research. I haven't heard from them in a week.
Having been high status at both Marriott and SPG with an Ambassador earned, I have experienced a number of problems beginning with my hotel on Aug 24th not having my reservation and the next hotel having a check-in system down, need to use a paper chart to record each guest check-in and need to bring all guests to their rooms to open the doors for them with a master. Before we could call in to Mr Marriott's office with a problem and it would get resolved. They have removed that office, and now maybe one will get the "escalation department" which replaces his office and staff but certainly does not equal the service of before. On the Ambassador side, those people have really suffered. It appears the training and addition of new systems was not in sync, not enough, or not effective. They were running full speed with clients and taking on massive changes. Of course it was a disaster. Plus the rumor was that each Ambassador had been give double the client load. I don't know, not verified. But certainly my Ambassador and their managers were suffering taking on business, while getting new software, new computers, new telephones and systems. Definetly too much at once. What surprises me, is that in America with the famous business schools, tons of MBA's, prior history of modern corporations making mistakes, is that Marriott has not taken or seems to not have taken advantage of all this knowledge and just dove in, which in today's business environment and being one of the biggest hotel brands, seems to be just nonsense. Of course as it has been said in ancient Greece, the fish rots from the head. Of course leadership needs to take responsiblity for this failure. And have not. On another blog by John, a former employee of Marriott says that Arne Sorensen only visited a customer service site two weeks ago. Late? And presumably if not corrected soon, the board and Wall Street will be calling for management changes. I do hope they get it right and I do hope they value their clients. My status's were earned in nights, I know the brands inside and out over many years. I do hope they listen and get it right.
When Marriott was family owned it was the place to be a status member. Today as a faceless corporate business, life status is the only reason I even look for a room.