Thank you, Day One. I much favor cereal myself. Like you, I find myself getting lower rates than, say, last year.
Until recently, I received a free breakfast on weekends at my favorite local full service Marriott. They were, like other properties, advised to stop this practice.
My rate today was probably $15 or so less than what it was last year at this time. By paying for my own breakfast, the sum total was probably close to the same. And, hey, more points with the increased platinum bonus. Not too bad.
Many Marriotts closed their lounges on weekends some years ago. The Marriott with an open weekend lounge was, truly, the exception. I doubt that Marriott is losing customers in droves because of the change. Perhaps they did miscalculate about the bacon. The assistant manager I spoke with indicated that she has had to field many complaints about the change.
Still, I don't buy much into conspiracies at this level. I don't believe that Marriott came up with this new change just to generate hate and discontent and somehow pulled the six million dollar figure out of the air. And, all other things being equal, if headquarters is overstaffed, cuts can and should be made. But if the staffing positions can be justified, I still put a valued employmee's job security ahead of a little extra choice at breakfast.
You guys are probably keen to get the waste, fraud, and abuse out of government. If the government can get rid of its "pork," why can't Marriott?
Point 1-They should be charging less. Expenses were due in a large part to oil and its effect on most all products manufactured or delivered.Now that oil is down around $100 per barrel, it only makes sense to proportionately lower lodging prices(remember those fuel surcharges?).
Point 2-If you want to pay for breakfast, thats fine. I don't like the fact that Marriott has advertised, and in some cases charged a premium for access to a concierge lounge which is closed on a weekend.Check out the Dulles Marriott on the 7th of March. Concierge Rate is $279.00 with absolutely no access because the lounge is closed.It shouldn't even be offered on the room price schedule. There are a lot of other hotels that do the same thing. The fare offered in many of the CL's has deteriorated to the extent that its just not worth the effort to go for elite status with this hotel chain, especially when you look at the disparity between Marriott and other hotel chains to achieve elite status.
Point 3-Marriott used 9/11 as a reason to close CL's in the aftermath of this tragic event. As the economy began to recover, a lot of those lounges never reopened on weekends.
Point 4-Marriott has lost all of my business so far this year because they, in my opinion, are not providing the same quality product I have enjoyed for years.Hilton has been the benefactor.
Point 5-Exactly what "pork" has the government gotten rid of?
