Emanon,

I am late in replying to this string, your rant, but I have been meaning to for a while now, I have just been VERY busy lately, and I wanted to give you the due you deserve.

I know where you are coming from here. I have had similar issues when staying in Marriotts in the far east, and "semi" far east, though not in this hotel specifically. Like you, I had e-mail documentation, and like you, I felt like I was between an irresistible force and an immovable object. This happened to me twice. Both times there were a variety of problems while I was staying at the hotel, both times the hotel management was VERY RUDE (both while I was at the hotel, and after I returned home), and finally, both times the hotel management made a HUGE effort to lie, obfuscate, and refuse to compensate for the EXTENSIVE problems that I endured while staying at their hotels.

The Japan Incident - January 2003:
The first incident was during the first week of January 2003 and I was staying at a hotel which was branded and operated as Renaissance Tokyo Ginza at that time (subsequently, the hotel was closed for a time, while it went through a MUCH needed total renovation, and has reopened as the Courtyard Tokyo Ginza) with a package that included buffet breakfast every day (American style or Japanese style) of our stay. We had two rooms, and the problem started as soon as we checked into the hotel. The lobby was dingy. Sure, the hotel was what was pictured, but we quickly realized that the pictures were all of the chrome and shiny areas, such as chandeliers and mirrored areas and things that would not show wear and tear, but would look great on the website. It was quite clear that the whole hotel was very frayed around the edges, with the carpeting and window treatments in the rooms discolored and bleached from age and sun, and in some cases the hotel was much more than just frayed and discolored, it was downright FILTHY DIRTY!

We were exhausted when we checked in, so we swallowed hard and unpacked, cleaned up and went to sleep. Fortunately, although the beds were lumpy, the sheets were clean, even if the bedspreads were OLD, threadbare, and dirty, so we just threw them on the chair, and slept with the sheets and the extra blanket from the closet (not quite so bad).

The next morning the breakfast was absolutely inedible! Believe it or not, but very fortunately, there was a Denny's across the street (not there anymore), so for the next four days we ate at the world's most expensive Denny's (equivalent to about $30 per person for pancakes and eggs), even though we had breakfast included in our $240 per night rate (for TWO rooms!) We had been told that there was an Executive Lounge (equivalent to a Concierge Lounge) in the hotel, but it was nothing more than an unstaffed "niche" in the hallway across from the elevator bank on the top floor of the hotel, and there were no snacks, no fruit, no water, no nothing! The hotel advertised broadband Internet access, but it did not work, and no one in the hotel seemed to know how to make it work. While we were there we complained vociferously about everything, including about the breakfast being inedible, and the dirty rooms, but the hotel management felt that nothing was out of order, and felt that nothing was due. Finally, the hotel GM offered 5,000 points as compensation for us going each morning across the street to have breakfast at Denny's, but no money off our reservation rate at all.

When I got back to the US, I immediately made a complaint to Mr. Marriott's office and spoke with his assistant responsible for Asia/Pacific. Since FlyerTalk has rules about using names, please forgive me for lots of "she" and "he," but it is necessary in order not to break the rules. She listened intently, asked many questions, and said she would open an inquiry with the hotel. She was quick to inform me that as a Plat member that my complaint was to be taken very seriously. About one week later I got a call back from her, to let me know that the hotel GM had given 5,000 points already, and felt that nothing else was in order. I had told her that during the first call, and I told her of course that was not satisfactory. She said she would contact the hotel again, and she agreed that the hotel had not responded appropriately. To make a long story short, after TWO MONTHS of back and forth, in the end, the best she was able to do was to force the hotel to accept a further 25,000 point deposit to my account, for 30,000 total, which I informed her was nowhere near satisfactory for a five night stay of two rooms at approximately $240 per night (yen equivalent) for a total of well over $2,600 including taxes.

To cut to the chase, the hotel never agreed to offer anything more in compensation, and Mr. Marriott's office agreed that they should have offered more, but were unable to force them to do so. HOWEVER, feeling that what the hotel offered was WOEFULLY INADEQUATE, Mr. Marriott's office ASKED ME what I felt was appropriate compensation for the problems which we experienced at this hotel. After thinking about it for a couple of minutes, I did not ask for additional points or money, or anything that you would normally think of receiving as compensation for an experience such as this. I asked her for a TWO TIME exemption to remain Plat in case I should ever not make my 75 night stay requirement in any given year and for that to be recorded in my permanent record. She agreed immediately, and that was recorded and sent to me in a letter, and I thanked her for her cordiality and professionalism.

As an interesting aside, It just so happened that 2003 was the year of SARS, and since 2002 and 2003 were both years in which I did a lot of traveling to Asia, I only completed 55 nights for 2003 (but 105 for 2002), but before the 2003 year was completed, I received a letter from Marriott telling me that my Platinum status was being continued because of SARS and my historical Asia travel. I called Mr. Marriott's office to inquire whether that would affect my two time exemption. Their answer was no, it would not, I would still have two different years to remain Plat, in case I did not make 75 nights in the previous year. The letter I received was sent to all Plat and Gold members who had heavy concentrations of Asian travel during the previous two years (I think it was anyone who had been to Asia and stayed 20 nights or more for each year, as I had), and might have cut back their Asia travel due to SARS, according to what I was told at that time.

The Kauai Incident - February 2008:
The second somewhat similar incident was in Hawaii, at the Kauai Marriott Resort and Beach Club during the first week of February 2008, and was a points stay using the "Island Hopper" award (since discontinued). I used the Island Hopper award to bookend a business trip that I had for a conference at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in central Honolulu/Waikiki, where I had been once before for a conference (for anyone here who also stays in Hilton's, I do not recommend the HHV, unless you want to pay for the upgrade to their newest tower there, since the older towers are VERY WELL WORN - I have been in rooms in most of the buildings, either to check out the rooms, or to stay in rooms, or to visit friends/colleagues during the conferences, and the first time I was there, I paid for the upgrade, the rate was decent enough, back in 1999, maybe $20 or $30 more, but in 2008, it was $80 more, and not worth paying the extra over four nights). The earlier part of the bookend was three days at the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort and Spa at Ko Olina, on the far end of Oahu, which is an INCREDIBLE HOTEL, which I could not praise enough! I would go back to that hotel any day, and they treated me like a prince, with a suite upgrade with a wonderful view, and breakfast coupons (fantastic buffet with a view of the ocean) for two of the three days that I was there.

However, after the conference, I flew over to Kauai, where the problems started right away, at check-in! I had specifically requested NO UPGRADE for extra points, since I did not wish to pay 10,000 points per day, or 40,000 points, to be deducted from my account, just for a pool or mountain view, or 15,000 points per day for an ocean view, however, if they had availability for a comp Plat upgrade for no points, I would take that. When I checked in, they told me they had that available, and I said that would be fine, but when I got to the room, instead of the pool/partial ocean comp view room I was promised at the check in desk, I had a view of a GREEN ROOF! (which I considered much worse than a ground floor room of the rear garden, which is what was standard, without any upgrades). Before going to my room, I asked the desk clerk about dinner, but the front desk staff did not know what time the restaurants IN THE HOTEL closed, nor did they know about restaurants in the area, with the results being that by the time I took my luggage to my room (the bell staff was not available!) and changed clothes, and I walked back down to valet for my car, I asked the valet to call the restaurants to see what was open, and at only a few minutes after 9 PM, every restaurant was either already closed, or was closing in a few minutes! I was not able to have dinner that night! I called the duty manager to complain, and he met me in the lobby, and said that he was very sorry, and he asked whether "taking care of me for dinner would make it up to me?" I asked what he meant, since the restaurants were all closed? He said that he could still set me up for dinner, and handed me one of the the hotel restaurant menus, saying that the restaurant assistant manager was still working and could accommodate me on the balcony overlooking the pool, and if I said yes, that in 30 minutes they would have a table set up for me if I would tell him what I wanted for dinner, would steak and pasta be okay? I was under the distinct impression that he was offering me dinner "on the house" for the inconvenience, but when I was done eating, the restaurant assistant manager apologized as he handed me a check for $84! I had no choice except to sign it, under protest. At this point, I was finishing my dinner after 1 AM! I went back to my room to relax and go to sleep, and woke up late to go to breakfast, and got to the restaurant about 15 minutes after the posted time for breakfast, or 10:15 AM. The wait staff was waiting around with nothing to do, and lunch was not posted for another hour and forty-five minutes. The hostess asked how she could help me, and I told her that I was there for breakfast. She told me that was not possible, since they put away the eggs! There was not a soul in the restaurant, but they did not wish to serve me! I asked her whether they serve Cobb Salads for lunch, and she said yes. I asked her where they get the eggs from? She said good point, and went to ask. Five minutes later, she came back and said that they could serve me breakfast. Ten minutes later the restaurant day manager came out and told me that they were making a HUGE exception for me, and if I was late the following day for breakfast, that they would NOT accommodate me! I was incredulous!

After breakfast I had already intended to complain to the MOD anyway, so this was one more log for the fire, and additionally the hotel was rough around the edges (I found out later that it was due for a refurbishment beginning the following month). After breakfast, but before going to see the MOD, I went back to my room to drop off my breakfast reading materials, and I signed on to Marriott.com for a future reservation and noticed that my points total had been reduced. When I looked at the activity, I saw that 40,000 points had been deducted! Fortunately, I had an e-mail from the hotel, dated two weeks before my check in, stating that I would NOT be charged points for any upgrade, and that I would only have an upgrade on an "as available basis." When I went to the lobby to see the MOD, I had a lot to complain about, including the desk clerks not knowing restaurant hours, then being offered by the night manager for my dinner to be "taken care of," but being charged anyway, then supposedly having an upgrade to a view room, but only seeing a green roof, then being treated rudely for breakfast, and then being charged for a non-existent upgrade when I had it in writing that I would not be charged. The MOD said that she would have to check, and left me sitting, twiddling my thumbs in the lobby, for 20 minutes, and then came back and offered me a hotel voucher for $75 (less than the cost of the silly dinner from the night before), and a switch to a view room, and no offer to refund the points! When I told her that this would not be satisfactory, she kept me waiting for another 10 minutes, and came back to offer me a room credit of $100, and switch to a view room, but that was the hotel's final offer, take it or leave it! I reminded her of the e-mail that I had, promising no charge for the upgrade, but she said she did not know anything about that, nor could she do anything about it. The service at the hotel did not get any better, and I had a poor time there. Before leaving, I complained to the Senior Manager on duty, about all that has gone on, and he said he would take it under advisement and let me know shortly. When I got back home, I received an e-mail from a different manager, who had a title, "guest relations manager," indicating that the compensation that I received was appropriate under the circumstances, and he was unwilling to refund the 40,000 points, but I was free to call him to discuss it further. I took him up on his offer to call him and did so the next evening. He was quite firm, to the point of rudeness, and was unwilling to budge on his position, and even worse, he actually stated that he felt I was the rude one to the breakfast manager!

Again I called Mr. Marriott's office and spoke with his assistant for the Asia/Pacific area (now a different person than in 2003), retelling the story in detail. Fortunately I had documentation in the form of the e-mails before arriving at the hotel, and e-mails from the nasty manager after I left, as well as the silly written credit voucher I was offered (and the bill showing the credit), and my Marriott Rewards account showing the points deduction (which I had in writing not to happen), and she offered to contact the hotel first, but she saw it from my side immediately. The manager who was rude to me was totally unresponsive to her, and that was what she reported back to me. He was unwilling to change his position in anyway. So, she overruled him and put all the points taken improperly from my account back, and gave me 50,000 points as compensation (which were imposed/charged against the hotel by Marriott) and an apology letter. We both noticed the conspicuous absence of the actual Hotel GM from the whole incident, and I let her know that the manager we were dealing with was not fit for customer contact. I would not go back to this particular hotel on a bet, at least not as long as that particular manager was still working there. It is a beautiful hotel in a beautiful location. One thing that was in my favor was that the Kauai hotel was partially converted to time share, so it was very much under the control of Marriott International. This means that I was able to achieve some measure of satisfaction, but somehow, I am not sure it would have ended up that way if not for the control of MI.

I hope this helps, you are certainly not in this alone! After 15 years as a Plat member, it also helps to know how to play the game a bit, and how to work all the angles when you have a similar problem.