Originally Posted by
mikeef
Bolding is mine. Marriott owns virtually no hotels. While corporate can make suggestions about ways to save cash, it cannot mandate cutbacks. Nor does it have an incentive to do so, since it gets paid off of revenues. Yes, it does have incentive payments after the owners' priority, but it would rather see the top line grow.
Mike
All true but it's a difference which makes no difference from the customer's point of view. What happens is:
--Marriott QA reduces or eliminates a standard, no longer enforcing a previous higher standard.
--Franchisees see that and the race to the bottom is on, as there is absolutely no incentive to do anything other than the Marriott standard.
So it's true, Marriott doesn't "mandate" cutbacks. Perhaps a better way to say it is that Marriott standards have fallen severely due to the current economic situation, and that is a de facto "control" over what the properties decide to offer.
It's like saying "we used to require you to throttle your car's accelerator 3/4 of the way at a minimum, so you'd go 70 mph. But we now only require you to throttle your car's accelerator 1/2 of the way at a minimum, to go 50 mph. Of course,
we have no control over whether you push it more than 1/2 the way...but you'll be getting absolutely no bonuses, pats on the back, awards, kudos, or incentives from us if you do. Have a nice day."
What do you think most drivers would do in such a situation?
And of course, the "control" here is if next year the requirement to push the accelerator to 3/4 of the way returns.