Originally Posted by
GreyGhost
I chose the Merlot and Fruit and Pretzels as my arrival gifts. The Merlot is fine, but the fruit consists of precisely one apple, and the pretzels are a package of small salted pretzels. I was hoping for more fruit and/or fewer/larger pretzels. Will try the cheese plate next time.
I know this seems like kind of a silly thing to gripe about, but more and more hotels seem to be going this route. I have been to a few upscale Marriotts recently (the JW in Houston, for example), where this is the case - one or two pieces of whole fruit and bagged pretzels. The fruit is the same as one could find available to anyone at the front desk or in the concierge lounge - the pretzels, too.
If the welcome amenity is designed to be a warm gift, recognizing top (or near top) status with the hotel, this doesn't really convey that message. It seems to say "we've done the least we could do to meet minimum MR requirements."