Originally Posted by
nichojo
I'm sure the OP appreciates your advice but I can see why he/she didn't provide their airline info as the question at hand was what kind of recourse should be expected in a situation like this from Marriott. At the end of the day a reservation with an immense value was canceled and BARELY compensated.
Good point, and the advice of calling Marriott is a good, but I would be surprised if the OP has much recourse.
Perhaps Marriott can help the OP, but I wouldn't hold my breath on that one.
The agreement was a pile of points in exchange for a stay at a property that is now no longer in the Marriott family. The property returned the points and $500 back to the OP. This is more than barely being compensated. The OP got back what s/he paid plus an extra $500. Of course, I see the $500 gesture as the hotel taking responsibility for this situation. If the OP does get something more from Marriott I would be very surprised. I anticipate Marriott will suggest a booking at one of their other Caribbean properties since they don't have others in Jamaica; just a guess.
Who's responsible? Good question since we don't know who was ultimately responsible for the property leaving the Marriott family. Of course that won't stop any good FTer from speculating/casting blame.
Does anyone remember what happened in similar circumstances from the distant past? Below is the only out of the box experience I have had, which is nothing like what the OP is undergoing.
I remember the Vail Marriott fire where they put me up in another Vail property (non-Marriot) but that cost was all paid for by their insurance company.
I also remember Typhoon Pongsona that resulted in my Guam Marriott reservation cancellation the day before my arrival due to the hotel being inhabitable. Perhaps I should have invoked the ultimate room guarantee for that night and collected my $200. FWIW, I didn't and just slept on the airport floor that night.
While neither of these situations are what the OP is experiencing, my point is that unexpected things happen, and we have to adapt. If Marriott can help with this situation that's great, but don't be surprised if they can't or won't.
Personally I wouldn't want to wait around too long for Marriott to do something before taking charge and making my own destiny. After all, as Sharon pointed out, the OP may be up against 7 day and 14 day advanced purchase airfares.
I hope it works out for the OP.