Originally Posted by Marriott Concierge

Back in 2009 we responded to questions/ complaints about hotels manipulating inventory to get around the No Black Out Dates policy: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marri...what-joke.html

I will quote two important points that relate to this thread. Firstly, "hotels do not have the ability to define a standard room on their own; it is defined by corporate and enforced by corporate."

That means extra things tied to the rate, such as breakfast, don't affect the type of room and shouldn't affect reward availability. It also means that hotels can't simply throw a toaster in the room and call it "upgraded", and restrict reward use.

Also posted last year: "redemption room availability is controlled through our global reservations system to ensure hotels comply with the No Blackout Date policy. If you think a hotel is in violation , you can email [email protected] with the specific hotel and dates in question. If the hotel is not in compliance, we will ensure they come back into compliance, book your reservation, and award you 5,000 points for the inconvenience."

I would add that I'm also happy to field those inquiries and complaints by email or PM. I'd go even further in saying that the MR CSR's have become pretty adept with this issue too, if you prefer a faster response that we can give. I know there are probably genuine instances of hotels not playing by the rules, but it seems in most cases on Flyertalk that when a poster gives specifics as to when and where he's trying to book a redemption reservation, the other posters either help him with tips that work to get it booked, or demonstrate that the hotel simply doesn't have the availability. Again, if you encounter a hotel that you think is violating the policy, send it to us; we'll get them in compliance if they are not.