Originally Posted by
frenchft
High end and Marriott do not go together. Marriott does not have any high end properties. RC is a pure joke in most of the case vs the competition.
Marriott is an average brand with average properties with poor service and now a crappy program targeting middle management on per diem. Period.
They bought Starwood for the properties and the members and in 2 months they found a way to ruin all the work SPG did in the last 15 years... !
I don't count my spg loyalist friends who moved their business to Hyatt, 4S and peninsula. I can tell you that SPG employees are also more than depressed by what is happening.
Originally Posted by
frenchft
For most Marriott fanatics JW or some marriots are luxury / high end hotels... even marriott classify JW at the same level as St Regis and W (what they call "luxury"), this is a pure joke. Anyway for marriott, the cheesy Marriott vacation club are considered premium.
You are right, expectations and definitions are not the same when you come from SPG or Marriott... this is right !
Originally Posted by
frenchft
Regarding Marriott properties, to be honest, now or before I have never been a fan of their hotels / service / mindset / corporate culture / typology of guest, etc. So I got much more benefits in Park Hyatt, SPG properties, Conrad, some nice doubletree in Europe, Waldorf etc and I much prefer those brands than any of the Marriott portfolio.
In Marriotts hotels I feel like in a factory full of middle management / corporate white shirt style / American road warrior focusing on quantity / price more than quality. Maybe I'm wrong, but it's my feelings for years.
Originally Posted by
frenchft
I agree with this exemple of course, but it does not work the same for 100usd stay or cheaper (this happens in Eastern Europe, Asia and Middle East off season very often). When you go for less than $105 per night you lose. And this happens, especially when you live full time in hotels and choose your travel plans based on weather but also hotel prices, it's a bug difference at the end of the year. And if you leverage the M3D code (than does not exist anymore) with one night free every 3 nights it's more than easy to get those rates in those part of the world.
Wait ... you're talking about staying at 4S, Penninsula and Park Hyatt because Marriott properties are too mundane but you're then complaining that you are losing 200 points on hotel rates that are between $50 to $100 a night? Curious what aspirational SPG properties are in the $50 to $100 per night range? I've spent time in a lot of different countries but not used to seeing those rates in any of the major chains. Not sure even Moxy has rooms regularly in that range. And while you might lose some points on a stay of multiple $100 nights, seems like we agree that on rates over $105, you will do better under the new system than the old system even though you'll get fewer points on MAGC. So unless your average is below $105, you're a net winner. And that doesn't take into account that Marriott gives point credit on things that SPG didn't.
And even if there were lots of SPG properties that may charge $50 to $100 a night, perhaps Marriott has made the choice that seeks to encourage spending that exceeds the ranges you're apparently used to paying. For example, sounds like you won't requalify for ambassador even with 200 nights based on the rates you pay.