FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Marriott Bonvoy? (Potential new program leak)

Dec 7, 2018, 9:30 pm

#336

bhrubin

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Join Date: Aug 2013

Location: Southern California, USA

Programs: Marriott Ambassador and LTT, UA Plat/LT Gold, AA Gold

Posts: 8,764

Quote:

Originally Posted by C17PSGR

Yet ... individualized and personalized levels of service is highly subjective as is the term "luxury." I'll leave that definition to debate in the Luxury Hotels forum.

But ... from my personal experience, I don't find service to be materially different at a Luxury Collection vs a Marriott/Ren/JW/W/Westin. The LC/JW/W/Edition, have (a) a doorman, (b) turndown service, (c) a concierge, (d) 24 hour room service, and (e) better furnishings and toiletries I think those are the general brand standards that distinguish them from the Marriott/Renn/Westin/Sheraton/Autograph properties but perhaps others can think of some objective differences.

I don't, however find the LC/JW/W/Edition to have more individualized or personalized service, whatever that may be. All of them are nice to me when I check in and before 8/18, I would sometimes receive nice notes and unexpected gifts at legacy MR properties.

Those doorman/turndown etc. standards required at US LC/JW/W/Edition are often seen in Marriott/Renn/Westin/Sheraton/Autograph properties outside the US. In fact, it might be the norm outside the US.

For example, I had a nice stay recently at the Sydney Marriott, it had all of the standards applicable to LC/JW/W/Edition and, to the extent this counts individualized service, the GM sent some wine and chocolate with a note, and also gave me a call to check in.

As for French 5 star standards, I saw this description ...

Five-Star Hotels: This is the top end of the rating system (apart from the super Palace Hotels). Guest rooms must be at least 24 square meters (258 square feet or 15 feet by 17 feet). Staff must be able to speak two foreign languages including English. Five-star hotels are also required to provide air conditioning, valet parking, room service, a concierge, and an escort to the room at the time of check-in.

Palace Hotels: The Palace designation is only awarded to five-star hotels of exceptional quality. These hotels are the "crème de la crème" and provide every creature comfort you could desire in addition to a unique ambiance. Palace hotels might include extra luxuries such as top-ranked restaurants or spa services. There are currently 24 Palace hotels in France. Many are in Paris, but some are outside in the chicest destinations. In Biarritz, you get the Hôtel du Palais; in the top skiing resort of Courchevel, there are many top hotels, including three in the Palace category: Hôtel Les Airelles, Hôtel Le Cheval Blanc, and Hôtel Le K2. Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat on the French Riviera has the Le Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, now managed by Four Seasons; L'hôtel La Réserve is at Ramatuelle and, finally, St.Tropezhas two: L'hôtel Le Byblos and Le Ch teau de la Messardière.

We all see what we want to see. Sheratons don’t have 5* service, except perhaps for the 3 examples I’ve already mentioned as being part of the Luxury Collection. Even then, I can’t say for sure they do.

I’ll be the first to admit the Luxury Collection has both 4* and 5* properties. But even most of the 4* properties offer better service on average than that if most Sheraton, Westin, Le Meridien, Marriott, Renaissance. Tribute and Autograph are usually both 3* and 4*. Design hotels usually are 3* and 4* with perhaps a few 5*.

At rhe obvious 5* Luxury Collection hotels, service is blatantly and materially better than that at any of the aforementioned brands. These include but perhaps aren’t limited to the Gritti and Danieli Venice, the Imperial Vienna, the Excellsior Gallia Milan, Suiran Kyoto, the Prince Gallery Tokyo, the Prince de Galles Paris, Schloss Fushcl Salzburg, the Augustine Prague, the Grand Bretagne Athens, Mystique and Vdema Santorini, Al Maha Dubai, Caresse Bodrum, SLS Beverly Hills, Las Alcobas Napa, Canyon Suites at the Phoenician Scottsdale, the Chatwal NYC, Palacio del Inka and Tambo del Inka Peru, etc. The majority of others may be 4*. Those 5* properties offer service as good as or even better than the average St Regis, in fact.

I think I’ve got a pretty good handle on 5* luxury, since I stay at those types of properties more of the time and far more often than most in this forum. I do think that gives me a much better perspective than most.