I haven't had a stay with Marriott since May and just booked one for the holiday season this year, so I sent an email to my Ambassador to check in. I got an automated response that rerouted the message to the general pool, so I'm afraid that she was furloughed/laid off. Ugh.

As this was a special occasion, I made a request to ask about upgrade possibilities and to request an in-room amenity that my Ambassador would always proactively set up. The response I received, while faster than I'm used to from Marriott, said that upgrades are chargeable and I was offered the paid option to upgrade my room. As for the amenity, I was informed that the Ambassador team "were occasionally able to arrange small surprises in the room. These are not guaranteed. Any requested amenities come with a cost..." I'd like to preface this by saying that I'm not asking for anything for free, and I do understand that one can and should ultimately pay for what exactly they want... but I can't help but feel put off by this interaction. Ambassador Elite may be meant to be Marriott's highest tier, but it's hard to feel valued when the tone set by Marriott is that they aren't trying anymore.

Good thing I'm not promoting, gunning for nor aspiring to this tier after this year, or Marriott in general. I'm sure there are others in the same boat.

khabah