Originally Posted by
maisondubonheur
The point is not a deflag. If I book a hotel few months in advance and a deflag happens, I'm fine with it...and I can understand the concept.
The point is Marriott selling knowingly a room in a hotel they are aware will not be a Marriott anymore...and therefore which we won't receive the nights points and credits. This with no warning the day of the booking is made. Is selling a product you know you are not going to deliver even legal? Ok, we know airlines do this all the time the past 14 months!
It's a strange web of contractual obligations... as long as the hotel is a member in good standing of the "system" the brand is, generally speaking, required to provide all of the services they would to any other member of the system -- including advance reservation sales -- just like the property is required to fully comply until their last date in the system.
For us, of course its irritating -- most of the hotels I book I book because they are the most convenient/reasonably priced
Hilton (sorry I'm from across town
not necessarily the most convenient/reasonably priced hotel for the perks, recognition, etc. -- but for a huge number of travelers they're choosing the property because it's the closest/most reasonably priced
hotel and they probably wouldn't even notice if the sign outside said Marriot or Hilton or Hyatt or ... (One of my "landmark" airport hotels between my house and the airport changed flags to Wyndham from Marriott and even with giant signs it was 3-4 months before my otherwise detail-oriented wife even noticed
They're selling a hotel room with some side perks... people are getting a hotel room either with different or no side perks but the majority of the product is still there.