Originally Posted by
rucksack
I think the comparison stems from two things: 1. how each company treats their elites, and 2. the ability (or willingness) of each company to control their franchisees.
On the first point, the difference is pretty stark. Hyatt doesn't charge for resort fees for any award stays and waives parking fees on award stays for their top tier elites. They don't even charge their top tier elites resort fees on
paid stays! In contrast, I was charged $75/night in resort and parking fees on a recent award stay at a Marriott hotel as a Titanium (and Lifetime Platinum).
On the second point, there are
endless stories on this forum of Marriott failing to control member hotels. From currency exchange scams, failure to honor guaranteed elite benefits, SNA downgrades, and even
charging guests the incorrect rate, Marriott has shown an absolute inability/unwillingness to intervene. In contrast, Hyatt seems to have much tighter control over its member hotels. For example, a recent blogger for TPG shared how their Hyatt concierge
promptly intervened when a hotel failed to honor a suite upgrade. If it was Marriott, you probably wouldn't even hear back from your "ambassador" before the stay was over, let alone get them to do anything about it!
What does having control of member hotels have to do with the property charging parking fees?
as for elite treatment, Hyatt generally has better and more consistent elite benefits compared to Bonvoy and it’s well documented (especially when it gets brought up every other thread including your response).
Apparently people still want the Bonvoy product, mostly for the number of locations and different price points. Don’t want to pay parking fee, the motel 6 and best western can be good options.
(as for TPG reference, yeah, ok… blogger preferential treatment) (not all my Hyatt concierges are good… I get better service via Twitter)