Originally Posted by
BillBurn
I agree that having to attach the certificates at the time of reservation vs. being able to apply them later is a big downgrade. Especially because you can't make the reservation now without calling in and to your point it can take forever to get a human being. Ideally the Ambassador's should do this for you but in my experience the Ambassador's are often clueless about the certificates and unwilling to book the reservation for you.
What rate code are you entering? Z34/Z38 don't seem to work for me anymore. They only way I get the credit card rates is if I have the card added to my profile as a payment option. I will say that in most cases the credit card rate is the same or very close to therack rate however it seems as though when you call in to apply the certificate it's hit or miss as to whether they will honor the rate the website quoted.
If anything, the approach to the 'benefits' of the Ritz card have directly caused me to avoid RC's.
Obviously it's not affecting Marriott's bottom line or they'd change it, but time is money and the effort Marriott requires to use these 'benefits' coupled with the high cost of rack rate is a strong incentive to elsewhere for more attractive/convenient booking options. With limited elite benefits at RC, all the more reason to entertain alternate premium properties.