Originally Posted by
The Road Goes On Forever
Here's the problem with this entire thing. It takes a very outlier scenario, that while very real, does not happen in the overwhelming majority of stays anywhere/anytime/anyplace and it turns it into/implies some kind of doom and gloom, this goes on all the time, "The Sky Is Falling" thing where "OMG!" the entire hotel/industry/parent company has gone to hell in a handbasket when none of that is remotely accurate. It's all sensationalistic hyperbole.
I've been in the industry a very long time working for corporately managed Marriott properties to some less than desirable Hilton franchisees and everything in between. Here's what I can tell you as basic truths. John Q Public does not read (or even know that), sites like this exist. They also have no clue about rules/benefits/etc. for fill in the blank loyalty program of your choice.
Will a parent company eventually get involved if something major goes on for a long period of time? Of course, but that's they key...major and a long period of time. If this was a one-off that happened for a day or two, it doesn't matter and it won't move the needle at all. If they're doing this everyday into perpetuity, eventually, they will get called out on it but even then it will take a while? Why? Because as you know, the system is rigged that way. So few people fill out post stay surveys and write reviews and with each property more than likely only having a QA audit once a year, what goes on the other 364 days a year is well......
Like I said upthread, people think that the parent company is some all omnipotent being that knows all and sees all. That's total BS. They're not. They only know what one day a year of their own observations tell them plus what they see via official post stay surveys on the sites they track for reviews. All you can do in this scenario is fill out the survey and speak up and even then, don't expect change overnight.
I agree with a lot of this. The hallway, although disturbing, is likely a one off - hard to believe it's an every day thing. However, the policy of not offering cleaning except upon request and prior to 3pm is not a one off. It's a hotel policy and it goes counter to posted Marriott standards. My point in posting this was exactly because I do not believe Marriott Corporate to be omnipotent. They only know what is brought to their attention and that makes sense to me. My issue is that after bringing something like this to their attention they simply tossed it back to the hotel. The hotel already knows its policy is out of line and already knows how its hallways look. The issue is the disconnect between the two and the lack of oversight from Corp over Hotel. Marriott offers no oversight and as such, individual properties dilute the brand. Over time, this dilution becomes great (or can at least). When the line is crossed, we become free agents and then Marriott spends more money trying to win us back than they would have if they policed stuff like this in the first place.
My analogy about McDonalds was not a good one perhaps. Maybe I should've used Subway. The reality is many franchise operations have to enforce their brand standards because that is what sets them apart from others. If I cannot trust a Subway in Australia to be the same as one in the US what is the point of the shingle hung out front? In that case I'm much more likely to go the local sandwich shop making Subway obsolete. It just surprises me Marriott doesn't see this and sees the Hotel as its more important customer when in reality we both should be important to them.
Still waiting to hear back from the TownePlace & Suites San Luis Obispo. Not a peep from them yet - and I'm not holding my breath there ever will be. And that is the ultimate problem. Marriott tosses the problem to the property. The property doesn't care. This dilutes the brand. And I get ever closer to becoming a free agent. There is a step missing... Marriott should not toss this to the property but rather police (in some way) issues such as these.