Update post checkout with some more detailed info based on my notes from then (just being bored sitting in the Dubai sun at the moment):



16h Late checkout denied

• Was told the hotel was sold out therefore they could not honor late checkout. I said it’s guaranteed, but they said hotel sold out, all platinum and above would have to leave by 14h. Had a very late flight to South America, so this was annoying. I obliged, but asked Marriott chat staff to raise a case. Not gonna go into the silly conversation I had on customer service chat initially, wow.
• I didnt want to post this until there was a resolution, I have one now, it took 65 days and raising an additional case. Resolution is a few points, which is fine. But it was more important for me to make a formal point of this as 16h guaranteed late checkout is a key selling point for me and others over for example Hilton Diamond.

Housekeeping

• Staff very liberal with entering the room. Even when do not enter sign is up, staff has entered room (granted, we requested a razor, but still the protocol is to give room a call and make aware of sign and dont just enter). Another time I was about to open door, just in underwear when we received back laundry (with a do not disturb sign on). Couldve been avoided.

Billing

• Several billing issues. I went down to sort any potential issues the evening before given all the comments. Could see her processing credits for breakfast and no issues arose (whoever I met then appears to be the most knowledgeable individual as well). 1) Next morning upon checkout obviously everything that happened since that check were errors, nothing processed. First Laundry wasnt taken off. She said maximum $15 per day. I was told on checkin it accumulates for 4 days to a max of $60. Another staff intervened (the one from the evening before), it accumulates up to 3 days to $45. Bill was $49, I couldnt be bothered to push further for the $4, but my girlfriend later agreed we were told 4 days. Staff had to process refund as credit card already charged. 2) as I walked away I saw the bill still didnt look right. Breakfast wasnt taken off. I went back to reception and pointed to it, she turned to her colleague annoyed “he keeps challenging me”, what a reaction. We all looked at it together and I was right. So again, refund processed. What. A. Pain. Honestly so far away from a “luxury collection” hotel with the soft product. Just managing expectations with a leaflet upon checkin what is included and what isnt based on status and/or rate, like so many hotels do, would alleviate a lot of miscommunication and pain.
• Destination fee never got any real use tbh, we just did laundry for the sake of it and the differential between breakfast plus 18% service charge ($50 + $13.44 SC) we topped up with tip up to max of the $85 total credit as we couldnt find a better use. So technically that destination fee credit we forcibly bought solely went to tip and tax. Good to know that it covers tip though, some hotels dont. Off the top of my head I had issues with this at JW Marriott Frankfurt for example.
• I pushed back on this as part of the above re-raised case just to draw attention to it, but it generally seems like american society has simply accepted these junk fees now anyway. Hasnt gone anywhere.

As mentioned before with regards to last impressions, I left annoyed as the breakfast was not good that morning (we went down at 9 rather than the usual 7am) and they never replenished yoghurts and berries and other things, which is bad given the breakfast is already bare bones really. Then the note that late checkout is a no. Then the billing issues having to turn back to the reception twice. Then the bellmen made absolutely no effort helping with luggage or even just opening the door even though you could see my girlfriend struggle with her stuff.



My point with so many detailed words is that there is a theme of poorly trained staff who also dont really seem to care. Given the hotel is fully occupied so frequently, who am I to argue that they’re doing a bad job, or all the bad reviews… As long as people keep booking it, they wont really care.