New member ... maybe?
 

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Why doesn't Marriott have 24/7 human (USA) customer service.

My best guess would be because it is very NA focused. While they are growing internationally, I still think in a number of areas corp still "thinks" American. :eek: Hopefully with the Starwood merger that will change.

So, I have a question as somebody new to Marriott. I was matched from my SPG status and have a couple of upcoming trips and thought I would try Marriott. One thing I noticed is that a large number of their properties close the lounges at the weekends. I am just curious as to why they do that.
(My primary chain is Accor, and I must admit that I have never stayed in a hotel with a lounge that closes at the weekend before, so it is slightly perplexing to me.)

Marriott hotels in NA have been closing their lounges for decades. My understanding was that they had the lounges to draw business travelers. And business travelers tend the stay Sunday nights to Fridays. This is why a lot of hotels open their lounges for Sunday evenings through Friday just past breakfast.

Multiple concurrent speculative reservations ok ?
 

So I have a 5-night stay planned at a Marriott hotel using points, let's say next August, and I am not sure yet about the beginning date of my stay, it could start the 6th, the 7th or 8th of the month.

Is it ok if I make multiple/concurrent points reservations (I don't have the full points for the stay yet) for my possible dates in order to guarantee availability until I am sure of the stay date ? Meaning I would place three 5-night reservations, beginning on the 6th, the 7th and the 8th of August. Once I confirm the actual date with my partner and book a flight to the destination, I will keep one reservation and cancel the two other ones. Is that something many people here do or is it frowned upon ?

I was wondering the same thing as the best way to go about this when unsure about dates.

In the past I have made 2 different reservations. I've also made a reservation encompassing the entire period and then when plans were finalized I cut the dates accordingly.

This is what I always do when unsure. This way, I have the proper flexibility, but I feel better for the hotel, as I am only taking up one or two room nights that I don't intend to use, rather than, in this case, 10 room nights.

I went ahead and did the same, merged my 3 speculative reservations into one spanning the "projected" travel period. My conscience feels better now. I like how the Marriott website makes it easy to change the dates and room of an existing reservation.

Query reg Platinum Arrival Gift (PAG)
 

Hi there, got a quick question. I have been on business travel for the last couple of weeks. I stayed at 2 different Marriott properties on 2 different states. And each time, I was asked for my preference for my PAG.

When I checked into my 3rd property (Springhill Suites) at Carmel, Indianapolis today and despite stressing on the fact that am a Platinum, there was no mention of the PAG by the front desk staff.

Request your inputs on how to take this forward. Do I simply do the nice thing and request them for the PAG, or take this up with the property manager for some kind of compensation? I am confused, please guide :(.

Note: I am assuming a Springhill property would offer a PAG

Thanks,
Monk

I do believe at a SHS you should have been offered points or an item in their little mini-mart. If you were going to ask for the points, I wouldn't push the issue as you probably will end up getting the points. If though you wanted an item from their mini-mart and they wouldn't give you one, then I would probably push to get the $50 (for SHS hotels) Plat Arrival Gift guarantee.

Of course when you say "stressing on the fact that am a Platinum", for me, that means, you asked them for your Plat arrival gift and they said no they don't give those out (or something to that fact.) While others may disagree, I'm not one to see if the check-in person forgets to ask. I'm willing to remind them (it only takes a couple of seconds and no hardship on my part) and if they just don't want to give me the option, then go with the guarantee. (IOW, I'll remind them as a Plat I'm supposed to get a PAG, but I won't argue with them over it.)

And yes, the PAG is an "Arrival" gift. If they won't offer me the choice at check-in, but try later to offer it, nope that isn't an "Arrival" gift any longer. Though I would be willing to take it then along with the Arrival Guarantee money as well. ;)

Thank you so much. I reminded them about the PAG miss and unexpectedly, they asked if 2,500 points would be okay as a compensation. Since I hadn't anticipated this response, I simply said okay. As an afterthought I did think about missing the opportunity to negotiate for more compensatory points, but am still okay with 2,500 points :D.

Ch33rs,
Monk

Does anyone have any recommendations for Marriott beach properties with a nearby town?

Ideally in the caribbean, but could also be talked into the pacific islands. Maybe even staying stateside if it was worth it (not Key West though as we were just there this past early summer :D)

Between my SO and I, we have a couple hundred thousand points so for now, I am keeping the search pretty wide.

Apologies if this is the wrong thread for my question. I have searched the forum with no luck.

Marriott Platinum - Did an award stay at a RC. Upgraded to Club Level. Total bill before tax was $240 ($200 club, $40 valet).

How many MR points should I have earned?

Marriott has quite a few "beach" hotels in the Caribbean. I'd suggest doing a search on "Caribbean" to see what you find. Also, you can check out the Caribbean master thread on the first post in this very thread. You should find a number of good options.

It would probably be a lot easier for someone to help you if you gave more details around what you are looking for (great beach, luxury hotel, great night life, good kids options, good snorkeling or scuba, etc.)

My suggestion is to look search some of the threads on beach resorts (just do a search using "best beach" along with the links in this FAQ thread. You should get a lot of hits. Then if you still have questions, come back and ask them.

For example, if you just want to have a really nice beach, yet spend as little as possible (both in points and cash) and you don't care as much about staying in a top-notch resort, I'd suggest looking at the Pensacola Beach SHS. It is a normal SHS, but the beach there is as good as anywhere (and actually better than most) you will find on any "island" resort. But if you really want to have a good beach yet stay at a true luxury hotel, the Cayman RC is on the best stretch of 7-mile beach. You will get a true "luxury" experience, but it will also cost more points (and probably cash for other things as well.)

If you really want a "island", what type of "island" would you like? St. Kitts isn't as developed as some of the other islands (which could be a plus or a minus depending on your wants/desires) but it does have a rain forest, which most other islands won't have. I recently stayed at an MVCI property (Marriott Timeshare) using points in Aruba. The beach there is nice (though not quite the same powdery white sand in the Florida panhandle) and there are lots of shops and restaurants close by, but the island itself is basically a desert. So don't expect to see lots of trees and other foliage, but there are some nice historical sites to see.

If you really want more of a "nature" experience on an island, Kauai is about the best I've seen. It has the 2nd largest canyon in the US, has a navigable river to which you can kayak down, some great hiking and possibly more waterfalls than all the other Hawaiian islands put together. And it has a ton of "remote" beaches that you would have to hike to (as there are no roads to them) and you might very well be the only persons there. So if you wanted to have a chance at finding some secluded beaches, that might be your best bet. I loved the deep sea fishing there, but you are on the open Pacific and the 6+ ft swells on a calm day made my wife sick enough (even using those patches behind your ear medication) that she won't go deep sea fishing with me any more. :(