joshua362

This is the real cause and effect you see:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/27357691-post372.html

Deception with a smile on their face seems to be the Marriott way from day one when Mr. Marriott himself would lie about being full & turn away solo travelers from his first motor inn because he wanted to collect an extra dollar from each extra person staying in the room that night...

vishalgupta22

This guarantee has been in place for >9 months now and success rates are still around 50% (based on this thread)

if Marriott really wanted to fix it, they could have done it easily by now. It seems pretty obvious that MR wants to make customers happy with the guarantee but use language lousy enough to allow properties get easily away with it.

Kacee

Requested 2 pm at JW Essex House. No problem.

RogerD408

Keep in mind FT members probably make up less than 5% (and maybe much less) of the MR membership, so this may not be as drastic a problem as we may think. However, each and every failure needs to be reported and MR should take action to either get the properties trained or clarify the benefit. I'm just guessing but is this from their in-house staff or something floated by an outside consultant (like their decision to remove desks)?

joshua362

Probably .5%

Likely 99% of the public takes whatever explanation the FD hands them & walks away without further complaint.

swintec

When the hotel has their own interpretation of the benefit that posters here do not agree with you guys tell us to call Marriott CS as you believe they will give the 'correct' info but when CS does not tow the flyertalk line and also states that the benefit is not what you agree with you tell us to keep escalating up until we find one person that agrees with you guys to have them chew the hotel out.

Just because a marriott rep told you what you want to here, and a marriott rep told me the opposite, neither one are "more right" because when it comes down to it the benefit is not worded correctly or clarified as it should be. At the end of the day I think it really only matters how the specific property interprets it because that is where you are staying.

The finding someone who agrees with you thing is nonsense really.

Kacee

Marriott has publicly confirmed that, despite the ambiguity in the published language, Golds and Plats are indeed entitled to a 4 pm checkout (except at resorts and convention properties).

Whether corporate will do anything about violations is a different question.

joshua362

Do you know where & in writing? Everyone should print a copy and take with on trips.

I know when the benefit was first announced the blogs cried wolf and there was some push-back/ feedback / positive clarification but does anything officially exist Marriott wise?

sig05

Would seem easier to change the language away from " . . . as late as . . . ."

Interested to see where this public confirmation exists.

Tanic

It was over at Marriott Insiders. One of the Concierges clarified the policy after Guaranteed Late Checkout began.

Link to the Marriott Insiders thread

Kacee

Also:

Marriott Guaranteed Late Check-Out

After Blowback Marriott Guarantees Elite 4 pm Late Checkout

Regardless of official policy, all the programs have problems with hotels not following various program rules. For example, Hyatt is great about late check-out, but violations of the award room availability and suite upgrade rules are rampant.

RogerD408

Rouge properties will always exist. Given that Marriott does not own/operate many properties their stick is not so big should the property choose to ignore minor rules. You may be able to bully a non-conformist to pony up, but is it worth the effort?

joshua362

Depends how badly you need or want the benefit.

Wanting to shower 2 12 year old boys after a 1pm hockey game and before a 5 hour drive home in Thanksgiving Sunday traffic is priceless.

The above links to internet discussion boards (even if Marriott sponsored) is helpful but unlikely to sway the rouge.

A link to a clear statement on a Marriott site would fix the problem in 5 minutes but but Marriott clearly doesn't want to do this.

"Rouge" implies just a few, one or two. Someone above suggested 50%. Its somewhere in between...

PS Marriott owns practically NONE of the hotels it operates (I think the number is under 7 worldwide), so it needs to use whatever existing stick(s) it has to keep the properties in line with its existing Brand Standards!

swintec

Those are blogs quoting an employee and in regards to insiders, just another marriott employee. It is public simply because it is printed on the internet.

If I call marriott CS on the phone and record the call and they state the opposite above (like has been happening), and then post it on the internet it will hold just as much water as your above links and we are no better off than we are now.

The benefit as it is now is simply open to interpretation. Sometimes you get lucky and they agree with your interpretation and other times they dont.

tvisitor

This is not a matter of some properties. Even the MR customer care officially admits the checkout time can be determined by the hotel, as I posted earlier. When we might have a problem about guaranteed late checkout at a certain property, we won't get any support from the MR customer that the 4pm checkout time is guaranteed. Today I contacted the MR customer care by phone and the rep said they consistently explain to the inquiries that the checkout time itself is not guaranteed.