andrewstahl

hockeyinsider

I like to be thanked and recognized. Personally, I think all customers should be thanked and recognized, regardless of status or lack of status with a hotel loyalty program. The cost of printing a generic thank you letter for each guest is marginal. Thankfully, there are still a few hotels that do this or have a personalized thank you card.

Otherwise, I'm not that demanding. Feather pillows, extra towels, a bathrobe, and slippers. That's about it other than whatever is required of the loyalty program.

Getting mouthwash or having the newspaper delivered are also nice throwbacks to a time not long ago when even a Holiday Inn gave mouthwash and delivered a newspaper, albeit USA Today, to your door.

Some Marriott properties still deliver your folio under your door overnight, but these are few and far between. As with welcome or arrival letters, the marginal cost here is pretty insignificant when compared with the delay caused by the number of guests who want to review a copy at the front desk when checking out.

applejax

LOL!!!

bhrubin

Recent data points as good Ambassador status experiences:

(1) Despite a subpar air con stay at the RC Coconut Grove in early Feb 2019, I was pre-upgraded to a City View Suite several days in advance of my arrival, and further pre-upgraded the morning of my arrival to a City View Suite. My Ambassador status proved very helpful in getting me VIP recognition, faster attention, better service recovery, and better responses from the hotel management. My Ambassador wasn’t directly involved, yet the hotel team management knew my status and showed it mattered. I arrived in my rental car, and the parking valet already knew my name despite it being my first ever stay.

(2) Despite a subpar service stay at the StR Bahia Beach in mid Feb 2019, my Ambassador status also very helpful in getting me VIP recognition, faster attention, better service recovery, and better responses from the hotel management. My Ambassador had contacted the hotel directly because I was joined by my husband and it qualified for me as a leisure stay--and the senior management clearly knew my status and showed it mattered.

(3) Was pre-upgraded to a Penthouse Executive Suite at the Marriott Irvine last week. Nice suite, one of only 7 out of almost 490 rooms.

My impression is that more hotel management teams are aware of Ambassador status guests and try harder to treat them as VIPS and pre-upgrade them when occupancy allows them to do so. My Ambassador w

hockeyinsider

Weird.

According to the Marriott mobile application, my status is the now-defunct "platinum premier elite" while my lifetime status is titanium elite. Marriott.com still shows me as an ambassador.

Keyser

lots of people have reported this in another thread....for most of them the problem was fixed after downloading the new update for the app....

hockeyinsider

And just like that, it's fixed. Must have automatically downloaded while I was in the shower.

longtimereader firstimeposter

txpenny

From the chaos of understaffed, undertrained, non responsive ambassadors referenced in this thread, yesterday's email from my ambassador comes as no surprise to me.

I was assigned an outstanding ambassador who has been with SPG for quite some time. She was very responsive and timely in the five or so times I contacted her. Yesterday, I received the "i'm outta here" email, so we'll see how long it takes to assign, and at what level of competence my new ambassador will be.

Here's hoping I will get a BHRUBIN type ambassador replacement.

TerryK

Mr think bhrubin's wonderful experience is more due to his/her CRM rating instead of Ambassador. Marriott/SPG likely has an internal CRM rating for all customers.

bhrubin

C17PSGR

I'm happy for your stays and reports! That being said, I think your experiences are outliers for most of us (although things have picked up in the last couple of weeks with the new titles). I suspect it has to do, at least in part, with CRM and the SPG Pro groups.

I would hope that hotels would recognize those who bring in groups since that's a large part of the business (even if I don't benefit from that!). In any event, I hope your ambassador is an inspiration to others!

Commie

deac83

There should be a wiki that states 'your ambassador experience will vary depending on your ambassador and has almost nothing to do with the 'promise' Marriott has made.

I've mentioned before I went through 3 ambassador's in two years until I landed the one I've been with for the last 4 years. As others have said we work as a team, I don't treat her as my admin. I don't bother her will low level bs. I only involve her in big stuff, like important vacations or serious hotel screw ups.

Starwood cared about what the ambassador experience, who knows how much Marriott cares. In those first two years I personally spoke to the leader of the program which expedited the changes in my ambassador.

I'll stick with it until she retires or quits. I'm also Diamond with Hilton and every time I've given them a chance to impress me they've disappointed. Hyatt gets it but they just don't have enough properties (this would have been the best fit for Starwood IMO).

If I see that darn Bonvoy commercial one more time my head will explode.

myperks