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I’m Platinum Premier Ambassador & so is my wife - yes we travel a lot! My ambassador has been awesome. She went above and beyond for my folks who were staying with my points in Hawaii. She had a spread for them in the room with everything they loved. My folks were happy and that’s all that mattered to me. I havent used her for anything personally. My wife used hers for our honeymoon stay in Fiji & Hawaii. The RC in Kapalua did right by us to say the least. Fiji did as well and we were fortunate to stay in a above water bungalow there. I’ve been impressed with my ambassador Natalie and the overall special service I’ve received when I’ve requested something. |
So my Ambassador called me this morning to review the results of all her behind the scenes negotiating she has done on my behalf. I am not naming properties since YMMV. For a celebration getaway next winter she was able to get me a 6th night on points that the hotel was showing as unavailable so that I would not have to check out on my birthday. She also arranged for a guaranteed upgrade at no extra charge for the entire 6 night award stay. For 2 International hotels we will be visiting next fall she was able to arrange guaranteed cash upgrades on points reservations to each hotel's top suite for a really reasonable nightly fee. I had originally made cash reservations since I wanted to ensure that we would have special rooms. She also made sure that all of the hotels noted my Ambassador status. In the past I would have been negotiating with the hotels myself and may or may not have achieved the same great results she did, but with time differences, language barriers and the challenge of speaking to the right person I feel as if my Ambassador earned her keep for the entire year. Not only did I save actual cash, but I saved time and hassle. (and worry that things would be done right. She waited to cancel the cash reservations I had made until the award reservations were finalized) At this point I am 90% sure I will make the effort to achieve Ambassador again this year. |
Originally Posted by damon88
(Post 30655230)
So my Ambassador called me this morning to review the results of all her behind the scenes negotiating she has done on my behalf. I am not naming properties since YMMV.
For a celebration getaway next winter she was able to get me a 6th night on points that the hotel was showing as unavailable so that I would not have to check out on my birthday. She also arranged for a guaranteed upgrade at no extra charge for the entire 6 night award stay. For 2 International hotels we will be visiting next fall she was able to arrange guaranteed cash upgrades on points reservations to each hotel's top suite for a really reasonable nightly fee. I had originally made cash reservations since I wanted to ensure that we would special rooms. She also made sure that all of the hotels noted my Ambassador status. In the past I would have been negotiating with the hotels myself and may or may not have achieved the same great results she did, but with time differences, language barriers and the challenge of speaking to the right person I feel as if my Ambassador earned her keep for the entire year. Not only did I save actual cash, but I saved time and hassle. (and worry that things would be done right. She waited to cancel the cash reservations I had made until the award reservations were finalized) At this point I am 90% sure I will make the effort to achieve Ambassador again this year. |
Originally Posted by hockeyinsider
(Post 30655352)
That's great, assuming the hotels actually deliver between now and these stays.
I have written confirmations 👍 |
I just wish my ambassador would respond to my emails after 5 attempts about missing stays. In fact I’m not sure if they’re still around since I no longer get auto replies and their contact information is no longer listed on the app. I even copied all the general ambassador email addresses - [email protected], [email protected]. I’ve never been a huge supporter of this service, my ambassdor couldn’t even get me upgraded on my honeymoon at a hotel that had plenty of higher category rooms available. 5 years of mediocre Ambassdor service and it’s only getting worse. Time to move on to splitting my time with Hyatt. |
Originally Posted by damon88
(Post 30655537)
I have written confirmations 👍 If the confirmations are from the property then there is a SLIGHTLY GREATER chance they will happen. I do hope they happen, but from what I've been reading, even with assurances the requests have been sent and received, some properties still failed to deliver. It all boils down to who's working that day. |
Originally Posted by RogerD408
(Post 30657299)
If the confirmations are from your ambassador then there is a SLIGHT chance they will happen.
If the confirmations are from the property then there is a SLIGHTLY GREATER chance they will happen. I do hope they happen, but from what I've been reading, even with assurances the requests have been sent and received, some properties still failed to deliver. It all boils down to who's working that day. The fearmongering going on here is rather tragic and unnecessary. |
Originally Posted by bhrubin
(Post 30657349)
Ah, no. I think @damon88 has amply demonstrated how thorough and reliable her Ambassador is. There is no reason for her to doubt her confirmations. The fearmongering going on here is rather tragic and unnecessary. |
Originally Posted by RogerD408
(Post 30657396)
I do hope everything goes well, but how many times have people posted they have been assured their ambassador has done their job yet the property fails to deliver or even acknowledge any contact from the ambassador? I go in with no expectations and like being surprised when they actually follow through. Everyone gets to choose how they approach a situation, some with the rose colored glasses on, some without.
Like @damon88, I never have been assured of something by my Ambassador in advance and subsequently had a hotel somehow fail to deliver on that assurance. Not once. Most of the complaints shared herein on which you’re predicating needless concern actually tend to involve failed Marriott IT (for which our Ambassadors are not capable of resolution and which is unrelated to this circumstance), lack of responsiveness (not a factor here, either), an inability to parse the Marriott bureaucracy (not a factor here, either), and a lack of suite upgrades. Suite upgrades via SNA have nothing to do with Ambassadors or the hotels. Suite upgrades otherwise are at the discretion of the hotels. Ambassadors rarely guarantee a suite upgrade; too many of the complaints herein are about guests making assumptions or hearing what they want to hear and then scapegoating their Ambassadors and sometimes the hotels when suite upgrades simply aren’t available. Entitlement is the issue there, not Ambassadors failing to deliver. The suite upgrades mentioned by @damon88 include cash upgrades arranged in advance. There is no reason to believe the hotels won’t honor what has already been negotiated between @damon88 and her hotels. Suggesting otherwise to me is fearmongering. |
Originally Posted by bhrubin
(Post 30657462)
This slippery slope argument is an example of fallacious thinking. You’re trying to convince us that it can all go wrong because some other unrelated things have gone wrong for others in completely unrelated circumstances. I’m sorry, but to me that is fearmongering. Like @damon88, I never have been assured of something by my Ambassador in advance and subsequently had a hotel somehow fail to deliver on that assurance. Not once. Most of the complaints shared herein on which you’re predicating fear tend to be with Marriott IT (for which our Ambassadors are not capable of resolution and which is unrelated to this circumstance), lack of responsiveness (not a factor here, either), an inability to parse the Marriott bureaucracy (not a factor here, either), and a lack of suite upgrades. Suite upgrades via SNA have nothing to do with Ambassadors or the hotels. Suite upgrades otherwise are at the discretion of the hotels. Ambassadors rarely guarantee a suite upgrade; too many of the complaints herein are about guests making assumptions or hearing what they want to hear and then scapegoating their Ambassadors and sometimes the hotels when suite upgrades simply aren’t available. Entitlement is the issue there, not Ambassadors failing to deliver. The suite upgrades mentioned by @damon88 include cash upgrades arranged in advance. There is no reason to believe the hotels won’t honor what has already been negotiated between @damon88 and her hotels. Suggesting otherwise to me is fearmongering. |
Over the years I have negotiated advance cash upgrades at many hotels- mostly Starwood but a few Hyatt’s too. Never once has a hotel failed to honor the agreement.
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Originally Posted by damon88
(Post 30657898)
Over the years I have negotiated advance cash upgrades at many hotels- mostly Starwood but a few Hyatt’s too. Never once has a hotel failed to honor the agreement.
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Originally Posted by longtimereader firstimeposter
(Post 30658071)
So basically your Ambassador just played a middle man in a simple request that you've done in the past? I wouldn't say this is good or bad. Just a data point that they are responsive and they can do a simple task.
And FWIW last year a different hotel told me they would ONLY negotiate cash upgrades with an Ambassador- they were not authorized to negotiate directly with a guest. My Ambassador succeeded then as well. I also really doubt that the hotel that waived the 6 night upgrade for me as a Birthday gift would have done so without my Ambassador. I am not a Marriott apologist. The IT issues are atrocious- I went FOUR MONTHS without being able to view my Activity. And contrary to others, Your24 has been a big disappointment to me. It has always been denied on my important reservations. But for whatever reasons I have had huge success with both SNAs and with Ambassador service. YMMV |
The only thing my ambassador has been able to do for me has been to credit a stay that didn't post properly. All other requests have gone nowhere.
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My ambassador finally responded to me after ignoring me for the latter 1/2 of December. She said that she usually tries to respond within 2-3 days. That’s sounds crazy to me with the amount I travel and the last minute changes and requests. Does that seem reasonable to others? I feel like I have just been unlucky with my ambassador. The lurker did reach out to me and forwarded my information, we will see if anything changes going forward. |
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