SkiAdcock

Chatted w/ a friend at a Residence Inn property. Evidently the elites don't quite understand the 250 pts/no housekeeping thing.

They choose the 250 points (I wouldn't; not enough to forgo housekeeping) & then call down to the front desk complaining their room wasn't serviced & demanding compensation or a reduction on their room rate, in addition to their room being serviced.

Hello - do you not understand what forgoing housekeeping means? So the hotel has to give them points & is servicing their room anyway. The hotel is seriously considering opting out of the green choice - not because they want to cheap out, but because of the elites wanting it both ways.

Cheers.

dsquared37

Rather the hotels like to frame this as an environmental issue (which it is) but the intent is purely so they save money. This isn't rocket science.

khabah

I'm annoyed as much as anyone that Marriott has gone to great lengths to devalue MAGC [among other things, including but not limited to everything], but the way I always looked at MAGC specifically was an opportunity to reduce my impact in any small way I could. I keep a clean house and that extends to how I stay at hotels - I don't tear the bed up in my sleep so I always take a moment to tidy it up in the morning, I unpack and put away my suitcase, don't trash the bathroom when I use it and never particularly fill the waste baskets. If it saves several liters of water, a bunch of cleaning agents, a few cycles in the washing machines and a few minutes off someone's time, I'm good with that - the points were always a nice, little treat for the practice, and I'll keep using the program whether or not there are points involved.

khabah

margarita girl

I'm also torn with what to do here. Long before MAGC came along, I would put out the DO NOT DISTURB sign as I don't like/need housekeeping in my room. I treat my hotel room the way I do my home. I hang up all towels and re-use them. I don't consume bottles of water (no need to make that island of plastic in the Pacific any bigger) and use very few amenities in my room.

I really appreciated MAGC as a reward for being environmentally conscious and not doing anything differently than what I was doing all along. Now I find Marriott is really cheaping out.by cutting back on MAGC. How do I send a message to voice my displeasure without compromising my values???

VickiSoCal

Just out of curiosity how does keeping the program the exact same way it's been for Marriott at years going to Great Lengths to devalue it?

walkertalk322

The entire merger has been frustrating - still have points that are not posting, stays that are missing; and now devaluation of the welcome and housekeeping points

Only silver lining is that it's easier to earn status given you no longer have orphaned nights/stays in one program or the other

gcashin

Pick a SPG hotel like a Westin or Sheraton. In July, you get 500 Starpoints = 1500 Marriott points per night for MAGC. Now you get 500 Marriott, so a cut of 67%. If you're staying at an SPG property and previously got 1500 points per night, how would this not be a devaluation?

Some hotels it's a wash, some lower level Marriotts it may be an increase, but it's a clear devaluation for mid to higher end SPG properties.

frenchft

VickiSoCal

But it is not "going to great lengths to devalue it"

Marriott literally changed nothing in their systems. It was 500 points, it is still 500 points.

Changing to 1500 points would have required effort.

shawneve

A couple of points have some up consistently:
- this program is a money saver for SPG/Marriott wrapped as a 'green' initiative.
- after the devaluation most people feel the compensation just isn't worth it anymore.

Based on that, the best thing for everyone to do is just not participate anymore and when the housekeeping demand goes up where they have to increase staffing levels. Marriott will realize that they aren't saving money anymore and perhaps they will raise the compensation to previous levels. Also, providing feedback to every property you visit. tell them you aren't participating anymore because the reward is only 1/3 what it used to be.
Don't kid yourself, this program would not exist if it didn't affect their bottom line.

VickiSoCal

Marriott already knew how many people would participate at 500 Marriott points based on their own properties.

Found the thread. First reported on MR board in 2010.

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/show...7&postcount=27

UA-NYC

Marriott also "gave effort" in raising the welcome amenity from 500 to 1000 points at legacy full service properties, so they do have that ability should they care to...

stant

i think you are missing the point vickie is trying to make. they didnt go 'to great length; to devalue the program. no one is claiming they DIDNT devalue the program. thats not her point. they simply didnt trouble themselves in what they did.

jr1202sr

Seems to have come out around the time the tip envelopes stopped being deployed after that cost cutting plan backfired.

HHQX888

As old user Green Choice SPG (500SPG points) at new reality I stop using it, so big devaluation . Not interested anymore in this program.