JackE

Do you think a sports team is not a business?

craigthemif

A - another thread about leaving Marriott? Yawn.

B - complaining about the loss of "travel hacks" is a bit much. Go try out Hilton - where everybody can be elite if they are willing to run a Google search - and see what you get other than breakfast and some rapidly devaluing points...

MrM2016

The IT problems are a nightmare. The call center wait times are tedious and once you get through the agent quality is variable. Bonvoy is a confusing muddle which even the staff are struggling with (I am still greeted more often as a Platinum or Titanium). There is insufficient enforcement of rules and numerous cases of properties doing what they want until the right escalation goes to corporate - just look at the St Regis Aspen thread.

But with all that, I am not going anywhere:
1. Platinum/titanium benefits make a genuine difference to my vacations. The guaranteed 4pm late checkout is the most important benefit for me, it lets me maximise stays on weekend breaks or simply when there is an evening flight. I have lost count of the number of significant upgrades I have received, often including a suite outside of North America/Europe. Even without a suite, it can make a huge difference. The top floor pyramid view room and balcony we received at Le Meridien Pyramids was breathtaking, for example.
2. The merger opened up incredible points redemption opportunities. Thanks to this I have stayed at Al Maha and have two Maldives vacations planned. Under the old SPG pricing I would have probably been only able to manage one of these on points.
3. When things have gone wrong for me, and with the IT woes they definitely have, Marriott have fixed them. Yes it was painful, but ultimately they did the right thing. The continued presence of the Lurkers on this board is also a huge help, obvious shout out to William.
4. Marriott's global footprint is unsurpassed and continues to grow.
5. Like many others I achieved lifetime status under the old eligibility criteria.

Are there negative changes coming? Yes. Peak points pricing is a steep devaluation. But even with that I do not see myself moving. Hilton lacks the guaranteed late check out, has poor suite upgrade policies and trashed their reward chart. Hyatt simply does not have a large enough footprint.

Marriott still has, in my opinion, the strongest hotel loyalty offering for those travelling extensively internationally. That doesn't excuse the failings at the start of this post, but it does mean I am prepared to continue to be patient, even if the program has a silly name.

northernstar84

No. Why I should. Biggest Hotel Group in the world.

ralfkrippner

I'm shopping around a bit more than years ago where I got out of my way to find a "nearby" spg property. Currently staying at the Grand Hyatt in Rio e.g. instead of a Marriott property (still, Sheraton has been my first choice but its closed at the moment for maintenance). What's still great at Marriott: Lounge access, 4 PM checkout, breakfast (getting really complicated with different brands). After introducing seperate levels of Platinum at spg and now with Marriott I'm a basic level Platinum, so only mid-tier to say and I feel I don't get any good upgrades anymore. Let's see how this will be going at Hyatt. Main reason for my fading love of Marriott: The customer is definitely not the center of their concern - and if they don't love me anymore...

Dav77

howtofreetravel

Almost anything is better then accord

myperks

Nuhusky

Handcake

I was Accor Plat. I am really glad to have left that chain in the dust. I just don't think they come close to Marriott for recognizing loyalty. Also their footprint isn't even close within Asia where I do my stays.

This is my 5th year with Marriott and my first as a genuine plat (soon to be Titanium).

4PM checkout/lounge/upgrades and bonus points per tier of status are all great things. I'm pretty sure I can maintain doing 75+ nights a year for the next couple years. These are all on my dime, not work nights. This year I think I'll hit 100 nights due to the 1+1 bonus, credit card and event bonuses. I won't make 20k spend, but that's okay.

Yeah Marriott is hit and miss sometimes but I love the chain. For the lurkers out there, I've brought 2 coworkers into the fold. One is an Ambassador and the other is plat. We also do our work events at Marriott properties. We all love Marriott.

RoxyMountain

No sure where to post this but rather detailed look at Marriott President and CEO Arne Sorenson’s opening presentation on Monday at the company’s biannual investor day in New York.

https://skift.com/2019/03/20/what-ma...on-and-google/

yurtripper

Hilton has IT/website that works. As well as CS that will reply to you within the space of a lifetime. I'd consider that a plus.

UA-NYC

hhoope01

Maybe, but on the flip side he could be right and a large majority of non-FTer customers may not be upset, contemplating moving to different chains, angry, etc. I guess time will tell which thought is closer to reality for the general market.

paolo64