Leaving Marriott General Discussion Thread
#121
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: California
Programs: Hyatt Global, Marriot Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 2,282
Do you think a sports team is not a business?
#122
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
Programs: BA Silver, TK E+, AA PP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,043
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...
#123
Join Date: Dec 2016
Programs: Marriott Titanium, IHG Spire Elite, Hilton Gold, United Silver, BA Bronze
Posts: 322
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.
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.
Last edited by MrM2016; Mar 20, 2019 at 4:06 am
#125
Moderator, SkyTeam and Germany
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: FRA/STR/NUE
Programs: BA, LH, KL, EY, IHG, Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, Radisson
Posts: 5,946
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...
#126
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Italy
Programs: Accor Gold, Marriott Titanium, IHG Diamond , Amex Platinum
Posts: 1,484
Sorry, for me is much more a “welcome to the paradise”... 😃
ex Accor-ist (platinum) with 100 business nights (middle level hotels mainly in Italy and France) per year + 30 leisure nights (high level hotels mainly Asia) per year since some years.
Joined Marriott this year and at the moment (on my experience at middle level hotels in Italy and France) I can say only “wow, welcome to the paradise”. The grass is definitely greener at Marriott. Even if actually i’m Gold compared to be Platinum at Accor.
Will have first leisure trip on next April then August then december at some high level properties (at these times will be Plat) and I let you know if I can confirm my first impressions.
Better IT
better tier recognition
better properties (and more recent)
better restaurants inside hotels
nicer and more kind/accurate staff almost everywhere
ex Accor-ist (platinum) with 100 business nights (middle level hotels mainly in Italy and France) per year + 30 leisure nights (high level hotels mainly Asia) per year since some years.
Joined Marriott this year and at the moment (on my experience at middle level hotels in Italy and France) I can say only “wow, welcome to the paradise”. The grass is definitely greener at Marriott. Even if actually i’m Gold compared to be Platinum at Accor.
Will have first leisure trip on next April then August then december at some high level properties (at these times will be Plat) and I let you know if I can confirm my first impressions.
Better IT
better tier recognition
better properties (and more recent)
better restaurants inside hotels
nicer and more kind/accurate staff almost everywhere
#128
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: SFO
Posts: 4,914
Sorry, for me is much more a “welcome to the paradise”... 😃
ex Accor-ist (platinum) with 100 business nights (middle level hotels mainly in Italy and France) per year + 30 leisure nights (high level hotels mainly Asia) per year since some years.
Joined Marriott this year and at the moment (on my experience at middle level hotels in Italy and France) I can say only “wow, welcome to the paradise”. The grass is definitely greener at Marriott. Even if actually i’m Gold compared to be Platinum at Accor.
Will have first leisure trip on next April then August then december at some high level properties (at these times will be Plat) and I let you know if I can confirm my first impressions.
Better IT
better tier recognition
better properties (and more recent)
better restaurants inside hotels
nicer and more kind/accurate staff almost everywhere
ex Accor-ist (platinum) with 100 business nights (middle level hotels mainly in Italy and France) per year + 30 leisure nights (high level hotels mainly Asia) per year since some years.
Joined Marriott this year and at the moment (on my experience at middle level hotels in Italy and France) I can say only “wow, welcome to the paradise”. The grass is definitely greener at Marriott. Even if actually i’m Gold compared to be Platinum at Accor.
Will have first leisure trip on next April then August then december at some high level properties (at these times will be Plat) and I let you know if I can confirm my first impressions.
Better IT
better tier recognition
better properties (and more recent)
better restaurants inside hotels
nicer and more kind/accurate staff almost everywhere
then again Accor is really a not-so-good program in terms of the loyalty benefits.
#130
Sorry, for me is much more a “welcome to the paradise”... 😃
ex Accor-ist (platinum) with 100 business nights (middle level hotels mainly in Italy and France) per year + 30 leisure nights (high level hotels mainly Asia) per year since some years.
Joined Marriott this year and at the moment (on my experience at middle level hotels in Italy and France) I can say only “wow, welcome to the paradise”. The grass is definitely greener at Marriott. Even if actually i’m Gold compared to be Platinum at Accor.
Will have first leisure trip on next April then August then december at some high level properties (at these times will be Plat) and I let you know if I can confirm my first impressions.
Better IT
better tier recognition
better properties (and more recent)
better restaurants inside hotels
nicer and more kind/accurate staff almost everywhere
ex Accor-ist (platinum) with 100 business nights (middle level hotels mainly in Italy and France) per year + 30 leisure nights (high level hotels mainly Asia) per year since some years.
Joined Marriott this year and at the moment (on my experience at middle level hotels in Italy and France) I can say only “wow, welcome to the paradise”. The grass is definitely greener at Marriott. Even if actually i’m Gold compared to be Platinum at Accor.
Will have first leisure trip on next April then August then december at some high level properties (at these times will be Plat) and I let you know if I can confirm my first impressions.
Better IT
better tier recognition
better properties (and more recent)
better restaurants inside hotels
nicer and more kind/accurate staff almost everywhere
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.
#131
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 18,007
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/
https://skift.com/2019/03/20/what-ma...on-and-google/
#132
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: WAW
Programs: A3(*G), Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 2,534
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...
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...
#133
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: LGA/JFK/EWR
Programs: UA 1K1.75MM, Hyatt Globalist, abandoned Marriott LTT (RIP SPG), Hertz PC
Posts: 21,167
A good way to win the “war” and “own” the customer - be less incompetent and unethical.
He still doesn’t seem to get it.
He still doesn’t seem to get it.
#134
Moderator, Marriott Bonvoy & FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: McKinney, TX, USA
Programs: United Silver; AA Plat/2MM; Marriott LT Titanium; Hilton Gold
Posts: 11,727
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.
#135
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 905
It’s unfortunate that the Skift interview only raised the name of the program as a bone of contention. I suspect that of all the mega-SNAFUs hadn’t happened, then no one would care less about Bonvoy as a name. I know I wouldn’t ( and don’t much care in any case). In a way it became a lightning rod for all the other crap going on.