Boycott Paid Stays Until CS & IT issues Fixed
Oct 31, 2018, 9:11 am
#46
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: South Florida
Programs: AA LTG (EXP), Hilton Silver (Dia), Marriott LTP (PP), SPG LTG (P) > MPG LTPP
Posts: 11,329
I already moved 90 percent or more of my stays to other properties, though that was occurring even before the merger as I had some just incomrehensibly poor stays. I really don’t understand the wringing of hands and threats of I am really going to leave this time. This isn’t a marriage, either leave or don’t, but the constant threats, without any concrete action, are growing tiresome.
Oct 31, 2018, 9:18 am
#47
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: PHL, NYC
Programs: AA PLT, DL SLV, UA SLV, MR LTT, HH DIA
Posts: 10,072
To each their own.
Oct 31, 2018, 9:50 am
#48
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: La Jolla, CA
Programs: Marriott Ambassador, Lifetime Titanium, Delta Plat, Hilton Diamond , Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,615
I have to agree with BHR. It is true that I am extremely frustrated with Marriott’s IT. For over 6 weeks now I have not been able to view any activity on my account and all that Marriott can tell me is that it’s a “known issue.” I hate the website and the APP and will admit that without my Ambassador these issues would be even more irritating. Having an Ambassador has definitely smoothed this transition for me but there’s no doubt Marriott has flubbed the tech on this merger.
But the most important thing to me- my hotel experience- is as good as it was pre merger. I also am discovering that it is even easier to accumulate points. And I have been able to score unbelievable points redemptions at aspirational properties in 2018 and 2019. 5 night stays that previously cost me the equivalent of 378,000 points now only cost 240,000. (I know this is temporary but even next year, off season rates (we only travel off season) will still only be 280,000). That is a significant value for Category 8 Luxury hotels.
We just returned from a 3 week trip at Starriott properties- a combination of paid and Award stays. I was admittedly nervous that I would see a diminishment in service and/or Platinum recognition, but my fears were unfounded.
Prince de Galles upgraded us to a Makassar Suite on an Award stay.
Grand Bretagne was unable to upgrade us above the Junior Suite we had booked on points on our first stay but then upgraded us to an amazing 6th Floor Executive Terrace Suite when we returned the following week- one of the nicest rooms we have ever had.
Mystique and Domes of Elounda were both paid stays and we booked the rooms we wanted but both hotels heated our pools for free, allowed us to have our Platinum breakfasts on our terrace each morning at no cost and offered late checkout even though they are resorts and both hotels were at maximum capacity. They also provided top tier service on par with the best Luxury hotels.
As a final surprise the W Seattle upgraded us to the Extreme Wow Suite on our way home.
It is clear to me that at least for now, Marriott is recognizing its most loyal members.
It was a points trip to Europe back in 2006 (as a Gold) that caused us to fall in love with Starwood in the first place and sparked our passionate loyalty. The fact that 12 years later we can still parlay points into dream stays at iconic hotels reinforces the loyalty we gave Starwood over the years.
I already have the nights and Platinum years to be grandfathered into LTPPE so I am not chasing status.
At this point I am willing to be patient and give Marriott a chance to fix their IT and remain cautiously optimistic that they will deliver on their promises.
But the most important thing to me- my hotel experience- is as good as it was pre merger. I also am discovering that it is even easier to accumulate points. And I have been able to score unbelievable points redemptions at aspirational properties in 2018 and 2019. 5 night stays that previously cost me the equivalent of 378,000 points now only cost 240,000. (I know this is temporary but even next year, off season rates (we only travel off season) will still only be 280,000). That is a significant value for Category 8 Luxury hotels.
We just returned from a 3 week trip at Starriott properties- a combination of paid and Award stays. I was admittedly nervous that I would see a diminishment in service and/or Platinum recognition, but my fears were unfounded.
Prince de Galles upgraded us to a Makassar Suite on an Award stay.
Grand Bretagne was unable to upgrade us above the Junior Suite we had booked on points on our first stay but then upgraded us to an amazing 6th Floor Executive Terrace Suite when we returned the following week- one of the nicest rooms we have ever had.
Mystique and Domes of Elounda were both paid stays and we booked the rooms we wanted but both hotels heated our pools for free, allowed us to have our Platinum breakfasts on our terrace each morning at no cost and offered late checkout even though they are resorts and both hotels were at maximum capacity. They also provided top tier service on par with the best Luxury hotels.
As a final surprise the W Seattle upgraded us to the Extreme Wow Suite on our way home.
It is clear to me that at least for now, Marriott is recognizing its most loyal members.
It was a points trip to Europe back in 2006 (as a Gold) that caused us to fall in love with Starwood in the first place and sparked our passionate loyalty. The fact that 12 years later we can still parlay points into dream stays at iconic hotels reinforces the loyalty we gave Starwood over the years.
I already have the nights and Platinum years to be grandfathered into LTPPE so I am not chasing status.
At this point I am willing to be patient and give Marriott a chance to fix their IT and remain cautiously optimistic that they will deliver on their promises.
Oct 31, 2018, 9:51 am
#49
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: AUS
Programs: BAEC Gold, AA PPro, Hyatt Globalist, Amex Plat
Posts: 7,043
Regards
Oct 31, 2018, 10:12 am
#50
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: COS
Programs: UA Gold/1.5MM (several years running now!), Marriott LTTE, Hertz Prez
Posts: 1,899
At this point anyone harboring thoughts of boycotting Marriott is just going to have to wait for their systems to come back online before proceeding to not use them. In the interim, Marriott is boycotting YOU!
Oct 31, 2018, 10:46 am
#51
Join Date: Jan 2011
Programs: Hyatt Globalist;Bonvoy Lifetime Titan ; Hilton DIA (amex); AA Plat
Posts: 221
the 50/50 stays are now (have been) going elsewhere.
Oct 31, 2018, 10:51 am
#52
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
Any OP who starts with an assumption about "we" loses a lot of credibility.
There are threads like this every time there is difficult change. UA did not go under. DL did not go under. AA did not go under. Marriott won;t. either.
Right now Marriott is spending its time negotiating lucrative corporate contracts for 2019. If those deals fall apart, there will be change. Everything else is background noise. No different than that created by Dr. Dao who affected UA for about 3 days.
There are threads like this every time there is difficult change. UA did not go under. DL did not go under. AA did not go under. Marriott won;t. either.
Right now Marriott is spending its time negotiating lucrative corporate contracts for 2019. If those deals fall apart, there will be change. Everything else is background noise. No different than that created by Dr. Dao who affected UA for about 3 days.
Oct 31, 2018, 10:59 am
#53
Join Date: Aug 2018
Programs: DL Plat, Marriot Plat
Posts: 349
I would love to boycott Marriott for the current conversion and IT issues. But I cannot. First I have plat status, who wants to get a status match to even worse to a status challenge? Next, I like the benefits that Marriott offers with the platinum status. In addition, Marriott brands are near the places I go and stay.
Finally, and the most important thing is that I pay for all my stays and am not reimbursed. I frequently use the LNF guarantee to reduce my room costs. I have used others, but to me Marriott, is very generous to approve the claim. For example, some brands have to have everything identical to approve the best rate guarantee, with Marriott, for now, if there is a slight variance in the cancellation dates, they will still approve the claim.
Finally, and the most important thing is that I pay for all my stays and am not reimbursed. I frequently use the LNF guarantee to reduce my room costs. I have used others, but to me Marriott, is very generous to approve the claim. For example, some brands have to have everything identical to approve the best rate guarantee, with Marriott, for now, if there is a slight variance in the cancellation dates, they will still approve the claim.
Oct 31, 2018, 11:30 am
#54
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: ORD
Programs: UA Silver, Marriott Platinum/LT Platinum, Hilton Gold
Posts: 5,594
The numbers I've seen published indicate that the rewards program is a significant driver of hotel revenue for Marriott, as much or more than the legacy airline FFP programs. It's arguably been the most successful/valuable of any loyalty program.
That said, everyone here is just speculating about the impact of the integration and customer service problems on Marriott's bottom line. We'll know more when their numbers are published (Nov. 5), but even then Marriott is likely to downplay any impact.
Personally, I would have already moved my business elsewhere if I had a better option. Whether I will go for 75 next year as opposed to just 50 I haven't yet decided.
That said, everyone here is just speculating about the impact of the integration and customer service problems on Marriott's bottom line. We'll know more when their numbers are published (Nov. 5), but even then Marriott is likely to downplay any impact.
Personally, I would have already moved my business elsewhere if I had a better option. Whether I will go for 75 next year as opposed to just 50 I haven't yet decided.
It really shouldn't be about impacting Marriott by leaving to other properties. If I leave Marriott, then that really only impacts ME. If my stays and experiences with Marriott are as terrible as some others have experienced, then it's a no-brainer to give another company a chance to prove that things can be better. Many have done that on this forum, which suggests a negative impact was turned into a positive one.
To each their own.
To each their own.
I would love to boycott Marriott for the current conversion and IT issues. But I cannot. First I have plat status, who wants to get a status match to even worse to a status challenge? Next, I like the benefits that Marriott offers with the platinum status. In addition, Marriott brands are near the places I go and stay.
Finally, and the most important thing is that I pay for all my stays and am not reimbursed. I frequently use the LNF guarantee to reduce my room costs. I have used others, but to me Marriott, is very generous to approve the claim. For example, some brands have to have everything identical to approve the best rate guarantee, with Marriott, for now, if there is a slight variance in the cancellation dates, they will still approve the claim.
Finally, and the most important thing is that I pay for all my stays and am not reimbursed. I frequently use the LNF guarantee to reduce my room costs. I have used others, but to me Marriott, is very generous to approve the claim. For example, some brands have to have everything identical to approve the best rate guarantee, with Marriott, for now, if there is a slight variance in the cancellation dates, they will still approve the claim.
Oct 31, 2018, 11:38 am
#55
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Somewhere in Florida
Posts: 2,622
Thinking about how best to get the problems addressed...
I think trying to get the hoteliers on our side and getting THEM to complain to HQ is probably the only thing that will (might?) work. Some of them are just as pissed at Marriott HQ as we are. If there are any hotels which you've made friends with staff, I'd suggest reaching out to them and have them fight for you/us. After all, it was the local hotel staff who managed to get HQ to understand that business travelers need desks in hotel rooms.
I just tried it...still the same problem. Shows 199 properties, NO way to sort by price! Don't forget that you'll also have go through gymnastics and click on each property individually and run a few separate searches to see what the price would be for different rate/discount codes AND to avoid pre-paid/non-cancellable rates. You also can't search by property name, another glaring fault.
For crying out loud, it's 2018. Even the 1972 version of MARSHA could do that. It probably still would do it today if they didn't kill off that system.
THIS. Time is money, especially during business hours. Time spent dealing with Marriott's bullmanure is time that someone, somewhere is paying for. Whether it be my employer, or client, there's a real cost to this. Even off-hours, how much is your time worth? How much would you be willing to pay for an extra hour in the day?
WRONG. EVERY IT issue I've had (including pre-merger) has been trying to make a simple paid reservation, no points, no rewards redemptions, no vacation packages, just booking a hotel for the night. That's why this bothers me so much. I'm trying to do something simple.
I'm expecting to go to the website and have it: 1) actually load, 2) let me log in, type in the city, dates, click GO, and have it show me: 3) Hotels in the area, 4)by price, 5) with the correct price AND not just the first night's price (I've had it show me both a completely wrong price that changed when I went to book the hotel AND show only the first night's stays; two separate problems) , 6) allow me to make the booking, 7) complete the reservation properly (right dates, right rate, right # of rooms/people), 8) show me a list of upcoming reservations.
I still can't download folios for about half of my stays, including ones from last week. E-mailed folios are hit-or-miss. Photos don't always display. Even online check-in is ham-fisted (when it works). Why can't I just put an expected arrival time in the reservation like I can with Hyatt? Why can't I do it via the website?
If I'm asking too much, please let me know. Every single thing I listed there is something I've had a problem with the site, with many of these happening even before the merger. They should have fixed these before even attempting to merge the systems. I'm coming into this as a MR customer, not SPG. I've been yipping at my Marriott HQ contacts before the merger and here we are, 6+ months later, and seemingly more problems than fixes.
I think trying to get the hoteliers on our side and getting THEM to complain to HQ is probably the only thing that will (might?) work. Some of them are just as pissed at Marriott HQ as we are. If there are any hotels which you've made friends with staff, I'd suggest reaching out to them and have them fight for you/us. After all, it was the local hotel staff who managed to get HQ to understand that business travelers need desks in hotel rooms.
For crying out loud, it's 2018. Even the 1972 version of MARSHA could do that. It probably still would do it today if they didn't kill off that system.
I'm expecting to go to the website and have it: 1) actually load, 2) let me log in, type in the city, dates, click GO, and have it show me: 3) Hotels in the area, 4)by price, 5) with the correct price AND not just the first night's price (I've had it show me both a completely wrong price that changed when I went to book the hotel AND show only the first night's stays; two separate problems) , 6) allow me to make the booking, 7) complete the reservation properly (right dates, right rate, right # of rooms/people), 8) show me a list of upcoming reservations.
I still can't download folios for about half of my stays, including ones from last week. E-mailed folios are hit-or-miss. Photos don't always display. Even online check-in is ham-fisted (when it works). Why can't I just put an expected arrival time in the reservation like I can with Hyatt? Why can't I do it via the website?
If I'm asking too much, please let me know. Every single thing I listed there is something I've had a problem with the site, with many of these happening even before the merger. They should have fixed these before even attempting to merge the systems. I'm coming into this as a MR customer, not SPG. I've been yipping at my Marriott HQ contacts before the merger and here we are, 6+ months later, and seemingly more problems than fixes.
Oct 31, 2018, 1:19 pm
#56
Join Date: May 2002
Programs: AAdvantage Platinum, United Silver, Marriott Titanium Elite
Posts: 2,276
We have to remember for all the rhetoric that Marriott considers property owners, not us, its clients. My guess is Marriott will realize/ think the costs of maintaining a loyalty program at the high end is too high and will start keeping the current terrible service and rollback benefits.
But Marriott has big role in delivering us — the hotel guests and our wallets — to those hotels. That works best when all systems (including online reservations and the loyalty system) work well, when guests are happy, and when frequent guests remain loyal to Marriott brands.
Nobody is benefitting from the spate of IT problems associated with combining the loyalty programs and moving to single reservation platform. And who knows how many backend problems there have been that we hotel guests haven't seen directly?
Nobody wins from what SHLTP calls "the current terrible service."
The loyalty program drives guests to the hotels, and it drives revenue to Marriott International. It's why independent hotel are affiliating with Autograph Collection; why full-service hotels of lesser brands are raising the Delta Hotels flag; why developers around the world are eagerly developing hotels of Marriott's many select-service, full-service, luxury, and extended-stay brands; and why Marriott will have 7,000+ hotels instead of 6,700+ hotels before we know it.
The loyalty program isn't going away.
Oct 31, 2018, 1:38 pm
#57
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: JAX
Programs: UA Plat MM, AA Gold MM, Marriott LTT, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 3,770
I understand the problems mentioned here. I just logged into my account through the main websites, Marriott and former SPG, and none of my upcoming reservations are displayed (even though My Trips show (9) on the upper right corner). However, I can see the reservations on my Marriott mobile app. So trying to manage account through the main website account is not possible.
The only way I managed to get a points refund for a reservation made before 8/18 was when Marriot/SPG customer service emailed about St. Regis Princeville Resort leaving Marriott/SPG and there was an email address for questions. I wrote to that email about my reservation and requested refund of points difference. I received a reply in 2 days and 90K points showed up in my account. I was never able to get this done by phone, after on hold for 45 minutes twice, and got bounced from MR to SPG and CS could not get system to work.
I have the luxury of having achieved SPG LTP, and have combined 992 LT nights and 19 years Plat, so I will be LTPPE in Jan. Hyatt has treated me well the past 3 years, so that's my primary go to chain and I don't have to deal with the MR/SPG program integration mess on a regular basis. I mad most of my reservations before 8/18 and hopefully I don't have to make many more reservations before they fix the problem.
The only way I managed to get a points refund for a reservation made before 8/18 was when Marriot/SPG customer service emailed about St. Regis Princeville Resort leaving Marriott/SPG and there was an email address for questions. I wrote to that email about my reservation and requested refund of points difference. I received a reply in 2 days and 90K points showed up in my account. I was never able to get this done by phone, after on hold for 45 minutes twice, and got bounced from MR to SPG and CS could not get system to work.
I have the luxury of having achieved SPG LTP, and have combined 992 LT nights and 19 years Plat, so I will be LTPPE in Jan. Hyatt has treated me well the past 3 years, so that's my primary go to chain and I don't have to deal with the MR/SPG program integration mess on a regular basis. I mad most of my reservations before 8/18 and hopefully I don't have to make many more reservations before they fix the problem.
Oct 31, 2018, 2:50 pm
#59
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2017
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,200
Well, I got a reponse to my email from CS on my suite night award applications being canceled by me even though I did not cancel them. I just asked the requests to be reinstated.
Of course, CS says they can't help so I have to call US customer service again. I don't live in
US. Why can't CS elsewhere help?
I find it interesting people complain about Marriott but won't take actual action. But when I suggest it is time to take action and move on I get attacked personally. But people flip out if aircon not cold enough, or chips empty in a club lounge. ...
Time to move on
Of course, CS says they can't help so I have to call US customer service again. I don't live in
US. Why can't CS elsewhere help?
I find it interesting people complain about Marriott but won't take actual action. But when I suggest it is time to take action and move on I get attacked personally. But people flip out if aircon not cold enough, or chips empty in a club lounge. ...
Time to move on
Oct 31, 2018, 3:08 pm
#60
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: LGA/JFK/EWR
Programs: UA 1K1.75MM, Hyatt Globalist, abandoned Marriott LTT (RIP SPG), Hertz PC
Posts: 21,172
Marriott used to be 2-3 days, not as good but not terrible...my last two (legacy Marriott FS) stays didn't post after 4 days, so I pinged my Ambassador to manually post them, which was quick