Boycott Paid Stays Until CS & IT issues Fixed
#76
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: AUS
Programs: BAEC Gold, AA PPro, Hyatt Globalist, Amex Plat
Posts: 6,983
Regards
#78
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: check swarm
Programs: DL DM & 2MM, SPG/Bonvoid LT Titanium, Hyatt Globalist, $tarbucks Titanium
Posts: 14,393
Wall Street will decide what happens when MAR releases information on bookings this quarter. I have to think the IT system issues and rejection of the hurdles to book by SPG people are severe enough that there will be at least a small decline in revenue. But on the flip side, the combined website does show a lot more options at every price point in major cities and holes filled in cities that previously didn't have SPG or Marriott so that may offset any IT or program related declines.
Its going to take a while for things to settle down. Non-FT people are going to be slower to realize what has happened. Same with corporate travel reps I've spoken to, they are hearing some of our complaints but taking a measured view in the interim.
Personally, I have a lot invested in LTPP and on the property level, many of my SPG favorites are hanging in there so no reason for a full boycott. What I have done is opened my eyes and begun making bookings elsewhere on a case-by-case basis. Basically I'm still loyal, but less loyal under Marriott's poor leadership.
Its going to take a while for things to settle down. Non-FT people are going to be slower to realize what has happened. Same with corporate travel reps I've spoken to, they are hearing some of our complaints but taking a measured view in the interim.
Personally, I have a lot invested in LTPP and on the property level, many of my SPG favorites are hanging in there so no reason for a full boycott. What I have done is opened my eyes and begun making bookings elsewhere on a case-by-case basis. Basically I'm still loyal, but less loyal under Marriott's poor leadership.
#79
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: NYC - upper West Side
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium Elite
Posts: 1,597
Slight side track:
Ok, I just tried. Picked a date next week & 52 properties in NYC showed up. What am I missing? Note to others - you definitely don't want to be in Manhattan next week. All properties were big bucks even for Manhattan. Wonder what's going on, given UN, NYC Fashion Week, etc, are over.
Back on topic:
No I don't intend to boycott, although I understand others "walking their talk", and encourage them to do so if they feel that strongly about it. I've not had as many problems as others wrt IT & am willing to wait until end of year for some of it to be sorted.
Cheers
Ok, I just tried. Picked a date next week & 52 properties in NYC showed up. What am I missing? Note to others - you definitely don't want to be in Manhattan next week. All properties were big bucks even for Manhattan. Wonder what's going on, given UN, NYC Fashion Week, etc, are over.
Back on topic:
No I don't intend to boycott, although I understand others "walking their talk", and encourage them to do so if they feel that strongly about it. I've not had as many problems as others wrt IT & am willing to wait until end of year for some of it to be sorted.
Cheers
What's going on in NYC next week?? A small gathering called the NYC marathon.
50,000 runners, their fans, friends, families, and press.
Newman
#80
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: NYC - upper West Side
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium Elite
Posts: 1,597
I didn’t list only my amazing stays. I listed every single stay I’ve had since the Aug 18 merger. Every single stay I’ve had since the merger has been pretty excellent. Including the Courtyard. I can’t help that my stay record doesn’t work well for the narrative you otherwise might prefer.
Rat race? Hardly. I’m at 9 years Platinum status. Only the 5 nights at the Courtyard Irvine John Wayne count towards the mere 15 legacy Marriott nights I require for my 10th year of Platinum status.
There are glitches in the IT. There are fewer rooms available for the standard awards than people realize. Not every hotel had changed its IT settings to match the new flawed Marriott IT. Those are the answers. It isn’t a conspiracy. If it weren’t for the cheaper award rates and the fact that SPG and Marriott merged in the first place, no one would care. That’s the unfortunate answer.
There are IT fails in the newly merged system. Go figure. The merger was massive. If the worst is that you can’t book a property like Suiran amidst the 6700 properties available, then don’t book that property. It has but 39 rooms, so I can imagine the IT glitch is most likely and pronounced for such a tiny property. Booking somewhere else or booking away from Marriott—same result. But not being able to book an award room at Suiran isn’t necessarily a glitch.
Sounds to me like you shouldn’t boycott but should switch away from Marriott. Describing to us all that might go wrong doesn’t sound like a waste of time at all.
So switching to Hilton or another hotel group should solve that problem for you. Trying to take everyone else with you doesn’t solve that problem for anyone else but you. I am not experiencing anything at all like you describe. Nor are most people based on their descriptions herein.
+1 million.
The OP is a constant whiner and complainer. He does this on every Marriott thread. Makes one wonder what he was thinking. A merger of this size would go perfectly smoothly? Of course there are bumps in the road. Nothing at all like the problems with the United/Continental merger. NOTHING.
We are only about 2 months post-merger. My experience is the same as BHRubin's. I continue to get upgrades due to my status. The IT problems I've encountered are negligible. Sadly, the chronic kvetchers are the ones that are the most vocal.
As you say, boycotting will never resolve all of the OP's issues. Once the IT problems are resolved, he'll find something else to whine about. People like that are never happy and can never be pleased. Marriott shouldn't waste its time trying to deal with their concerns. It's useless.
He needs to find himself a different hotel chain. And I suspect he's be back dealing with Marriott very soon..
Newman
Last edited by Newman; Nov 2, 2018 at 3:14 pm
#81
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: California
Programs: Hyatt Global, Marriot Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 2,282
Why only paid nights? When you redeem your points you are helping their bottom line. If you really believe in your boycott, you'll also boycott night redemptions even though it hurts personally.
#82
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: MIA, VIE and DPS
Programs: DL Plat 1MM, AA EXP 3MM, SQ Krisflyer Gold, UA Silver, Marriott LTT, HH Gold
Posts: 1,123
I don't stay at Marriott hotels now unless they are significantly more convenient. They don't deserve my $$$ otherwise. I am at a Marriott next week though (Cambridge) since it is right across the street from where I need to be every day. Other than that - Hilton (with AX) turned out to be better than expected - even did a Radisson last week. Good chance I will not even have 75 starriott nights this year. Maybe the sweep in January will work (not counting on it) and I will be LTPP.
Reality is - Marriott does not care about customers - the IT issues can be put in the category of incompetence and poor planning, but the complete lack of customer service is a conscious business decision. One I do not feel like supporting if I can help it.
Reality is - Marriott does not care about customers - the IT issues can be put in the category of incompetence and poor planning, but the complete lack of customer service is a conscious business decision. One I do not feel like supporting if I can help it.
#83
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Southern California, USA
Programs: Marriott Ambassador and LTT, UA Plat/LT Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 8,764
There are many times when I think the level of attention I need to give a post is directly proportional to the total number of posts a member has. This thread often has reinforced that belief.
#84
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: COS
Programs: UA Gold/1.5MM (several years running now!), Marriott LTTE, Hertz Prez
Posts: 1,899
For me it’s more join date. When I see a member whose handle I don’t recognize going around telling large swaths of a forum just what a bunch of mouth breathers they all are, my eyes cannot help but to gravitate towards their profile summary, and in particular the join date. In the case that it’s recent, post count then becomes inversely proportional to my level of respect or interest in their megaphone. Likely some other shiny object will soon enough grab their attention and an entirely different online community somewhere will be held at their wrath for a time.
#85
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Southern California, USA
Programs: Marriott Ambassador and LTT, UA Plat/LT Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 8,764
For me its more join date. When I see a member whose handle I dont recognize going around telling large swaths of a forum just what a bunch of mouth breathers they all are, my eyes cannot help but to gravitate towards their profile summary, and in particular the join date. In the case that its recent, post count then becomes inversely proportional to my level of respect or interest in their megaphone. Likely some other shiny object will soon enough grab their attention and an entirely different online community somewhere will be held at their wrath for a time.
#86
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: LGA/JFK/EWR
Programs: UA 1K1.75MM, Hyatt Globalist, abandoned Marriott LTT (RIP SPG), Hertz PC
Posts: 21,165
For me its more join date. When I see a member whose handle I dont recognize going around telling large swaths of a forum just what a bunch of mouth breathers they all are, my eyes cannot help but to gravitate towards their profile summary, and in particular the join date. In the case that its recent, post count then becomes inversely proportional to my level of respect or interest in their megaphone. Likely some other shiny object will soon enough grab their attention and an entirely different online community somewhere will be held at their wrath for a time.
#87
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: COS
Programs: UA Gold/1.5MM (several years running now!), Marriott LTTE, Hertz Prez
Posts: 1,899
Well hopefully you didnt miscontrue my post to be any kind of oblique criticism of those calling out Marriott (of which I have been an example on probably countless occasions).
#88
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2017
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,147
Well, Marriott's revenue dropped and stock plummeted last night. I guess I am not the only member who is boycotting paid stays/ moving nights away despite execs calling us at the fringe... And the apologists here who needle needlessly people like me.
The problem is not the technical issues (that obviously was not planned for) but total lack of service recovery. No sane person gets upset when there is a little problem with aircon or food but in the service recovery or lack thereof.
I feel like...
I go into Marriott restaurant and order a pepperoni pizza
1 hour later no pizza arrives, so I ask different waiter as first one nowhere to be found. He says he has no record of order and blames me for not checking computer/ asking for copy of order. Did you really order he asks accusingly.
Retakes order. 2 mins later he comes back, says he lost order, does not apologize and tells me to re-order. Shrugs.
30 minutes later a burger comes. When I tell waiter I ordered a pepperoni pizza he shrugs again, says no record, and says he will re-order.
30 mins later I find another waiter who retakes order. When I tell manager this is ridiculous he says most people in restaurant are ok so what's my problem.
A fat man in the corner yells at me and tells me Marriott is better than Apple pie.
15 mins later another
waiter brings an anchovvy pizza. I object and said I ordered pepperoni. He shrugs and says it is the software's fault, that he can't fix it and I should go to another restaurant across town owned by the same group to ask in person how to fix because neither he nor the manager nor the cook know what to do.
He also blames some old woman named Marsha too for the problems.
Being loyal to Marriott, I trudge outside to go to other restaurant. While going I notice Pizza Hut.
Might not be as gourmet as Marriott Pizza and I might not get a free ice cream dessert. But the Pizza comes quick and with proper order. And there is a smiling server. I pay for Tiramisu and like it.
I am happy.
The fat man in the corner yells at me I will be back at the Marriott restaurant in the future while he laps up a free buck's worth of ice cream. Another drooling lad drenched in sweat babbles that Marriott is best because he has a personal ambassador to make sure he gets salt every meal.
I look around. I see Pizza Hut. Next door I see Jean George, Nobu and another Michelin starred Italian restaurant serving fabulous Pizza.
I look at the fat man, the prickly salt lover doused in sweat and the clueless manager at Marriott. I say goodbye and don't look back...
The problem is not the technical issues (that obviously was not planned for) but total lack of service recovery. No sane person gets upset when there is a little problem with aircon or food but in the service recovery or lack thereof.
I feel like...
I go into Marriott restaurant and order a pepperoni pizza
1 hour later no pizza arrives, so I ask different waiter as first one nowhere to be found. He says he has no record of order and blames me for not checking computer/ asking for copy of order. Did you really order he asks accusingly.
Retakes order. 2 mins later he comes back, says he lost order, does not apologize and tells me to re-order. Shrugs.
30 minutes later a burger comes. When I tell waiter I ordered a pepperoni pizza he shrugs again, says no record, and says he will re-order.
30 mins later I find another waiter who retakes order. When I tell manager this is ridiculous he says most people in restaurant are ok so what's my problem.
A fat man in the corner yells at me and tells me Marriott is better than Apple pie.
15 mins later another
waiter brings an anchovvy pizza. I object and said I ordered pepperoni. He shrugs and says it is the software's fault, that he can't fix it and I should go to another restaurant across town owned by the same group to ask in person how to fix because neither he nor the manager nor the cook know what to do.
He also blames some old woman named Marsha too for the problems.
Being loyal to Marriott, I trudge outside to go to other restaurant. While going I notice Pizza Hut.
Might not be as gourmet as Marriott Pizza and I might not get a free ice cream dessert. But the Pizza comes quick and with proper order. And there is a smiling server. I pay for Tiramisu and like it.
I am happy.
The fat man in the corner yells at me I will be back at the Marriott restaurant in the future while he laps up a free buck's worth of ice cream. Another drooling lad drenched in sweat babbles that Marriott is best because he has a personal ambassador to make sure he gets salt every meal.
I look around. I see Pizza Hut. Next door I see Jean George, Nobu and another Michelin starred Italian restaurant serving fabulous Pizza.
I look at the fat man, the prickly salt lover doused in sweat and the clueless manager at Marriott. I say goodbye and don't look back...
Last edited by SHLTP; Nov 6, 2018 at 7:44 am
#89
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: bay area, ca
Programs: UA plat, , aa plat, marriott LT titanium
Posts: 4,820
Not exactly on topic but someone cares about how Marriott treats their own employees (I don't know the group and I know franchises are different from corporate owned but thought this was interesting)
https://blavity.com/marriott-isnt-st...ding-with-them
https://blavity.com/marriott-isnt-st...ding-with-them
#90
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Southern California, USA
Programs: Marriott Ambassador and LTT, UA Plat/LT Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 8,764
And still Sorenson referred in the Marriott Q3 earnings call today to the fringe noise related to the loyalty program merge on Aug 18 and concomitant challenges since. I suspect that your opinion is more fringe noise than you’d like to admit.
Coincidentally, Marriott revenue was up 3% in the luxury space, up 1.5-2.% in the upper upscale space, and down 1.5-2% in the select service space. Those numbers actually reflect stronger performance in luxury and upper upscale spaces relative to the competition but slightly weaker performance in select service space.
The problem is not the technical issues (that obviously was not planned for) but total lack of service recovery. No sane person gets upset when there is a little problem with aircon or food but in the service recovery or lack thereof.
Another drooling lad drenched in sweat babbles that Marriott is best because he has a personal ambassador to make sure he gets salt every meal.
I look at the fat man, the prickly salt lover doused in sweat and the clueless manager at Marriott. I say goodbye and don't look back...