Canadian Courtyards give $10 CAD not USD in F&B credit as Platinum Welcome Amenity
Jan 19, 2019, 3:45 pm
#31
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Toronto
Programs: UA 1K, AC MM E75, Marriott LT Ti, IHG Dia Amb, Hyatt Glob
Posts: 15,521
When a guest perceives a failure, the guest should be taken seriously. Obviously, there are times when a guest is wrong, which means politely correcting the guest's misunderstanding. But when it's a failure by the hotel, the guest deserves an apology and thanks, and the situation should be promptly corrected with Guest Services escalating to hotel management.
I’m also wondering if the Lurkers can get involved here. With SPG this would have been a no brainer. Starwood would have dished out the proverbial slap to the property. Missing Starwood.
Jan 19, 2019, 4:21 pm
#32
Join Date: May 2002
Programs: AAdvantage Platinum, United Silver, Marriott Titanium Elite
Posts: 2,276
I agree it's not Marriott International. I doubt that it's even "the Marriotts in Canada." It's probably just a rogue Courtyard property whose manager thinks it's a good way to improve the property's profitability — without any concern about hurting the brand or driving away loyal customers.
Last edited by Horace; Jan 19, 2019 at 5:17 pm
Jan 19, 2019, 4:28 pm
#33
Join Date: May 2002
Programs: AAdvantage Platinum, United Silver, Marriott Titanium Elite
Posts: 2,276
I wonder if the guest can invoke the benefits guarantee here and collect $50. Marriott says he should get $10 when in fact the hotel is only offering $7.
I’m also wondering if the Lurkers can get involved here. With SPG this would have been a no brainer. Starwood would have dished out the proverbial slap to the property. Missing Starwood.
The property did not offer the Platinum Welcome Gift promised in the T&Cs. I doubt anyone would get very far, but it would be a good way to escalate the matter.
Marriott needs to fix such failures quickly. Judging by posts on FlyerTalk, even the Lurkers sometimes aren't being listened to by the people who can actually fix things.
Jan 19, 2019, 5:49 pm
#34
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,480
I agree it's not Marriott International. I doubt that it's even "the Marriotts in Canada." It's probably just a rogue Courtyard property whose manager thinks it's a good way to improve the property's profitability — without any concern about hurting the brand or driving away loyal customers.
Jan 19, 2019, 6:33 pm
#35
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Northern California
Programs: I want to be free! Free!
Posts: 3,455
At this point, the only thing I can rely on Marriott Rewards for is for fulfilling confirmed points bookings - sometimes a good value, sometimes not. the rest of the benefits are manifestly useless and unenforced. upgrades, welcome gifts, suite upgrades, just not happening and this foolishness is a great example of another straw on the camel.
I'm not booking marriott's unless there's a compelling business reason to do so. I miss starwood, but it's been liberating.
I'm not booking marriott's unless there's a compelling business reason to do so. I miss starwood, but it's been liberating.
Jan 19, 2019, 7:32 pm
#36
Join Date: Apr 2005
Programs: Starwood:Lifetime Platinum, Air Canada:Basic, Asiana:Lifetime Diamond Plus, ANA: Basic
Posts: 980
I think we're not going to agree on this issue.
I stand by what I say and I am not persuaded. The only legal tender in Canada is Canadian dollars. So a property can only accept Canadian dollars as payment. The conversion of USD to CAD in a hotel is a optional value added service. If their exchange rate is 1-1 while the market rate is $US1 to $CAD1.30, the consumer have the right to take their business somewhere else if they don't have Canadian dollars. If I have a shop in Canada and listed everything in USD, and take strictly USD for the goods sold, it would be illegal. If I open a store in Canada and refuse a sale because you are providing me of a foreign currency including US dollars, it's perfectly fine because those US dollars are not legal tender.
I also stand by the point of selectively enforcement about Terms and Conditions. As for as I remember, SPG Cash & Points in any other country outside of Canada and USA, the site will show USD and the hotel in destination country will charge the US dollar equivalent. The earnings in points is also converted to the currency in US dollars.
The exception is Canada. When SPG site says cash & Points - $50 + 3000 points for example, the hotel actually charges $CAD 50 + 3000 points and not $US 50 + 3000 points. In addition, if my hotel bill was $180 before taxes, in Canada, it was not converted to US dollars before crediting me the points - so I actually got 180 SPG base points (pre-merger). My last bill with a Marriott in Canada in November was credited points dollar for dollar without the conversion to US dollars.
I stand by believing the OP complains about not getting $US 10 equivalent in Canadian dollars of food and drink credit is only because this time the currency is not in his favor. He would not be complaining if Canadian dollar was stronger than US dollar. He didn't complain as vigorously, for example, when the hotel credited him Marriott points for his stay in a 1-1 ratio (without converting it to USD). So I am dead set against any changes to this more give-and-take policy. I get $CAD 10 food and drink credit and those points for stays continue to credited 1-1 in Canada.
I stand by what I say and I am not persuaded. The only legal tender in Canada is Canadian dollars. So a property can only accept Canadian dollars as payment. The conversion of USD to CAD in a hotel is a optional value added service. If their exchange rate is 1-1 while the market rate is $US1 to $CAD1.30, the consumer have the right to take their business somewhere else if they don't have Canadian dollars. If I have a shop in Canada and listed everything in USD, and take strictly USD for the goods sold, it would be illegal. If I open a store in Canada and refuse a sale because you are providing me of a foreign currency including US dollars, it's perfectly fine because those US dollars are not legal tender.
I also stand by the point of selectively enforcement about Terms and Conditions. As for as I remember, SPG Cash & Points in any other country outside of Canada and USA, the site will show USD and the hotel in destination country will charge the US dollar equivalent. The earnings in points is also converted to the currency in US dollars.
The exception is Canada. When SPG site says cash & Points - $50 + 3000 points for example, the hotel actually charges $CAD 50 + 3000 points and not $US 50 + 3000 points. In addition, if my hotel bill was $180 before taxes, in Canada, it was not converted to US dollars before crediting me the points - so I actually got 180 SPG base points (pre-merger). My last bill with a Marriott in Canada in November was credited points dollar for dollar without the conversion to US dollars.
I stand by believing the OP complains about not getting $US 10 equivalent in Canadian dollars of food and drink credit is only because this time the currency is not in his favor. He would not be complaining if Canadian dollar was stronger than US dollar. He didn't complain as vigorously, for example, when the hotel credited him Marriott points for his stay in a 1-1 ratio (without converting it to USD). So I am dead set against any changes to this more give-and-take policy. I get $CAD 10 food and drink credit and those points for stays continue to credited 1-1 in Canada.
Jan 19, 2019, 8:25 pm
#37
Join Date: Jan 2017
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,200
I think we're not going to agree on this issue.
I stand by what I say and I am not persuaded. The only legal tender in Canada is Canadian dollars. So a property can only accept Canadian dollars as payment. The conversion of USD to CAD in a hotel is a optional value added service. If their exchange rate is 1-1 while the market rate is $US1 to $CAD1.30, the consumer have the right to take their business somewhere else if they don't have Canadian dollars. If I have a shop in Canada and listed everything in USD, and take strictly USD for the goods sold, it would be illegal. If I open a store in Canada and refuse a sale because you are providing me of a foreign currency including US dollars, it's perfectly fine because those US dollars are not legal tender.
I also stand by the point of selectively enforcement about Terms and Conditions. As for as I remember, SPG Cash & Points in any other country outside of Canada and USA, the site will show USD and the hotel in destination country will charge the US dollar equivalent. The earnings in points is also converted to the currency in US dollars.
The exception is Canada. When SPG site says cash & Points - $50 + 3000 points for example, the hotel actually charges $CAD 50 + 3000 points and not $US 50 + 3000 points. In addition, if my hotel bill was $180 before taxes, in Canada, it was not converted to US dollars before crediting me the points - so I actually got 180 SPG base points (pre-merger). My last bill with a Marriott in Canada in November was credited points dollar for dollar without the conversion to US dollars.
I stand by believing the OP complains about not getting $US 10 equivalent in Canadian dollars of food and drink credit is only because this time the currency is not in his favor. He would not be complaining if Canadian dollar was stronger than US dollar. He didn't complain as vigorously, for example, when the hotel credited him Marriott points for his stay in a 1-1 ratio (without converting it to USD). So I am dead set against any changes to this more give-and-take policy. I get $CAD 10 food and drink credit and those points for stays continue to credited 1-1 in Canada.
I stand by what I say and I am not persuaded. The only legal tender in Canada is Canadian dollars. So a property can only accept Canadian dollars as payment. The conversion of USD to CAD in a hotel is a optional value added service. If their exchange rate is 1-1 while the market rate is $US1 to $CAD1.30, the consumer have the right to take their business somewhere else if they don't have Canadian dollars. If I have a shop in Canada and listed everything in USD, and take strictly USD for the goods sold, it would be illegal. If I open a store in Canada and refuse a sale because you are providing me of a foreign currency including US dollars, it's perfectly fine because those US dollars are not legal tender.
I also stand by the point of selectively enforcement about Terms and Conditions. As for as I remember, SPG Cash & Points in any other country outside of Canada and USA, the site will show USD and the hotel in destination country will charge the US dollar equivalent. The earnings in points is also converted to the currency in US dollars.
The exception is Canada. When SPG site says cash & Points - $50 + 3000 points for example, the hotel actually charges $CAD 50 + 3000 points and not $US 50 + 3000 points. In addition, if my hotel bill was $180 before taxes, in Canada, it was not converted to US dollars before crediting me the points - so I actually got 180 SPG base points (pre-merger). My last bill with a Marriott in Canada in November was credited points dollar for dollar without the conversion to US dollars.
I stand by believing the OP complains about not getting $US 10 equivalent in Canadian dollars of food and drink credit is only because this time the currency is not in his favor. He would not be complaining if Canadian dollar was stronger than US dollar. He didn't complain as vigorously, for example, when the hotel credited him Marriott points for his stay in a 1-1 ratio (without converting it to USD). So I am dead set against any changes to this more give-and-take policy. I get $CAD 10 food and drink credit and those points for stays continue to credited 1-1 in Canada.
I have a stay at St Regis Istanbul coming up... Booked in Euro because hotels worried about collapsing Lira. I just paid for a trip (different chains) is South Africa and Botswana in USD as chains worried about collpasing Rand.
It is called dynamic conversion if choice made at purchase time by guest or currency hedging by hotels if part of a long term plan.
Platinum program terms are equivalent of $10 USD for breakfast in Canada. That means guests will do well or do poorly depending on US-CAD exchange rates. Not hard for hotel to do.
OP wants CAD equivalent.
That is what program terms and conditions are. That is what OP should get. Case closed. If CAD strenghtens above parity, OP should still get CAD equivalent. No one is saying otherwise.
I lived in Canada for many years. Many establishments will accept USD (I think Peel Pub in Montreal if I recall), at an unfavorable exchange rate to guest. This can be done in countries that don't have capital controls or where govt generally allows even if technically not allowed.
OP is right
Jan 19, 2019, 8:49 pm
#38
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Toronto
Programs: UA 1K, AC MM E75, Marriott LT Ti, IHG Dia Amb, Hyatt Glob
Posts: 15,521
The exception is Canada. When SPG site says cash & Points - $50 + 3000 points for example, the hotel actually charges $CAD 50 + 3000 points and not $US 50 + 3000 points. In addition, if my hotel bill was $180 before taxes, in Canada, it was not converted to US dollars before crediting me the points - so I actually got 180 SPG base points (pre-merger). My last bill with a Marriott in Canada in November was credited points dollar for dollar without the conversion to US dollars.
I have no idea about C&P as I never book those.
Last edited by margarita girl; Jan 20, 2019 at 5:12 am Reason: typo
Jan 19, 2019, 8:52 pm
#39
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: SFO/YYZ
Programs: AC 25K, AS MVP Gold, BA Bronze, UA Silver, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,472
Jan 19, 2019, 9:19 pm
#40
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Denver, Colorado
Programs: IHG Spire, Hilton Honors Gold, Marriott Titanium, Mileage Plus Gold
Posts: 1,736
Stayed at 3 AC properties which offer the $10.00 USD equivalent just like Courtyard does. Each time I checked in, the front desk agent made it clear that its $10USD x 2 which will be converted to Euro equivalent. Except for 1 property, the other two gave me 10 Euros x 2 during checkout. In my case, I came out ahead and did not complain.
Not sure what yeunganson is rambling about but it is stated clearly in Marriott Rewards T&C that the $10.00 will be paid in local equivalent.
Not sure what yeunganson is rambling about but it is stated clearly in Marriott Rewards T&C that the $10.00 will be paid in local equivalent.
Jan 19, 2019, 9:56 pm
#41
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,480
This is how the FHR $100 credit works as well. The property converts $100 US to local currency equivalent.
Jan 20, 2019, 12:48 am
#42
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 62
I think we're not going to agree on this issue.
I stand by what I say and I am not persuaded. The only legal tender in Canada is Canadian dollars. So a property can only accept Canadian dollars as payment. The conversion of USD to CAD in a hotel is a optional value added service. If their exchange rate is 1-1 while the market rate is $US1 to $CAD1.30, the consumer have the right to take their business somewhere else if they don't have Canadian dollars. If I have a shop in Canada and listed everything in USD, and take strictly USD for the goods sold, it would be illegal. If I open a store in Canada and refuse a sale because you are providing me of a foreign currency including US dollars, it's perfectly fine because those US dollars are not legal tender.
I also stand by the point of selectively enforcement about Terms and Conditions. As for as I remember, SPG Cash & Points in any other country outside of Canada and USA, the site will show USD and the hotel in destination country will charge the US dollar equivalent. The earnings in points is also converted to the currency in US dollars.
The exception is Canada. When SPG site says cash & Points - $50 + 3000 points for example, the hotel actually charges $CAD 50 + 3000 points and not $US 50 + 3000 points. In addition, if my hotel bill was $180 before taxes, in Canada, it was not converted to US dollars before crediting me the points - so I actually got 180 SPG base points (pre-merger). My last bill with a Marriott in Canada in November was credited points dollar for dollar without the conversion to US dollars.
I stand by believing the OP complains about not getting $US 10 equivalent in Canadian dollars of food and drink credit is only because this time the currency is not in his favor. He would not be complaining if Canadian dollar was stronger than US dollar. He didn't complain as vigorously, for example, when the hotel credited him Marriott points for his stay in a 1-1 ratio (without converting it to USD). So I am dead set against any changes to this more give-and-take policy. I get $CAD 10 food and drink credit and those points for stays continue to credited 1-1 in Canada.
I stand by what I say and I am not persuaded. The only legal tender in Canada is Canadian dollars. So a property can only accept Canadian dollars as payment. The conversion of USD to CAD in a hotel is a optional value added service. If their exchange rate is 1-1 while the market rate is $US1 to $CAD1.30, the consumer have the right to take their business somewhere else if they don't have Canadian dollars. If I have a shop in Canada and listed everything in USD, and take strictly USD for the goods sold, it would be illegal. If I open a store in Canada and refuse a sale because you are providing me of a foreign currency including US dollars, it's perfectly fine because those US dollars are not legal tender.
I also stand by the point of selectively enforcement about Terms and Conditions. As for as I remember, SPG Cash & Points in any other country outside of Canada and USA, the site will show USD and the hotel in destination country will charge the US dollar equivalent. The earnings in points is also converted to the currency in US dollars.
The exception is Canada. When SPG site says cash & Points - $50 + 3000 points for example, the hotel actually charges $CAD 50 + 3000 points and not $US 50 + 3000 points. In addition, if my hotel bill was $180 before taxes, in Canada, it was not converted to US dollars before crediting me the points - so I actually got 180 SPG base points (pre-merger). My last bill with a Marriott in Canada in November was credited points dollar for dollar without the conversion to US dollars.
I stand by believing the OP complains about not getting $US 10 equivalent in Canadian dollars of food and drink credit is only because this time the currency is not in his favor. He would not be complaining if Canadian dollar was stronger than US dollar. He didn't complain as vigorously, for example, when the hotel credited him Marriott points for his stay in a 1-1 ratio (without converting it to USD). So I am dead set against any changes to this more give-and-take policy. I get $CAD 10 food and drink credit and those points for stays continue to credited 1-1 in Canada.
The government or police doesn’t stop any of this supposedly illegal activity. Yes, businesses don’t have to take US dollars, but nobody said they did and this is completely irrelevant to the discussion at hand.
Also, Marriott points are paid out based on US-dollar equivalent. I do earn less than 10 base points per CAD on Canadian hotel stays, so your other point is incorrect too.
With all all that being said, I don’t even know what either of these things have to do with the OPs situation. The hotel is ignoring the terms and conditions and not calculating the CAD credit value correctly. Period. It has nothing to do with accepting or not accepting US currency. It can and should be corrected by them being better at math.
There has also been much discussion about historical exchange rates with the idea that the currencies constantly oscillate around par, but this is far from true. It hasn’t been at par in many years, and for the past couple of years the Canadian dollar has been very stable against the USD at about $1.30, which is close to its historical and fundamental norm. Nobody expects the Canadian dollar to come anywhere close to par with the USD for a long time, if ever again. Nor should it - prices are higher in Canada for most goods and services. So the hotel can’t say “but it was at par last week, we just haven’t updated our systems yet!”
If the hotel truly cannot adjust based on a current exchange rate (not hard at all), a reasonable alternative would be for the hotel to peg the credit around $13.00 CAD and adjust from time to time. Easy.
Last edited by patiolanterns; Jan 20, 2019 at 1:02 am
Jan 20, 2019, 8:31 am
#43
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Homeless
Programs: Hyatt Glob; Hilton Dia; Marriott AMB; Accor Dia; IHG Dia Amb; GHA Tit
Posts: 4,844
My only question now is about the topic name: "Canadian Courtyards give $10 CAD not USD in F&B credit as Platinum Welcome Amenity." Can this really be said about Courtyards (plural) in Canada? Or was OP's experience with a substandard Platinum Arrival Gift an isolated incident at one particular property? If this were a widespread problem, I would think there would have been a lot more discussion about it here on FlyerTalk since August 18, 2018.
Courtyard Ottawa East gave me 10 CAD not 10 USD and I noted my observations in my review of that property back in October:
Before August, at this hotel you could choose between a Starbucks coffee, a snack item, or welcome points. It was only one coffee/snack per stay, which was very stingy. Now it has improved because it’s $10 credit per night so for my stay I got $50. Don’t get me wrong, I do not mean to complain about something which is clearly better than before, but my opinion is that it remains short of the competition. First off, the hotel cheapened out by providing 10 CAD credit (exchange rate 1.30 so less than 8 USD) while I thought Marriott announced that the Courtyard brand would give 10 USD credit for breakfast. The other issue is that they do not allow for partial redemptions of a $10 voucher during the stay, so if you order something that costs $16, either you “lose” $4 off your second voucher and cannot keep the difference for the next day, or you pay $6 out of pocket with only one voucher despite having other vouchers available. Breakfast items are somewhat overpriced at The Bistro, so they make a decent profit if you decide to spend that $6 out of pocket: a small yogurt with a tiny bit of fruits and granola was $9 and a small mixed fruit bowl was also $9. If we compare to the adjoining Hampton Inn, guests get free breakfast so if I want fruits, yogurt, and a coffee, The Bistro price tag would be something like $25 including tax (so $15 out of pocket) with small portions, whereas at Hampton Inn you can get free refills as desired, not even counting that there are some hot food choices such as pancakes and omelettes. So bottom line while $10 breakfast voucher is nice, not only it should be $13 CAD but in addition you might not get 10 dollars’ worth because they do not carry your credit over to the next day.
Jan 20, 2019, 4:20 pm
#44
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Kan@da
Programs: Anything with sweet spots
Posts: 1,790
I think we're not going to agree on this issue.
I stand by what I say and I am not persuaded. The only legal tender in Canada is Canadian dollars. So a property can only accept Canadian dollars as payment. The conversion of USD to CAD in a hotel is a optional value added service. If their exchange rate is 1-1 while the market rate is $US1 to $CAD1.30, the consumer have the right to take their business somewhere else if they don't have Canadian dollars. If I have a shop in Canada and listed everything in USD, and take strictly USD for the goods sold, it would be illegal. If I open a store in Canada and refuse a sale because you are providing me of a foreign currency including US dollars, it's perfectly fine because those US dollars are not legal tender.
I also stand by the point of selectively enforcement about Terms and Conditions. As for as I remember, SPG Cash & Points in any other country outside of Canada and USA, the site will show USD and the hotel in destination country will charge the US dollar equivalent. The earnings in points is also converted to the currency in US dollars.
The exception is Canada. When SPG site says cash & Points - $50 + 3000 points for example, the hotel actually charges $CAD 50 + 3000 points and not $US 50 + 3000 points. In addition, if my hotel bill was $180 before taxes, in Canada, it was not converted to US dollars before crediting me the points - so I actually got 180 SPG base points (pre-merger). My last bill with a Marriott in Canada in November was credited points dollar for dollar without the conversion to US dollars.
I stand by believing the OP complains about not getting $US 10 equivalent in Canadian dollars of food and drink credit is only because this time the currency is not in his favor. He would not be complaining if Canadian dollar was stronger than US dollar. He didn't complain as vigorously, for example, when the hotel credited him Marriott points for his stay in a 1-1 ratio (without converting it to USD). So I am dead set against any changes to this more give-and-take policy. I get $CAD 10 food and drink credit and those points for stays continue to credited 1-1 in Canada.
I stand by what I say and I am not persuaded. The only legal tender in Canada is Canadian dollars. So a property can only accept Canadian dollars as payment. The conversion of USD to CAD in a hotel is a optional value added service. If their exchange rate is 1-1 while the market rate is $US1 to $CAD1.30, the consumer have the right to take their business somewhere else if they don't have Canadian dollars. If I have a shop in Canada and listed everything in USD, and take strictly USD for the goods sold, it would be illegal. If I open a store in Canada and refuse a sale because you are providing me of a foreign currency including US dollars, it's perfectly fine because those US dollars are not legal tender.
I also stand by the point of selectively enforcement about Terms and Conditions. As for as I remember, SPG Cash & Points in any other country outside of Canada and USA, the site will show USD and the hotel in destination country will charge the US dollar equivalent. The earnings in points is also converted to the currency in US dollars.
The exception is Canada. When SPG site says cash & Points - $50 + 3000 points for example, the hotel actually charges $CAD 50 + 3000 points and not $US 50 + 3000 points. In addition, if my hotel bill was $180 before taxes, in Canada, it was not converted to US dollars before crediting me the points - so I actually got 180 SPG base points (pre-merger). My last bill with a Marriott in Canada in November was credited points dollar for dollar without the conversion to US dollars.
I stand by believing the OP complains about not getting $US 10 equivalent in Canadian dollars of food and drink credit is only because this time the currency is not in his favor. He would not be complaining if Canadian dollar was stronger than US dollar. He didn't complain as vigorously, for example, when the hotel credited him Marriott points for his stay in a 1-1 ratio (without converting it to USD). So I am dead set against any changes to this more give-and-take policy. I get $CAD 10 food and drink credit and those points for stays continue to credited 1-1 in Canada.
Last edited by MasterGeek; Jan 20, 2019 at 4:38 pm
Jan 20, 2019, 4:33 pm
#45
Suspended
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 56
In my opinion, I do not think there has been widespread discussion about this issue simply because Courtyards in Canada are not a hot button issue; it is simply not a brand which attracts much interest on FT, unlike St.Regis, Luxury Collection, or others. But until proven otherwise I suspect this issue is widespread indeed - it would be useful to hear from other Plats how breakfast F&B has been handled in various CY properties.
Courtyard Ottawa East gave me 10 CAD not 10 USD and I noted my observations in my review of that property back in October:
Courtyard Ottawa East gave me 10 CAD not 10 USD and I noted my observations in my review of that property back in October: