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The inside scoop on Marriott's epic woes?

The inside scoop on Marriott's epic woes?

Old Mar 17, 2019, 2:22 pm
  #46  
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Programs: AMEX Plat Marriott Gold HHGold UA Silver
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Originally Posted by lotemblizej
An entire new reservation system was forced on us that barely works because Marriott didn’t want to pay Oracle to use the system they had been using before. To add to this, the agents were able to call supervisors that would help them fix things. The supervisors are now ordered not to help.

This is almost exactly what happened when United decided to use the old Continental Shares reservation system after the merger because it was "cheaper." It turned out to be far more expensive in terms of reduced capabilities, frustration for passengers and many (ex-United) agents alike, and the need to spend much more money to fix the problem. This cannot end well...

as I recall both SHARES and Apollo had been sold off and leased back, but SHARES had some functionality (like dynamic pricing for E+ or something) that Apollo lacked.

In both mergers I had no problem with CO or Marriott before but the merger seemed to destroy what worked just fine prior. With UA/CO outsourcing that UA did made the disfunction much worse. I feel like something has happened to all the knowledge folks at Marriott too. I have lost track of the times I have called in to the now Titanium line and received zero service, bad information or just told some BS to get rid of me.

I have to police everything in a way I never did before. I have mulled bailing all together , but so far lifetime status and laziness have seen me not.
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Old Mar 17, 2019, 7:46 pm
  #47  
 
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Originally Posted by hockeyinsider
I disagree. Many of the complaints have been about hotels cheating by claiming a muffin and coffee is breakfast, despite the obvious intent of the terms and conditions and Marriott's public statements when the new benefits were launched last August under the now-former unified Marriott Rewards–SPG–Ritz-Carlton Rewards loyalty program.
A muffin and coffee *was* the breakfast benefit at a decent number of SPG properties pre-merger. So it's not clear to me, on that front, whether the blame lies with properties ignoring the new benefits, or Marriott not communicating them.

Take, for instance, this "pocket guide" apparently distributed to hotels: https://loyaltylobby.com/2018/09/10/...-pocket-guide/

If that's what hotels are using to guide benefits, you can see why they might be confused; they don't even list breakfast benefits in the same location for all brands.
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Old Mar 17, 2019, 9:14 pm
  #48  
 
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Originally Posted by hockeyinsider
I disagree. Many of the complaints have been about hotels cheating by claiming a muffin and coffee is breakfast, despite the obvious intent of the terms and conditions and Marriott's public statements when the new benefits were launched last August under the now-former unified Marriott Rewards–SPG–Ritz-Carlton Rewards loyalty program. And then there are the properties that refuse to upgrade.

Yes, there are issues related to IT and customer service at the corporate end of the spectrum, but there have been profound incidents related to the actual delivery of amenities and benefits.
The problem is the definition of "breakfast". Somebody needs to inform some hotels that a "meatless continental" is a revenue management device masquerading as a meal. I actually got the Metropolitan Vancouver to swap back and give me points in lieu when I realized how lousy the complement breakfast option was (to charge CAD20 for a few pastries and coffee is an insult to intelligence compared to what you can get at Tim Horton's, especially when the "full" breakfast was only CAD25 but I rather doubt you could just pay CAD5 to upgrade).

Marriott corporate needs to more clearly define the breakfast option and to make points in lieu an option for non-conforming properties. I'll happily pocket a few hundred points in lieu per nights and to hell with breakfast. And if properties won't conform, or try other crap (St. Sleazis Aspen, I'm looking at you) they should be de-flagged.
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Old Mar 18, 2019, 6:31 am
  #49  
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Originally Posted by dtremit
Take, for instance, this "pocket guide" apparently distributed to hotels: https://loyaltylobby.com/2018/09/10/...-pocket-guide/
.
These numbers might be handy for those who can't get through using the U.S. toll-free numbers.

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Old Mar 18, 2019, 8:30 am
  #50  
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So for a straight OC5 to NC4 Travel Package conversion, I can call one of these other phone numbers and have them do the conversion without getting kicked back to the U.S.? Assume I pick a market that speaks English and call during their regular opening hours, of course...
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Old Mar 18, 2019, 8:39 am
  #51  
 
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Anyone else finding the new bonvoyed app to be useless?
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Old Mar 18, 2019, 12:06 pm
  #52  
 
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I think dismissing this as "corporations as usual" is a strong reason why corporations get away with it.
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Old Mar 18, 2019, 12:06 pm
  #53  
 
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Originally Posted by maniac78
Anyone else finding the new bonvoyed app to be useless?
Oh, you mean when or if it does finally open?
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Old Mar 18, 2019, 1:54 pm
  #54  
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Originally Posted by pinniped
So for a straight OC5 to NC4 Travel Package conversion, I can call one of these other phone numbers and have them do the conversion without getting kicked back to the U.S.? Assume I pick a market that speaks English and call during their regular opening hours, of course...
Call the UK number where the reps seem to be mostly competent.

US reps are not all bad - a friend only called US claiming her phone service does not have free international calls. She calls the earliest time possible, on weekends. Each and every time she got helpful reps - incl her cert being extended twice since last July... First to Sept 2019 then now to Feb 2020 when she changed her mind on when to use it.
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Old Mar 20, 2019, 12:12 pm
  #55  
 
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Originally Posted by Happy
Call the UK number where the reps seem to be mostly competent. (my emph.)

US reps are not all bad - a friend only called US claiming her phone service does not have free international calls. She calls the earliest time possible, on weekends. Each and every time she got helpful reps - incl her cert being extended twice since last July... First to Sept 2019 then now to Feb 2020 when she changed her mind on when to use it.
Don't give the game away! I rely on that strategy myself
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