Dr. HFH

I might have been inclined to stay. Let them call the police. You had checkin documents reflecting your entire stay and the terms of your stay, too. That they changed ownership is not your problem.


Yes, that's entirely possible. Owners negotiating for sale but keeping things quiet in case the sale doesn't go through.

Dublin_rfk

Since bonvoy 10x more emails (most irrelevant to me) and 1x less service. LTE status doesn't mean much.

thebackcourse

You have to understand the Marriott agents have almost NOTHING to work with on these high dollar issues. The "let me speak to your supervisor" level agents have a cap of ~30,000 pts/~$175(I wont give the exact amount lest people expect that every single time they feel remotely slighted) to resolve issues with. If your issue cannot be resolved with that it flat out will not/cannot be handled "immediately". Especially after hours when all the actual supervisors go home. When you call at 3am because you got walked, agents hands have already been tied before you even got on the phone. That ultimate reservation guarantee: you better read those t&c carefully. Once you leave the property you aren't owed ..... Customer service can't give it to you after the fact so you better get it at property or you arent getting it. A case can be opened and escalated but no one in any of the call centers has that level of empowerment. At least not that has been advised to the poor .......s having to take your call. Surely someone can but they're not there at 10pm or even 8:30pm. So save your "do you know who I am?" for someone that hasn't heard it 15 times that shift alone. Yes, they know you're upset, they weren't the ones that walked you. Don't you think if they had the power to resolve it immediately they would? You think they enjoy hearing you go on and on about the injustice of it all? Here's a hint, they're not rewarded for helping you in any way. They're only rewarded for making reservations and getting you off the phone so the next person can be helped.

Believe it or not the agents mostly WANT to help you. But decisions made long before your call by people who will never hear your complaint have tied their hands and most feel as helpless/powerless as you do. Ambassador level guests get walked, what do you think that does for the odds of a regular person not having it happen to them? Agents cannot just call and force you upon another property. It doesn't matter that it's a Marriott property. I've been privy to hotels of the same brand in the same city unable or unwilling to take another's guests for any number of reasons none of which were availability. You feel you're owed a room at the same price as you booked(and you are) however the owner of that Marriott property down the street, they're able to get 2 or 300 more for the same room, they don't owe you anything. You didn't book with them. They have no obligation to take you at that rate. Sometimes they're team players and will work with the agent to make something happen. Sometimes they've got their own problems and the first property's overbooking isn't one of them. The agent on the phone has no leverage. No power. That's the reality on the ground, in the trenches.

Btw those of you that understand these realities and don't take it out on the agent, you are so appreciated and truly are what enables the agents to keep taking those calls. They're feeling your frustration/anger/whatever often times they're just utterly unable to do anything meaningful about it once their empowerment caps are hit. Agents in most cases are on your side and want to help you. For those agents that are worthless and unhelpful I truly apologize but most are just working within the constraints of the rules put upon them.

thebackcourse

Isn't it illegal in most states to force someone from a room they've paid for assuming there's no payment or safety issues? I truly don't know but I'd think they would be on really shaky ground and especially since they told you you were good to go at check in.

That is what has always cracked me up about the people who think a printed confirmation email means anything. Read the T&C they say pretty much anything about anything can be changed at any time and you agree to it. It's not right not "fair" but as most people are taught from a very early age, life isnt fair. You're a single person, they're the hotel...unfortunately in most cases they've got the power and you're kind of at their mercy. All you can really do is hope for the best and hope to get made whole in the end. Most people aren't going to get themselves arrested just to make a point or try to keep a hotel room and the owners know that too. Terrible way to start a new hotel though...not new but newly owned.

hockeyinsider

Unfortunately, I've had these kind of experiences, what you all "after-hours," with Delta. Despite being a global airline operating flights 24/7 with departures and landings in multiple time zones, as I understand it from my experiences, there aren't supervisors with any power after-hours, especially if you have baggage-related issues. It's very frustrating.

hockeyinsider

Without the original poster naming the now-former property call me very suspicious. Especially when the original poster says things like this (emphasis added):

Oh yeah, this was his first post to Flyer Talk since 2011.

And back in 2011, he was complaining about a Fairfield property. See here: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/16885486-post1.html

jxd

doesn't change the fact he got walked mid stay and had to fight with marriott to get them to do anything about it.

Dr. HFH

IF "he got walked mid stay and had to fight with marriott to get them to do anything about it."

hockeyinsider

We have no idea if he was, in fact, walked mid-stay or whether Marriott did anything.

Exactly.

MSPeconomist

fadippides

Thanks for the replies. The stay was at a Fairfield Inn in Hopewell VA. I was walked midstay (or told I could pay with a credit card after my points had already been taken as payment upon checkin)

fadippides

Hockeyinsider, I appreciate the skepticism, and being that this is the Internet, there really is no other way to prove it without posting the reservations which I am unwilling to do. I have named the hotel, but that still really doesn't prove anything. As noted, I tend to lurk and not post as I am sure do a large percentage of people. Most issues are handled without needing to post here, things such as lack of water, bugs in the room, etc. I really only post if I need additional insight into policy or if I my expectations are too high.

fadippides

I never thought to check the local Innkeepers law which is something I can keep in mind in the future if this ever happens again. This is several weeks after the issue, so it wouldn't help now.

MSPeconomist

C17PSGR

Sorry about your situation. I think most of the reports here are that hotels that reflag have recognized award reservations even after reflagging but don't provide elite benefits. Among other things, its just good common sense. If they don't want to do it, however, I'm not sure there is anything Marriott can do. I'm surprised they would hire all new staff. Its amazing a GM could be so short sighted.

Any idea who the management company is that operates the property now? I suspect they might be willing to do something. Is there a tripadvisor for the new property?