itsaboutthejourney

I think many of us agree with you on the economics/giving things away factor (I'm a Delta flyer), however customer service, investment in the product and a website that can correctly sell or process a transaction are essentials now and even more so during a downturn. I'd argue to 'noise around the edges' Arne that he is not exactly building goodwill that he or his successor will need to lean on during that downturn. Arne should have fired his head of web/mobile 5 months ago.

itsaboutthejourney

That is one of the most sad and disturbing posts I've seen on FT in ages. Wow.

Sabai

Newman

hotelboy,

Please don't think that the whiners, malcontents, and chronic kvetchers that knock Marriott and the Bonvoy program in this forum at every turn represent anything more than a blip.
They are a tiny percentage of the 125 million strong Marriott Rewards members that are more than satisfied with Marriott and Arne's great and proven leadership.

Newman

rylan

Theres always some fanboys no matter what...

I suppose that these days slapping together a pile of marketing fluff with zero substance is enough to get around, pat each other on the back, and win awards.

Newman

Actually, what wins awards and what draws 125 million members is a hotel chain with 30 different brands to select from, locations in every corner of the world, great customer service, and a rewards program second-to-none (to name a few).

Newman

JBord

One could argue that it's not just true "these days", but in fact always has been the case. The question is always who's doing the awarding, and what their motivation is. One of the may reasons we all should just generally ignore awards like this and form our own opinions.

DJ_Iceman

I know some FT'ers have had big problems with their accounts and unacceptable customer service interactions. But if not for FT, I would have no idea about any of that. For me PERSONALLY the merger has gone perfectly--no IT issues, no problem combining accounts, no trouble at any hotels, no delays or mistakes in posting points. The few times I've had to call customer service, I've gotten through quickly to competent agents who quickly resolved my minor issues. I just completed a stay this past weekend with my family where the hotel upgraded me to a huge presidential suite with two additional connecting bedrooms, delivered a complimentary personalized birthday cake for my daughter and decent bottle of wine for my wife and I, comped our valet parking, and all in all provided the kind of outstanding guest experience that made me start being loyal to Marriott over 25 years ago. On other recent business stays where it was just me, I've also gotten upgraded rooms (at the very least to the concierge floor) and have been greeted by smiling, professional associates at locations all over the country. The merger seems to be going okay for them, as well.

As hhoope01 said above, the merger may not be the unmitigated disaster that has seemed to become the consensus here on FT. Arne may be exactly correct that there are only issues "around the edges". Like I said, if not for FT, I absolutely would have agreed.

UA-NYC

American is the biggest airline in the world - doesn't make it the best, not by a long shot. Same goes with Marriott.

And if one thinks the Marriott rewards program is "second to none"...speaks to a lack of sampling other programs

rylan

That 'great customer service' is a thing of the past... Marriott used to be at the top for that, and ever since the merger was in process their customer service rapidly went down hill. Its been a couple years now since they've had anything close to their former level of service. Same with the rewards program... its done nothing but have massive devaluations since absorbing SPG.
The only thing that improved is the selection of properties

HNLbasedFlyer

Same for me - and the ability to have far more hotel choices make this merger a winner for me. I keep waiting for bad things to happen based on other threads - they just haven't.

I'm also in the minority as I don't have a hotel breakfast obsession and don't get bent out of shape over suite upgrades - its not like the bed is any better in a suite.

CLEguy

I could be wrong but I don't think sock puppets are generally that well-traveled.

C17PSGR

Congrats on the great stay!

I'm generally in agreement and as I follow the investment conference calls from various hotel operators, the experiences from some FT posters don't seem to be that widespread.

That being said, I think Arne is out of touch with his customers in a way that Bill would never have been. Because he is out of touch, some hotels are cheating the rules.

As for me, I'm getting suite upgrades most nights, my points are posting properly, and I'm getting good treatment at properties. For example, at a resort last week that I know doesn't like 4 PM checkouts, the GM emailed me in the morning to check on my stay. I told him I was having a great stay but asked for a 4 PM checkout because I had an evening flight. He OK'd it quickly.

rylan

Its not just FT that has many unsatisfied/upset Marriott customers... if you go and look through the Marriott Insiders site there are numerous posts and complaints about similar issues of the customer service and website.

Now I'm not sure if any of the thread content there gets passed to corporate, but it is monitored by a team of people.

JBord

Absolutely true. But a rational consumer looks at more than just loyalty program. For me, it's the program combined with the fact that I can find a hotel that participates in that program virtually everywhere I need to go...even more so after the merger. So Marriott needs to have a program that's "just good enough" in combination with the other attributes of their business. I'm not judging if they've found that sweet spot or not, just saying it exists and it's a personal decision. If you're a person who travels to 3-4 destinations regularly, you might go with a company that has a better program. But if every week you're in a different US city, and some of those are in rural areas, for example, you might feel a little stuck with either Marriott or Hilton.

Bottom line, I'm sure the above isn't news to anyone, but ultimately it's a personal decision about what hotel company fits you best.