https://www.marriott.com/loyalty/mem...s/guarantee.mi

I can't find any mention of a timeline with which one must book to receive the ultimate reservation guarantee. A couple years ago I booked a reservation at a property I was only minutes away from. When they called me a few minutes later and said I shouldn't have been able to do it and canceled my reservation, I just called the elite line and they immediately arranged another room at a far better local property (non-Marriott) and refunded me. I had to write an email a bit later on for the $100 (it was a SpringHill), but eventually they mailed me a gift card.

No, the 48-hour guaranteed availability is a completely different benefit from the ultimate reservation guarantee. All the 48-hour guarantee is is that no property will be sold out to a tit/amb 48+ hours from arrival.

Here's the T&Cs 4.3.iii. No mention of how early you need to book.

iii. Ultimate Reservation Guarantee. To be eligible, Member's Loyalty Program Member Number and a valid credit card number must be included with the reservation. If a Participating Property is unable to honor the reservation, it will pay for comparable accommodation nearby for the Elite Member that night and compensate the Member for the inconvenience. A Participating Property must be open and operational for the Ultimate Reservation Guarantee benefit/compensation to apply. At The Ritz-Carlton® and St. Regis Hotels, the Ultimate Reservation Guarantee only applies to Platinum Elite, Titanium Elite, and Ambassador Elite Members. The Ultimate Reservation Guarantee is offered at the following brands: The Ritz-Carlton®, St. Regis, EDITION®, The Luxury Collection, W Hotels, JW Marriott®, Marriott Hotels®, Sheraton, Delta Hotels®, Le Méridien, Westin, Autograph Collection® Hotels, Renaissance® Hotels, Tribute Portfolio, Gaylord Hotels®, Courtyard®, Four Points, SpringHill Suites®, Protea Hotels®, Fairfield by Marriott®, AC Hotels®, Aloft® Hotels, Moxy® Hotels, Residence Inn®, TownePlace Suites® and Element. The Ultimate Reservation Guarantee is not offered at the following brands: Design Hotels, Marriott Vacation Club, Marriott Grand Residence Club, and Vistana properties. Pursuant to section 4.1.c. if an Elite Member has a confirmed reservation, but is relocated from the property upon arrival, the Participating Property will pay the Ultimate Reservation Guarantee compensation in place on that date under the Program Rules. If an Elite Member receives Ultimate Reservation Guarantee compensation, then he/she is not eligible to receive additional Elite Benefits Guarantee compensation.ULTIMATE RESERVATION GUARANTEE
Participating Brands
Guest Compensation*
EDITION, The Luxury Collection, W Hotels, JW Marriott, Marriott Hotels, Sheraton, Delta Hotels, Le Méridien, Westin, Autograph Collection, Renaissance Hotels, Tribute Portfolio, Gaylord HotelsU.S. $200 and 90,000 Points for all Elite Members
Courtyard, Four Points, SpringHill Suites, Protea Hotels, Fairfield, AC Hotels, Aloft, Moxy, Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, ElementU.S. $100 for all Elite Members except for Platinum Elite, Titanium Elite and Ambassador Elite Members who receive U.S. $100 and 90,000 Points
The Ritz-Carlton**, St. Regis**U.S. $200 and 140,000 Points for Titanium Elite and Ambassador Elite Members

https://www.marriott.com/loyalty/terms/default.mi

Read section 4.1.d.i = "The Elite Benefits Guarantee is the maximum compensation paid to an Elite Member during a stay that is booked at least one (1) day prior to arrival."

I assume from this thread that the SPG "No Walk" policy for Platinums (and higher) is now gone? What kind of idiot company (hint: one run by Arne Sorenson) would think it's OK to EVER walk a high level Elite client in favor of Joe-off-the-street who should be walked first, to ensure adequate rooms are available to accommodate all Elite customers inside of the cancelation penalty period?

Naw. Just start a new thread here praising how Marriott went above and beyond to satisfy an elite Bonvoy member.

That's also a different benefit. The Elite Benefits Guarantee is something I've never used, but it's a guarantee that you will receive the benefits to which you are entitled and if you are not you can be compensated up to $200.

I do believe that section 4.1.d is an umbrella section relating to all the elite benefits. And it is saying for any elite benefit guarantees to be active, the reservation must be made more than 1 day prior to arrival.

Marriott's Ultimate Reservation Guarantee is designed to make it very painful for the hotel if it ever walks a member who is Platinum Elite of higher — so that it won't happen. Essentially, it's a "no walk" policy. But it if does ever happen, the member might actually be happy about it.

Depending on the brand, the compensation for being walked is $100 USD and 90,000 Points or $200 USD and 90,000 Points, or even $200 USD and 140,000 Points — in addition to having the hotel paying for a "comparable accommodation nearby" for that night.

Marriott Bonvoy Elite Benefit Guarantees: https://www.marriott.com/loyalty/mem...s/guarantee.mi

Loyalty Program Terms & Conditions: https://www.marriott.com/loyalty/terms/default.mi

How did SPG handle its "no walk" policy when unforeseen circumstances caused a hotel to be unable to honor a reservation for a Platinum guest?

Why do you think this is the case? No evidence has been presented to identify that a non-elite could have been walked instead. Perhaps the hotel's decision was which elite to walk. Unless you mean they should have kicked a non-elite out of their room? Remember, the OP only made the reservation earlier that day, so it's possible the hotel only had a few elites checking in that day and no one else.

That said, it would be better if there were something on the front end booking to avoid this situation. As I wrote in my earlier post, it could be that there's not a real-time look at a property's available rooms, and there should be.

See my previous 2 replies for the specific T&C section. And personally, I think this exclusion makes perfect sense. A hotel may normally plan out room assignments, etc a day or two before the check-in. When making a last minute reservation, the hotel probably shouldn't be worried about getting hit with a Room type guarantee (as they may have already allocated out all the King rooms or 2 Queen rooms, etc.) And it may be possible they have already pre-assigned the upgrades and so a last minute reservation might cause issues with their already planned out services.

Basically, all Marriott is saying is if you make a last minute reservation, you may not get all the stated elite benefits. To ensure you get them, make the reservation more than 1 day in advance.

Thank you for citing section 4.1.d. I missed this before I posted my reply, but saw it soon afterwards — so I deleted that part of my post. I agree with your reading of section 4.1.d.

This "one (1) day prior to arrival" limitation, hidden in the a different part of the Terms & Conditions from the actual Guarantees, is is a bizarre restriction.

A Platinum Elite (or higher) member who makes same-day reservations while on a business trip should be able to rely on the Guarantees just as much as Platinum Elite (or higher) members who book family vacations well in advance of travel.

On top of that, there's no mention of such a limitation at the Marriott Bonvoy Elite Benefit Guarantees page at https://www.marriott.com/loyalty/mem...s/guarantee.mi

I always assumed the guaranteed room type was 24-hours and the walk policy was regardless of when you book. The same day policy is called out in the guaranteed room type but not the ultimate reservation guarantee. I find it odd the T&Cs don't call out what the elite benefit guarantees are and list the elite benefit guarantee and ultimate reservation guarantee separately in 4.1.d.iv (a specific call out of Russia?). Maybe one of the Lurkers can clarify?

Guaranteed Room Type. Guaranteed priority for your requested type of room at the Participating Brands listed below when your qualifying Elite level and specific preference are noted on the reservation for your stay (pillow, room location, extra bed, crib requests, etc. are not included in Guarantee). A Platinum Elite Member or above who makes a reservation on the same day he/she plans to arrive at the property is not eligible to receive the Guaranteed Room Type benefit. Outside of the United States, Canada and Europe: Smoking/non-smoking preferences may also be given priority, based on availability; exact bed sizes may vary, and only Titanium and Ambassador Elite Members will have guaranteed priority for their requested type of bed and room. The Guaranteed Room Type benefit does not cover room upgrades. Guaranteed Room Type is not available at The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, EDITION, Marriott Vacation Club, Marriott Grand Residence Club, Design HotelsTM and Vistana properties. Guaranteed Room Type is offered at the following brands: The Luxury Collection, W Hotels, JW Marriott, Marriott Hotels, Sheraton, Delta Hotels, Le Méridien, Westin, Autograph Collection, Renaissance Hotels, Tribute Portfolio, Gaylord Hotels, Courtyard, Four Points, SpringHill Suites, Protea Hotels, Fairfield, AC Hotels, Aloft, Moxy, Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites and Element.

I assume that hotels would be unlikely ever to tell a Platinum Elite (or higher) member that Guarantees don't apply to a same-day reservation. It's even less likely that a hotel would deny normal Elite benefits and then tell the guest, "You're not getting your usual benefits, and you can't do anything about it because you're not eligible for Marriott's Guarantees."

That raises the question of why the "one (1) day prior to arrival" limitation is in the T&Cs at all.

I can not think of any circumstances why a same-day reservation for would not be eligible for the Ultimate Reservation Guarantee, Guaranteed Platinum Elite/Titanium Elite Welcome Gift, Guaranteed Room Type, or Guaranteed Lounge Access.

I can see that the "room type" (bed type) for a last-minute reservation might be limited, put that should be reflected while making the reservation. Any upgrades might already have been assigned to other guests, but upgrades are never guaranteed anyway.

As a non status guest, with no intention of ever gaining status with Bonvoy, I would be happy to get walked from a Townplace to an Element.