Expectations for the budget brands...
Jul 7, 2019, 9:29 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 139
Expectations for the budget brands...
Currently on a quick low-key vacation trip with my SO at a Spring Hill Suites at a beach in Florida. Having a hard time reconciling my experience (and that I spent 140k points on this 4 day stay) with what I should be expecting.
Yes - it’s Marriott’s budget brand - there’s going to be a steep decline in service and amenities from the JW I stayed at last month in Asia. However I stayed at (another) SHS a few states away just last week - and a Fairfield elsewhere a few days before that - that were perfectly fine experiences.
My expectations of this hotel: clean, serviceable.
What we got so far:
*stains on towels and sheets
*miscellaneous dirt/hair in bathroom, tub
*generally unkempt hallways (trash, etc)
*returned to room at 6 PM to unserviced room (when called front desk, was told I must have kept the DND on all day...um, nope)
*lovely view for this platinum member... a small window of the parking garage (the large side of this hotel faces the water and rooms have balconies, guess we didn’t get so lucky on either front)
*when asked for room to be serviced or at least refreshed (we had no clean towels; stained sheets from check-in still on bed two days later), was met 45 minutes later at the room door by a housekeeper who literally just handed me a stack of new sheets?
I am not a complainer. Or at least I try not to be. I also try really hard to keep my expectations in line with the product. This isn’t the St. Regis. BUT for the first time in my memory, we are calling it quits. We are leaving early to check into to the hotel (where we have no status!) across the street (and paying for it, by the way).
This hotel is retailing for about $200/night right now, and was built in the last 5 years.
(And yes, I did use both the app and a polite call to the front desk to express my concerns about issues... didn’t get any response from either. I don’t think it’s the staff’s fault necessarily... it seems they are in over their heads and maybe understaffed?!).
How do you reconcile your expectations versus the brand?
If we were at a full-service or luxury hotel, I would complain and ask for points back for at least part of my stay. But I worry that this is par for the course for this kind of hotel and maybe my expectations are off?
Yes - it’s Marriott’s budget brand - there’s going to be a steep decline in service and amenities from the JW I stayed at last month in Asia. However I stayed at (another) SHS a few states away just last week - and a Fairfield elsewhere a few days before that - that were perfectly fine experiences.
My expectations of this hotel: clean, serviceable.
What we got so far:
*stains on towels and sheets
*miscellaneous dirt/hair in bathroom, tub
*generally unkempt hallways (trash, etc)
*returned to room at 6 PM to unserviced room (when called front desk, was told I must have kept the DND on all day...um, nope)
*lovely view for this platinum member... a small window of the parking garage (the large side of this hotel faces the water and rooms have balconies, guess we didn’t get so lucky on either front)
*when asked for room to be serviced or at least refreshed (we had no clean towels; stained sheets from check-in still on bed two days later), was met 45 minutes later at the room door by a housekeeper who literally just handed me a stack of new sheets?
I am not a complainer. Or at least I try not to be. I also try really hard to keep my expectations in line with the product. This isn’t the St. Regis. BUT for the first time in my memory, we are calling it quits. We are leaving early to check into to the hotel (where we have no status!) across the street (and paying for it, by the way).
This hotel is retailing for about $200/night right now, and was built in the last 5 years.
(And yes, I did use both the app and a polite call to the front desk to express my concerns about issues... didn’t get any response from either. I don’t think it’s the staff’s fault necessarily... it seems they are in over their heads and maybe understaffed?!).
How do you reconcile your expectations versus the brand?
If we were at a full-service or luxury hotel, I would complain and ask for points back for at least part of my stay. But I worry that this is par for the course for this kind of hotel and maybe my expectations are off?
Jul 7, 2019, 10:05 pm
#3
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 66
You should call and open a case. Your expectations are not unreasonable. I would expect better at your run of the mill motel 6. And I say that as someone with little to no sympathy for much of anything people complain about routinely here. You'll at the very least get some and possibly all of your points back depending on a few variables.
Jul 7, 2019, 10:07 pm
#4
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,409
Try to talk to the GM and at least try to have proof that you tried to contact the GM.
Jul 8, 2019, 12:52 am
#5
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: SLC/HEL/Anywhere with a Beach
Programs: Marriott Ambassador; AA EXP 3MM; AS MVP, Hilton Gold, CH-47/UH-60/C-23/C-130 VET
Posts: 5,234
My travels take me to places where there are great hotels and also where FI or Springhill are the best choices. Your experience is unusual and I would open a complaint.
Which property? There is a Springhill on the iAtlantic in Central Florida.
Which property? There is a Springhill on the iAtlantic in Central Florida.
Jul 8, 2019, 1:22 am
#6
Join Date: Feb 2016
Programs: DL DM, SPG Plat 100/LT Gold, Marriott Plat, National Executive Elite
Posts: 2,988
Name and shame the property.
Any Marriott brand should have clean sheets and towels, and clean hallways. They should reply to the app promptly and they should try to upgrade Platinums.
They also should make the bed. If I've ever had either a HK person hand me sheets without actually changing them (a Westin once) or a bed with dirty sheets upon pulling them back (a Courtyard once) my points for either stay were refunded as an apology.
I would expect the same here. You paid 35K per night and didn't even do the 5th night free? Wowsa
Any Marriott brand should have clean sheets and towels, and clean hallways. They should reply to the app promptly and they should try to upgrade Platinums.
They also should make the bed. If I've ever had either a HK person hand me sheets without actually changing them (a Westin once) or a bed with dirty sheets upon pulling them back (a Courtyard once) my points for either stay were refunded as an apology.
I would expect the same here. You paid 35K per night and didn't even do the 5th night free? Wowsa
Jul 8, 2019, 1:34 am
#7
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,409
IMO 35,000 points per night is a lot for a budget brand. For instance, the Sheraton CDG is 35,000 points; it had been SPG category 5.
Jul 8, 2019, 4:13 am
#8
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Gold, Marriott LT Platinum
Posts: 2,334
Jul 8, 2019, 4:17 am
#9
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Gold, Marriott LT Platinum
Posts: 2,334
I had recently a stay at a Moxy (Moxy Vienna Airport) and also had some severe issues - promised room not available, no platinum recognition, towels not clean, was not able to switch lights of due to a defect light sensor, front office did not believe me, went back again, gave me another room on the same floor. That all happened at 230am.
In the end, I got 50% of my rate refunded plus 5k points.
(I'll never use a Moxy again - the self-declared 'we are so cool style' is definitely nothing for me (and I am 38))
In the end, I got 50% of my rate refunded plus 5k points.
(I'll never use a Moxy again - the self-declared 'we are so cool style' is definitely nothing for me (and I am 38))
Jul 8, 2019, 5:49 am
#10
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Europe/SEA
Programs: TK E+, Bonvoy LT Plat, Hilton Diamond, IHG Platinum, Dusit Gold
Posts: 1,714
I got moxified twice in the past 3 months...
One time they charged me 4 nights instead of one night. Hotel didn't respond to emails.. Took me weeks calling to marriott customer care and the hotel to get a refund and a correct bill...
One time they charged me 4 nights instead of one night. Hotel didn't respond to emails.. Took me weeks calling to marriott customer care and the hotel to get a refund and a correct bill...
Jul 8, 2019, 6:42 am
#11
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Programs: MR LT Titanium, IHG Plat.,UA Premier Silver, & PA/OH Turnpike Million Miler
Posts: 2,317
Clean rooms including clean bed linens and towels in the bathroom is a basic feature all hotels should provide. I cut beach locations a little bit of slack on wear and tear on the carpet and furnishings due to the endless amount of sand that always winds up getting dragged in. Regardless clean linens and daily housekeeping should be provided without issue.
FYI, SHS is a mid-level (or upper budget) brand for Marriott. Really a better description would be limited service brand rather than full service brand. I have stayed at many of them. Some of the older ones that haven't been recently renovated can be bad. As MSPeconomist already noted above, try to talk to the GM before you depart and document it. If you do not get a satisfactory resolution from the GM, then open a case with MR and contact the Marriott Lurkers on this board for assistance. Please persevere in lodging your complaint. The only way bad properties get weeded out is if enough people complain and provide feedback so Marriott Corporate is aware of the issue. Good luck and hope your stay improves and you get a satisfactory resolution.
--Jon
FYI, SHS is a mid-level (or upper budget) brand for Marriott. Really a better description would be limited service brand rather than full service brand. I have stayed at many of them. Some of the older ones that haven't been recently renovated can be bad. As MSPeconomist already noted above, try to talk to the GM before you depart and document it. If you do not get a satisfactory resolution from the GM, then open a case with MR and contact the Marriott Lurkers on this board for assistance. Please persevere in lodging your complaint. The only way bad properties get weeded out is if enough people complain and provide feedback so Marriott Corporate is aware of the issue. Good luck and hope your stay improves and you get a satisfactory resolution.
--Jon
Jul 8, 2019, 6:48 am
#12
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: CT/ Germany - Ich spreche deutsch
Programs: UA 1K, Bonvoy LTTE, HH Dia, HY Expl
Posts: 4,657
All your other points about the issues at this hotel sound more than valid and frustrating to say the least but just exactly what were you expecting as platinum recognition at an airport Moxy?
Jul 8, 2019, 6:54 am
#13
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Location: MSY; 2-time FT Fantasy Football Champ, now in recovery.
Programs: AA lifetime GLD; UA Silver; Marriott LTTE; IHG Plat,
Posts: 14,518
*stains on towels and sheets
*miscellaneous dirt/hair in bathroom, tub
*generally unkempt hallways (trash, etc)
As others have said, this is unacceptable. And it's not the norm. I've stayed a couple of times in the last year at another 35K Springhill on the FL beach (with no garage, so a different hotel) and had no issues around cleanliness.
*returned to room at 6 PM to unserviced room (when called front desk, was told I must have kept the DND on all day...um, nope)
*when asked for room to be serviced or at least refreshed (we had no clean towels; stained sheets from check-in still on bed two days later), was met 45 minutes later at the room door by a housekeeper who literally just handed me a stack of new sheets?
Getting skipped by housekeeping is a big peeve of mine. But in my experience, from upscale down through mid tier and budget brands, it can happen at any brand. But the recovery is different. At mid/lower end brands like Springhill, the housekeeping staff goes home by 5, so bringing a stack of towels is about all they can do.
*lovely view for this platinum member... a small window of the parking garage (the large side of this hotel faces the water and rooms have balconies, guess we didn’t get so lucky on either front)
This is unfortunately typical not of the lower end brands, but across Bonvoy. Hotels reserve award stays into their basic rooms, and only a few offer better rooms for an upcharge. As an elite, you can hope for an upgrade, for example into a water room view, but at a hotel by the beach over a summer holiday weekend, it's likely sold out making upgrades unavailable.
*miscellaneous dirt/hair in bathroom, tub
*generally unkempt hallways (trash, etc)
As others have said, this is unacceptable. And it's not the norm. I've stayed a couple of times in the last year at another 35K Springhill on the FL beach (with no garage, so a different hotel) and had no issues around cleanliness.
*returned to room at 6 PM to unserviced room (when called front desk, was told I must have kept the DND on all day...um, nope)
*when asked for room to be serviced or at least refreshed (we had no clean towels; stained sheets from check-in still on bed two days later), was met 45 minutes later at the room door by a housekeeper who literally just handed me a stack of new sheets?
Getting skipped by housekeeping is a big peeve of mine. But in my experience, from upscale down through mid tier and budget brands, it can happen at any brand. But the recovery is different. At mid/lower end brands like Springhill, the housekeeping staff goes home by 5, so bringing a stack of towels is about all they can do.
*lovely view for this platinum member... a small window of the parking garage (the large side of this hotel faces the water and rooms have balconies, guess we didn’t get so lucky on either front)
This is unfortunately typical not of the lower end brands, but across Bonvoy. Hotels reserve award stays into their basic rooms, and only a few offer better rooms for an upcharge. As an elite, you can hope for an upgrade, for example into a water room view, but at a hotel by the beach over a summer holiday weekend, it's likely sold out making upgrades unavailable.
Jul 8, 2019, 8:14 am
#15
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Gold, Marriott LT Platinum
Posts: 2,334
Otherwise I did not have any expectations.