C17PSGR

and consider TripAdvisor. I don't think much of TripAdvisor reviews that hotels seem to pay attention to them. Of course, keep it short and specific

GeorgeBurdell

Following up here on the the issue.

I received an email this morning from the hotels "Director of Welcome." Ignoring the WTH is a "Director of Welcome," I appreciated the prompt response to the case opened by the Bonvoy champs. They did make the credit to my Amex which posted on August 2nd. I have to throw some shade Amex's way because the credit wasn't appearing on my account as of the time I originally posted this thread. Now it's there and I can reconcile it in my expense system. They're also now giving me 25K points which was originally promised by the hotel when I talked to their Guest Relations Manager.

I appreciate the Bonvoy champs advocation for me and I (hoping I never have to use it) will keep their email address handy.

Case closed.

uniquepainter1

When we had a house fire last year we stayed at a Marriott for 48 straight days. After 30 days, I asked the management team there why we were not refunded the hotel tax on day 31. After 30 consecutive days the status of the stay changes in the eyes of the law and the tax for the first 30 days is refunded and you are tax exempt going forward, provided that you do not leave. I argued with management and the owner of the hotel for over a year now. I have spent a lot of money at Marriott over the years. With my job and personally. My employer and I have always had the tax refunded and been exempt after 30 days no matter where we have went. Customer service never does anything. I'm a Titanuim member. To be treated like this is outrageous. Since this has gone unresolved, none of us have used Marriott. 175- 2 man crews who always used Marriott have not done so. We are currently staying long term in a hotel to fight my fiancee's breast cancer and although we would prefer the comfort of a Marriott, are not staying because of the way we have been treated. We do not matter to Marriott and they have made it loud and clear. They ripped us off out of 639.40. I wasn't even asking for the money. I told them I would be fine if they made it right with points, but they would rather lose thousands of dollars in business than to make a 639.00 adjustment to a Titanium member. Real nice Marriott!

yyzflyer

Sorry to hear of all your misfortune. Is this a specific state's law? Just curious, since as "snowbirds" we have done extended stays during winter months. In fact just finished booking next year's at a Marriott property. The rates are low, but the tax component is significant.

hhoope01

First, uniquepainter1, welcome to FT.

My first thought on your issue is that every city/county/state may have different laws on how/when/where taxes are charged. And while I suspect that most areas will follow the pattern you have seen in the past, it may be that not all do (and in this case maybe where you have your current long-term stay.) So have you checked with the local laws to verify that 30 days or longer stays do in fact reduce or remove certain taxes from your stay.

I would suggest reaching out to one of the Marriott Bonvoy Lurkers to help get you to the right place to verify what the hotel should be doing. Note that one of the Marriott Bonvoy Lurkers has actually responded to a post in this thread. There are a few of them (Marriott Bonvoy Lurker, Marriott Bonvoy Lurker II and Marriott Bonvoy Lurker III). You can PM them through FT system or you can directly email them at [email protected].

Good luck with getting your issue dealt with and do come back and let us know how things turn out.

Tanic

As hhoope01 noted not every locale follows the 30+ day tax free pattern, but in my experience of long-term stays, most do. Have you considered contacting the tax collector for the area in which the hotel is located and requesting a refund from the collector? They may find that the hotel has been gouging other guests and pocketing their refundable tax monies too.

Often1

Sales and other room taxes are a matter of state and sometimes county or municipal taxes. While 30 days is a common cutoff, it is not always the case. Even in jurisdictions where there is a 30-day cutoff, some jurisdictions require that there be a contract for 30+ days signed in advance and others do not include all taxes in the rule.Yet others require that you seek the refund from the jurisdiction.

Before spending any time fighting with Marriott or the property, you should familiarize yourself with the local tax law for the jurisdiction and then make a specific request, either to the property or the jurisdictions as the case may be.

WAStraveller

What is the best way to contact Marriott regarding many issues at one of their hotels? I was going to email [email protected] and cc the GM of the property. I'd appreciate some advice (not even sure if that's the corporate email- Thank you.

DFWsakp

Best thing to do is contact the Manager BEFORE leaving the property. Unless the Property budges, I doubt you will get a refund for anything.

WAStraveller

Unfortunately, that was not an option. It occurred during the weekend and on Monday, the GM was at an off-site meeting. I was with my family touring England so we headed to the next city.. So- once you leave the property, what is the best way to approach this? Thank you.

Antonio8069

IMO, you need to be much more specific about what issues you wish to contact the GM about? My experience is that refunds are rare if ever? A more likely scenario is goodwill MR points.

Why not just call + leave a message?

margarita girl

Personally, I would send an email as I like a paper trail. When I send a complaint email, this is how I proceed:

1) Start with something nice
2) Tell them what went wrong
3) Tell them what you want (you won't get cash back at this point, so ask for some points compensation)
4) Finish with something nice

Write to the hotel directly. Don't threaten or be abusive. Always be polite.

If you need the hotel email address, follow the instructions in the wiki here.
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marr...addresses.html

Often1

Why the GM? Was there really no duty Manager at any time during your stay?

As others note, depending on what the issue is, most things are resolved on the spot. Follow up later is OK, but I would simply use the webform and let Marriott figure out who gets it and what happens.

WAStraveller

No- not on a weekend. I want to email this since it's really lengthy explanation and I plan on attaching a picture. Thank you for all the insights!

WAStraveller

It's a really long letter and I have screen shots of DMs from marriott and pictures. I have been unhappy before but never sent Marriott a complaint (of the 20+ years as a customer- just a merely Gold as it was highlighted upon check-in - before I get comments on this, I paid for a room with Executive lounge access and had asked about hours of operation, I was told at the front desk that they didn't understand why i asked since I was a Gold and only Platinum+ get access. Very very long story and this is just the beginning.. I remained calm and professional throughout everything- actually, my husband and I were laughing at how bad things were!