HNLbasedFlyer

I suspect it is case by case by property with brand standards suspended until the end of year. Although I was offered welcome points at SFO Aloft upon checkin on Nov 1, took the $15 grab and go credit instead.

CMK10

I will say I noticed just as much of the same nickel and diming at Marriott at Hyatts this year. Removal of breakfasts at Hyatt Places and blaming it on COVID, complete lack of amenities at the HR Atlanta. So prepare for disappointment.

MSPeconomist

Delete.

PointWeasel

Just checked-in at a Sheraton and everything is the same as pre-Covid, other than breakfast in the restaurant instead the Club Lounge.

Global Adventurer

That's why I have several more Sheraton stays coming up. Everything was almost the same as pre-covid standards.

Radiation Station

Sheraton brand is going strong in Europe too. I’ve stayed at the Sheraton in Edinburgh, Sheraton Grand Park Lane in London, and Sheraton Adeje in Tenerife. All have had decent breakfast options and honoured late check out. As a Plat, I have been upgraded to excellent suites in London and Tenerife. Lounges have been closed or pared back, but they have provided somewhere to get drinks/snacks or offered discounts on food and beverage.

MSPeconomist

I've been treated well at a couple Sheraton's where I'm a repeat (many times) guest.

Kacee

I think the dumping of benefits has more to do with property ownership and management (as well as location) than with brand.

And the reason I find this all particularly irking from Marriott is that it's part of a larger ongoing program devaluation and management's ongoing attitude of arrogance. To them, this is still all just "noise around the edges."

escape4

A license to deny benefits: exactly. Some hotels elect not use such license and continue to provide benefits because they think it's in their best interest to keep customers happy, in fact many hotels offer a breakfast even better than in the buffet days: a nice a la carte menu. And other hotels think it's in their best interest to cut benefits so they use the "license" afforded to them by Marriott. Even closing a restaurant is not an excuse I am easily willing to provide. If many hotels in one city have kept their restaurant open, then when the one next door closes it and denies breakfast, while I understand the decision I cannot give them good marks.

I would say there is now a greater range between generous and stingy than in the past. You have simply not been in the stingy hotels yet, luckily for you

Perhaps Canada is not as bad as US, but it does not avoid the trend completely based on what I observed. Delta Vancouver offers nothing at all for breakfast because their restaurant is closed, while 10 other hotels I have been in British Columbia all offer breakfast, some of them excellent, in and outside of Marriott group. Hyatt Regency Vancouver which also closed its restaurant, but at least they gave a breakfast bag for takeaway. And some hotels have closed the restaurant but not the kitchen so they bring hot breakfast to the room. It's clear to me that the move Marriott corporate made to suspend benefits is the reason Delta cut everything out, while other hotels have not.

PointWeasel

The Delta Vancouver Suites has great suites (and views), but the service levels on the front desk and management are subpar to say the least.

Vote with your feet and stay elsewhere, that is what I have been doing.

Out of my Element

Upcoming 6 night stay at a Courtyard, called them to see what they are currently doing:

No housekeeping (ok)
Gym/pool open by reservation (ok)
No b'fast for Plats (not ok)
No bottled water (really not ok)
Extra fridge for our room (ok)

Not pleased with having to find b'fast elsewhere and to have to buy water (it is in an area where the tap water isn't great), especially the bottled water part as I cannot conceive of a reason other than cheapness not to give folks a bottle of water.. Property is close to where we need to be, the price is right, and buying b'fast and water still makes it the right choice for us, but I can easily see others choosing to stay elsewhere

kaizen7

Its very understandable that hotels need to save cost as much as possible to survive, however too extreme cost cutting measure that reduce customer experience too much is better avoided.
Sometimes cost cutting can translate to better service, for example buffet breakfast to a la carte options.

If customer unhappy with the service compare to other hotels in the area, its very likely that they will move their future booking to the competitor (even if they belong to the same chain)

I guess now is the time for customers to pick n choose which hotels they can continue to stay when pandemic over.
Those hotel who making excuses to cutting services can be avoided, while those who manage to keep the service level constant deserve future booking.

escape4

This is the key issue where I have read different options between various people. My opinion seems to align with yours: if a hotel cuts too much during covid, I am unlikely to return there any time soon in the future, even after everything is back to normal and when their cost cuts have been removed. Other people are apologists and will excuse just about anything hotels do at the moment, just because it's covid and it's an unusual situation. And they insist that what hotels do in the short-term will not affect their future stay decisions and they will not avoid such properties.

If there is a hotel market with lots of options, personally I will stick with those who treated me well during covid and I will be willing to pay a moderate premium to continue staying there once the situation has normalized. It will take a reasonable amount of nudging and promos to bring me back to those properties who cut to the bone in unreasonable ways, such as "no bottled water" to quote an example from Out of my Element .

bocastephen

I would have asked them what bottled water had to do with coronavirus.

I just did 3 more nights at Holiday Inn Express - no bottled water, but a hot breakfast sandwich with yogurt, fruit and oatmeal, and a room that is certainly on par with any Courtyard. The sandwich was from Sysco, probably $1.65 landed/delivered cost, the little tubs of yogurt are maybe $0.50 each, some bananas and a big tub of raw oatmeal (cook in the room's microwave) to take from. Probably somewhere around $3 per guest total. Not exactly make or break costs for a hotel.

rylan

I've found that courtyards are among the worst currently for offering nothing... the bistros are shuttered (since there aren't business travelers to take advantage of overcharging for food) so there is nothing available on site other than the junkfood selection in the lobby shop.