escapefromphl

How is this not inevitable, business travel is down an order of magnitude and most ambassadors were probably business travelers?

bgasser

While I do not wish anyone to lose their jobs, full time staffing with benefits is very expensive. Marriott may wish to automate a lot of the Ambassador service functions and redeploy that capital in ways that make Ambassador Elite a more unique experience than Titanium. I enjoy texting, rather than having to contact a dedicated agent by phone. Online chat maybe the direction Marriott is going.

Kacee

Status that's nothing more than a label is the direction Marriott is going.

ftrichard

Because their IT implementation since the merger has been a masterclass in world-class system development and delivery?

weld3z

Feel bad for the peoples who well loss their jobs, used the service once or twice ..
It's nice to be there when you need it.

escapefromphl

Getting OT, and not that I’m an Ambassador, but I despise “online chat” if it ends up being like Amazon and many others you first have to get through the AI layer to end up chatting with some outsourced agent working from a script who is not really empowered to fix any but the simplest issues. It’s ok for getting a refund on your grocery delivery but not some high stakes booking change which they cant botch. It’s not a good solution for everything.

Kacee

It all depends on the quality of the agents and whether they're empowered to offer solutions.

In addition to having to deal with an AI filtering level, I would be concerned about Marriott outsourcing overseas and empowering agents to do little more than offer hollow apologies.

Regardless, it's pretty clear that for now, Ambassador is nothing more than a meaningless label. Can I get my $20k back

margarita girl

It's a shame the "eternal defender of the Ambassador program" isn't here to tell you it's all your fault for not choosing the right property, staying in the right season, expressing your needs properly, etc, etc.

Personally, I enjoyed the Ambassador program when I had it, but I didn't rely on my Ambassador for ANYTHING (and I had 2 of them, no difference). I contacted the properties myself and ensured that I got what I needed for my stays. It worked for me!

stuartpig

I am Lifetime Titanium and make 100 nights a year but never been Ambassador but I always contact hotels ahead of all my stays to ensure a room in the “right “ part. As in end of corridor away from noise.

RobOnLI

I'm literally going to hit Ambassador status this weekend for the first time. I guess I'll be able to report what happens to newbies once the status on my account changes.

I feel badly for the people who are losing their jobs in this tough job market. I hope they are able to get jobs quickly and ones that make them happy.

-RM

Dav77

maybe there will be a tier renovation

something like 100 nights + 15/20k spend = titanium + some milestone bonuses? (K points bonus / free nights bonus / more SNA / 100% bonus points instead 75%)

I would definitely prefer something like that than to have an Ambassador and 24h ...

dcstudent

Given the lack of support (for most it seems) from actual ambassadors + now the layoff of many ambassadors, I wonder why Marriott just doesn't move to a different model, utilizing technology and everything is instant at booking (or after the stay):

150% points bonus
10 SNAs confirmable at booking (on top of the 50 & 75 night options which are not)
Your 24 confirmable at booking
Ability to bring up to 4 people into lounge (assuming 2 in room + 2 guests)

Obviously, I'm shooting in the dark here...and this will never happen. But if Amb. will not longer get personalized service might as well make benefits confirmable at booking.

MSPeconomist

I think you mean to say "has been going" as this isn't new.

It's been a downward spiral. Remove my personal Ambassador service and I book away from Bonvoy, so then there's less use for the Ambassador Team if I'm a representative customer. I also suspect that on average, the better Ambassadors (such as those based at the Austin call center) were terminated first, when they got rid of personal Ambassadors.

I'm curious about how Marriott/Bonvoy views its business strategy going forward. When they drive off their top customers, who will fill their higher end properties or even much of their full service portfolio? Families who want the cheapest rates including low qualify free breakfast (instead of AirBnB) are largely free agents who shop for the lowest price regardless of chain affiliation. Given this, individual properties have little incentive not to deflag and either become independent (but still listed on hotels.com, etc. for online reservations) or reflag as Motel6 or similar.

ADDED: Should I now feel guilty that I didn't waste my time responding to the recent emails from the Ambassador Team just to make it look like they have something to do?

Dsm1012

I just don't think an Ambassador representative is the future in this age of digital technology. I would prefer 5 confirmed suite nights at booking, so at least when I plan a once a year trip with the family I can be assured of a nice room/stay without rolling the dice and having them denied at the last moment and hoping for one at check-in. That way one can book a nice family vacation, know what's available for upgrading while booking, and factor that choice into which hotel or resort to visit.

GUWonder

Disappointing news, but can't say I'm surprised by this kind of move by Marriott. I knew what kind of customer service Marriott was intent upon providing when it became obvious to me that Marriott was willing to lose the original Starwood Lurker and had paired down its engagement on FT.

Marriott's Bonvoying its employees dedicated to its highest tier Bonvoy customers is par for the Marriott course.


No, as Marriott was going to Bonvoy them soon anyway. Marriott's extremely hard pressed to deliver on all those M&A "synergies" it sold to the financial market players when picking up Starwood, and so such employees being Bonvoyed now would have been par for the Marriott course.