https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e3cbcd748.jpeg
Example.

Thank you for that information. I will keep an ear open. Usually they do offer me the option but sometimes they don't. I will pay more attention.

Technically if you check-in using the mobile application you have by default selected points over anything else. So you probably shouldn't check-in using the app if you want to choose, though the app also says you can change your mind and choose something else at physical arrival.

Couple of things

While Marriott has resumed providing some *elite benefit, these are different than brand standards, which govern what hotel owners must provide to all guests (elite or not) in order to keep their Marriott brands. Last year, Marriott suspended audits of hotels that ensured that they maintained brand standards, and it is unlikely there’s audits have resumed given low occupancy. As such brand standards are still effectively suspended, I haven’t seen anything otherwise

If a hotel doesn’t meet brand standard or elite guarantees, you can file a claim, but obviously the vast majority of travelers will not file a claim (and elite occupancy is down anyway), so in effect Marriott is still giving hotel owners leeway here given the situation

I would be curious to know how many hotels across all brands were audited on a yearly basis before coronavirus, whether the audits are anonymous like AAA inspectors, and what is the auditing criteria.

IME the audit is once a year, it's not anonymous, and it's *ANNOUNCED IN ADVANCE to the hotel's GM (and therefore all other staff too).*

In a particularly egregious case, there was special cleaning, housekeepers kept longer hours, paint in hallways was touched up, carpeting in public areas was shampooed, and I saw the GM polishing elevator buttons in the few days leading up to the inspection visit. On the actual day, the inspector arrived during breakfast and left before breakfast was over, so the inspection (of a suburban hotel with a couple hundred rooms) lasted less than an hour, including meeting with the GM and being introduced to other staff. However, the funny (and very sad) part was that for that one day only, breakfast was of higher quality and coffee was available in real mugs rather than paper or styrofoam cups and there were glass glasses available for the juice. However, upon the manager's order, those mugs and glasses were removed as soon as the inspector left the building, well before breakfast ended that day.

My conclusion: Inspection in the Marriott world is a joke.

I can't decide if I should even bother complaining and I'd like a second opinion. I'm in the middle of a four night stay at a Delta, they gave me a $10 F&B credit as the welcome gift. I checked in on 2/25 and the F&B credit has a written expiration of 2/26. I didn't even notice until last night. I have to admit this hotel is annoying me. The elite pantry is closed "due to covid", but they have coffee, muffins, subs and tons of snacks you can pay for by the front desk.

Have you asked them to allow you to apply the $10 credit to any charge prior to departure?

Are they giving you free access to the breakfast items? To me that would be the bigger issue. They can't just say "pantry closed, no breakfast for you."

I haven't asked them for anything, I've been pretty disgusted with them. I filed a lounge access guarantee since they refused to provide breakfast. I'm considering filing a second one for the welcome gift.

Stayed at the W in Chicago. Restaurant is open but they would only offer me points as welcome amenity even after requesting via mobile chat and when I got to the hotel. Claim filed

How did hotel respond to your guarantee request?

Wow, what did they say in person and via chat? What was their grounds for denying?

It all comes down to properties running unchecked by a management company that just doesn't care, as long as the developer fees keep rolling in

That's basically it. There's a cs arm that is supposed to support guests but it does not have the resources or authority or really even the mandate to actually enforce marketing's false promises.

So the availability of benefits is left to the properties and while some act honorably, many do not.

Marriott should officially "resuspend" brand standards until there is more uniform ability to enforce/provide them on a nationwide. For example, there are very few travelers in Chicago right now, and rates are low. Hotels, if possible, will try not to provide costly extra benefits associated with stays until occupancy and room rates improve. If hotels start providing this stuff the minute any customer come back, any margin they can make is eaten up immediately. Hotels aren't going to do that when many are a year behind on debt payments. Customers end up disappointed, but hotel owners are going to do this until they can afford to provide the benefits. So suspend them until the fall or until year end when business travel may come back, and make sure customers know ahead of time.

If the hotel is in Miami, Jackson Hole, San Diego, whatever, then they should be providing all benefits. It needs to be a local market decision