Repooc17

I am currently staying at a Marriott property outside the US (happy to indicate the property name or the country where I am if that would make a difference).

As mentioned in the subject title, the reservation: on points, and booked directly with Marriott. Was able to check-in ok. Hours later, front desk called the room, and informed me they could not locate the certificate associated with the points redemption. Got on a long call, first with Marriott customer care, and then Marriott CSR also spoke to the manager on duty but no resolution.

Hotel created a case with Marriott, and the person I spoke to at Marriott also created one as well. Hopefully everything can be sorted out prior to my departure.

Has anyone experienced this before? What was the outcome? If the hotel is not able to find and attach the certificate, will Marriott reimburse me the cash rate the hotel would be seeking?

myperks

Is it the reservation doesn’t have a certificate attached or the certificate doesn’t match reservation?

IIRC, the reservation should list the certificate number (or at least the last 4-5 digits).

Ask to pay the Bonvoy reimbursement rate and call it a day (and get your points back)

Duke787

I'd proactively reach out to Marriott Bonvoy Lurker as well and see if they can assist in expediting a resolution to this

Repooc17

Hotel manager is saying he can't see any certificate attached to the reservation.

Good idea - thanks. Lurker (team) was extremely helpful for me just a few days ago on a duplicated parking charge (different property).
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myperks

but do you see a certificate number on your confirmation email or when you open up your reservation online?

Repooc17

I see the certificate number, but the manager insisted he does not see anything in the property's system.

HHonors OUTSIDER

This situation doesn’t make sense. Without knowing the brand or how many nights and what type of certificate you are using it’s hard to say what is going on. Is the property almost sold out during your nights or half empty?

littlevoices

Based on my reading on this forum, and my own minor issues, Marriott's IT has been known to drop/disconnect certificates on occasion, particularly when changing reservations or when the booking was first made. I have personally had more problems with free night certificates rather than points directly, e.g. last week the free nights didn't attach properly to a reservation and instead the system took points (fixed by my ambassador). The fact you have a certificate with a number seems to imply that it isn't the case, but there is no obvious reason for the hotel to otherwise demand money.

Something seems to be a bit wrong, I guess the hints from others are that the hotel is probably being unreasonable (and is there some underlying reason for that). Crossed fingers they can fix before you leave, it definitely feels like a Marriott <=> Hotel discussion, unless when you look back at your account activity and notice the points weren't really properly taken (may have happened), but even then, only Marriott can fix. Hence the suggestions to escalate to the lurker are probably the best idea, if customer services can't help.

Afterwards you should ask whoever is to blame for the wasted time on your trip on calls/hold, perhaps 5-10k Marriott points, or a comp'ed few cocktails at the bar may be appropriate.

Repooc17

Thanks for the feedback. Have contacted lurker and already received additional information. Will be heading down to the hotel lobby shortly (already morning here). Fingers crossed the hotel has some good news.

Points had been deducted from my account during booking.

I don't have enough info to conclude exactly what is causing the issue, but it does seem weird. I have been staying on points during this whole trip, and have experienced no issues elsewhere.

I recollect now during the check-in process, the representative noted the property's system was shown I am Gold with Marriott, except I am Platinum. She did mention the system had just been upgraded. She was able to see I was staying on points but the manager later told me she didn't do it correctly. Something's up...

I have stayed in this hotel a lot over the years. I am hoping the points issue would get fixed prior to my check out, and this won't be my last stay here.

Kacee

Sounds like hotel IT problem.

Wow, that's pretty poor treatment of a frequent guest, even by Parisienne standards.

notquiteaff

Right? I don’t know why the hotel is even expecting the guest to do anything. They booked a room with points, had their points deducted and have what looks like a valid reservation. Everything on the backend should be between the property and Bonvoy.

TXJeepGuy

Agreed, this is a Marriott IT problem and they should be handling it rather than making you waste your time/vacation on it.

Oxon Flyer

FWIW, this is the format of the confirmation email, showing the Certificate Number :




If I had this confirmation, I would be joining the “I’m not wasting any more of my time, you speak to Marriott and get it sorted between you” side.

cre95

I checked through various reservations on my end including those for points and for cash. In all instances, the email I receive, only provides dates booked and a Confirmation number. I couldn't find one example where I see a Certificate Number as illustrated above.

myperks

if you are using gmail, need to click “view entire message” to see the rate information