Change in Processing of Gift Cards?
 

I have used gift cards (Travel Cards and Gift Cards) for the last year for various stays. Each property has had to enter the entire gift card number manually into either a third party system or another screen that many struggle to find in the first place.

However, last week at a Springhill in Chicago, they simply said sure and swiped a Travel Card with a specified amount. Then swiped another card to take $50 out of $100 balance. The agent simply entered $50 and swiped the card. Off prints the receipt and I am on my way. I was pleasantly surprised as this has never been so easy in the past.

Has the process changed recently, or somehow all the properties I have been to dont know the most efficient way to process them?

EDIT 7/19/12: Confirmed the same process works at FS Marriott and Renaissance.

If you go back and search, you will find a post by Socrates someplace telling us that the limited service brands use one system and the FS brands use another. FS brands need to enter it all manually, whereas the system used by limited service brands have the card swipe capability. I noticed this last year at a very rare stay for me at a CY. My guess is you have previously been using your GC at FS properties.

I used the GCs in both US and Europe and Hong Kong, and in the US some swiped the card and some typed in the whole thing. In Europe they all type the card number in (in both FS and CY) - after they spent a lot of time to find out how to process them. In Hong Kong the FD supervisor did it in his back office so I couldn't see if he swiped or typed in the numbers.

I have only been staying at full service brands. Interesting, that there is a difference. More interesting is why a FS brand not have the seemingly advanced capability.

I dont believe I said they had to manually enter it in either system (I might have though - I honestly don't recall it though) - while there are 2 systems I'm certain they are both interfaced with the CC system and the cards can be swiped in both (Marriott is all about making things easy not more difficult - it's unfortunate though that some of the associates don't use the tool at their finger tips)

Soc - my bad, it was a FDM that told me that.

See post #56 in the thread Gift Card situation out of control.

I can confirm that Marriott has updated their gift card processing system. It is now integrated with the PMS (property management system) and "it's as easy as swiping a credit card."

A friend of mine who works at a Renaissance told me this last week... He and his co-workers are very glad about the change.

No idea about limited-service properties, though.

I hope this system also applies to international properties too - it's so annoying to have to wait 30 mins to pay with a gift card.

I just checked out a FS Marriott Resort and they did not have to enter the Gift Card number manually either. Simply swiped it to let me know how much is available and deducted the folio balance. Looks like there definitely a change across the board. ^

actually I find the FS system (while older and less advanced in someways) much more advanced in a lot of ways than the select service system...it's amazing what happens when you swipe a credit card in the full service system...it'll find the reservation and automatically check you in assign a room (if one hasn't already been done) etc....I can't imagine that you can't swipe a gift card (back in the days when MR cards had mag strips on them you could swipe them too)...but then folks loose track of what the system can do I guess over time...sad

Marriott did recently change how gift cards are processed by switching to a new vendor. As previous posts have mentioned, the old system was antiquated and required manual entry. The new system is now used across all brands and is much easier and seamless for associates to use.

A welcome upgrade.

I can only speak for select service properties using the FOSSE property management system rather than the full service MARSHA system, but in the past it was like posting a Visa and the numbers on the reverse side would go in the credit card number field. Now you have a separate post code for gift cards and it's easy to swipe and go. The Marriott Cheques still must be entered in manually, though. This only pertains to select-service FOSSE systems, and not the full-service MARSHA pms.

did they change again? or are you referring to the change that happened 18-months ago??

I just had a stay back in June and it's the same old same old.