2010 Hotel Category Changes
#31
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Potomac Falls, VA
Programs: AA Plat 2MM, MR Gold, Avis Pref
Posts: 41,109
I hear ya ^
I have Ko'Olina this summer and any savings will be nice
finally I can use a true enhancement
So are these downgrades automatic credits of points back (upon a call) or is subject to availability again?
I'm not complaining as I would not book these anyway (I despise the CY product) but some of the CY increases made me shake my head in disbelief
I have Ko'Olina this summer and any savings will be nice
finally I can use a true enhancement
So are these downgrades automatic credits of points back (upon a call) or is subject to availability again?
I'm not complaining as I would not book these anyway (I despise the CY product) but some of the CY increases made me shake my head in disbelief
#32
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: SNA
Posts: 18,240
Last year I had a reservation at Waikoloa when it moved from 7 to 6, I just called and they took care of it.
#33
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: New York USA
Posts: 2,933
Same here. I've had to make a call, but Marriott has had no problem issuing credits where point requirements have changed.
#34
Join Date: Feb 2005
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Titanium (former PP), Hilton Silver, UA Silver, AS Member, Hertz 5*
Posts: 3,906
Most of the increases from category 5 to 6 are properties in Virginia Beach (4) and two other oceanside properties in the US. I am not surprised about the bump up for the two German properties. I have not stayed at these properties, but they seem to provide good value based on the opinion of people on FT.
Call me naive, but I still find it surprising that so many people want to use points for Virginia Beach and Orlando. The award categories are so out of whack in these markets that I would not burn points for a category 4-6 CY that has a room rate under $150.
With the reduction in categories, you can now use a category 5 Visa certificate at the JW properties in Atlanta and Beijing along with the Orlando World Center Marriott.
I may be tempted to do that for the Orlando property since I can rent the golf clubs for free as a PP member (used to be $25/day when I stayed in 2008 but it was cheaper to pay a package that included the golf clubs, internet and self parking) and roam the internet for free. This would actually make it cheaper for me to pay for self parking alone.
Call me naive, but I still find it surprising that so many people want to use points for Virginia Beach and Orlando. The award categories are so out of whack in these markets that I would not burn points for a category 4-6 CY that has a room rate under $150.
With the reduction in categories, you can now use a category 5 Visa certificate at the JW properties in Atlanta and Beijing along with the Orlando World Center Marriott.
I may be tempted to do that for the Orlando property since I can rent the golf clubs for free as a PP member (used to be $25/day when I stayed in 2008 but it was cheaper to pay a package that included the golf clubs, internet and self parking) and roam the internet for free. This would actually make it cheaper for me to pay for self parking alone.
#35
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Location: MSY; 2-time FT Fantasy Football Champ, now in recovery.
Programs: AA lifetime GLD; UA Silver; Marriott LTTE; IHG Plat,
Posts: 14,518
Good Morning, all. I just wanted to share with the FlyerTalk community an announcement made on Insiders this morning regarding hotels changing their category in 2010 - effective for all reservations made after March 8, 2010:
Approximately 350 hotels will decrease by one category and approximately 300 hotels will increase by one category. Ninety-five percent of the hotels changing categories are in categories 1-5. The positive news is that many of our most popular locations will be available for fewer points.
Below is a list of all hotels changes in categories 6-8:
...
Please note these changes will go in to effect starting Monday, March 8, 2010. Any reservations made prior to March 8 will be honored at the current category level as long as the certificate is ordered prior to March 8. If you have an existing redemption reservation at a hotel decreasing in category, you may call Marriott Rewards® Customer Support to adjust the reservation after March 8. We thank you in advance for your patience.
Thanks!
Regards,
Andrew
Approximately 350 hotels will decrease by one category and approximately 300 hotels will increase by one category. Ninety-five percent of the hotels changing categories are in categories 1-5. The positive news is that many of our most popular locations will be available for fewer points.
Below is a list of all hotels changes in categories 6-8:
...
Please note these changes will go in to effect starting Monday, March 8, 2010. Any reservations made prior to March 8 will be honored at the current category level as long as the certificate is ordered prior to March 8. If you have an existing redemption reservation at a hotel decreasing in category, you may call Marriott Rewards® Customer Support to adjust the reservation after March 8. We thank you in advance for your patience.
Thanks!
Regards,
Andrew
#36
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: Monterey, California
Programs: Affiliated with all, participate in some
Posts: 2,188
Changes are not posted yet on Marriott website when searching by hotel category.
#37
Join Date: Jun 2008
Programs: AA Lifetime Platnum, Marriott Lifetime Platnum
Posts: 48
March 8th Changes
I have spoken with 3 different individuals on the Platinum Line today March 8th, the day the category changes are to take place. NONE of these individuals nor their supervisors are aware of the changes and are NOT helpful at all. The right hand surely does NOT know what the left hand is doing here again. The down economy has really hurt Marriott in its training and communications employees. The management continues to stumble after their attempt to enhance the rewards program.
#38
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 552
I have spoken with 3 different individuals on the Platinum Line today March 8th, the day the category changes are to take place. NONE of these individuals nor their supervisors are aware of the changes and are NOT helpful at all. The right hand surely does NOT know what the left hand is doing here again. The down economy has really hurt Marriott in its training and communications employees. The management continues to stumble after their attempt to enhance the rewards program.
It's not too dissimilar from hotel rates - certainly all CSR's aren't made aware of all rate changes across the Marriott system. They are what they are, and as long as they can process them appropriately, they don't need to know when they changed or what they used to be.
It would have been nice to have a list of all of the changes made available to Marriott Rewards members, but I don't really think that's a CSR training issue.
#39
Moderator, Marriott Bonvoy & FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: McKinney, TX, USA
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Personally, I would want my client interfaces to know that a change just occured. The problem with your comparison is that rates change daily (possibly even hourly). A CSR would know that. Hotels don't change Category levels every day. This is usually a once a year event. I would have thought Marriott would let them know that a change was made. This would keep the CSRs from being blindsided by questions about and around those changes. And allow them to field questions a bit easier.
#40
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 552
Personally, I would want my client interfaces to know that a change just occured. The problem with your comparison is that rates change daily (possibly even hourly). A CSR would know that. Hotels don't change Category levels every day. This is usually a once a year event. I would have thought Marriott would let them know that a change was made. This would keep the CSRs from being blindsided by questions about and around those changes. And allow them to field questions a bit easier.
I did have a thought, though. Beach9bum, were you calling the reservations line, or the Marriott Rewards customer service line? I, for some reason, assumed you were talking about the reservations line, and I would expect that the agents staffing the MR customer service line would be more informed about something like this (at least I would hope).
#41
Join Date: Jun 2008
Programs: AA Lifetime Platnum, Marriott Lifetime Platnum
Posts: 48
Since I was attempting to make a reservation I called the Platinum Reservations line. They still had the "old" point value and even after speaking to a supervisor.
#42
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 552
Not that it's a tremendous amount of consolation to you today, but Marriott Concierge's post did say that it was going to be effective for reservations made after March 8, 2010.
#43
In memoriam
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: MAN
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Titanium, IHG Spire, UA Silver, Dennis The Menace Fan Club
Posts: 1,457
Well, right now its 14.00 in the UK on March 9th 2010, and Ren Chancery Court is still a cat 8
#44
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Join Date: Aug 2002
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Posts: 71,107
And as someone mentioned on a blog, it would have been nice for the Cat 1-5 changes to be listed in advance, so folk could redeem for the lesser amount if a property they wanted was going up. Cheers.
#45
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: ORD, MKE, MDW
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Platinum, AAdvantage Gold, Air Canada Elite, Avis Pref Select, Hertz Gold,
Posts: 1,844
I'm late to the party as usual....just came across this thread today. But I'd like to also add my note of thanks to Andrew and to Marriott. In general, I definitely like what I see!