Wow! Now, I feel "special and wanted"! :D "I'd like to thank all the little people..."

Hey, this has provoked some lively responses, and I can see why.

"I wanna bigger room AND wheres my cookies AND my milk"

It all seems like Plat-a-tude... but from this OP's posting and responses I think he's concerned as to why they're treating him differently, all of a sudden and without any warning. That doesnt seem unreasonable. Has there been some misunderstanding during a previous stay, has policy changed, did someone goof? Not unreasonable to ask, because although Marriott is a big corporation, the people he deals with at the hotel know him and he knows them. A personal relationship based around checkin-checkout, free cookies and a bartab may not be deep or meaningful, but everyone seems to know each other and suddenly something has changed, OP wants to know why, and so would I.

If its a misunderstanding, then hopefully it can be resolved. If its a change in policy, well at least he knows, and if its a goof, then, lets face it they are inclined to happen, and its not as if he's got any less than he paid for.

This is quite a big thing, he's here 2/7th of his life...

nothing to fret over
 

The T&C of the MR program are spelled out and this is the template from which the properties operate and how UGs and other things are handled. Expectations are a subjective thing so I'd suggest that the OP not blur the two. What was done in the past does not subordinate policy to a "relationship" and it certainly does not establish that every future visit will provide these additional perks. All of these properties are staffed by individuals who do indeed possess a modicum of choice to "bend policy" on a situational basis. I consider this a gesture of good will, but I never equate this with an expectation.

I stay a couple of times a year at a Europe Marriott. Because of an incident during a visit in which I assist staff, the night manager places me on the hotel's VIP list. A wonderful gesture for which I am very grateful -- and the staff there are very nice folks & I've come to know a few of them. They try to UG me & have a room for early check in when I arrive. The manager caught flack from his boss who was upset since I was only an infrequent Gold guest. My take on things was to thank the night manager and tell him not to worry as my opinion of him and his staff remains solid. Of course now I am a plat who would be higher on the pecking order anyhow. But I took none of this personal, although I do have a wonderful relationship with some of the folks at that property.

So I would not worry over spilt milk or cookies no longer offered. Enjoy the property and see how things go on future visits.

Barry

Well said, Barry. ^

Have been staying at a Courtyard three nights a week for about a year for work... negotiated a reasonable rate (given I was on per diem) and have helped push a few customers there way... always got on really well with the manager and his staff...about two months ago the GM notices I drag in a 12 can box of Sprite Zero every Tuesday I check in... every week since it is waiting for me in the fridge cold and ready :p They have also let me cancel check-in late 4pm - 6pm for that night no questions asked...and push the booking back a day...and cancel....etc, etc

The property is not the flashest or newest CY, but it is the little things that add up... if I turn up and my cans of SZ are not chilling and ready to consume, no issue...

We had a false fire alarm last Wednesday night from 1145pm to 130am... being a night owl, it was no skin off my nose being up that late, but for many others they were dropping like flies in the foyer and breakfast area... up at 6am ready for work, everyone comped a free BF, profuse apologies for the previous nights mayhem...some might say they should do that OR have to do something like that...but I have stayed at hotels with more serious issues and have been laughed at when suggesting simple and cheap recourse...

I too thought the OP was a bit overly dramatic with the cookies and milk mention. :D

The first time I walked into hotel, I was referred to as the "milk and cookies guy", because it wasn't something they saw requested very often. Dramatics not intended.

And for those curious as to why... I did send the GM an email a few days ago ... but have yet to receive a reply.

While it is a very nice property, I believe it is time for a break from it. ESPN2HD there has been stuck on DirecTV GameSearch for two weeks saying that the game that was requested cannot be found because it was blacked out or unavailable but they'll keep looking. I need my NASCAR in HD. :-)

Maybe not as harsh but I basically agree with this!

Okay ... Every weekend for 2 months ? Lets see at 4 weeks a month, times two months, times two days, you are looking at 16 nights ? At 3 day stays, you still are only talking about 24 nights. You should consider yourself lucky !! You were upgraded to Suites "almost always" ! Wow, for a Gold staying 15 to 20 nights at a REN, you were treated just fine. Cookies and milk ? Not going there :)

Ya know, I see any extra bennies as just that: something extra, something special.... something not expected but appreciated.

My usual Ren had been doing something special for a while (not just for me, but several others from our company) - when the downturn hit, the sales rep called our key admin and essentially said "we can't afford to do this every stay any more, especially at the rate we give you, but if you let us know that it's a special event - a spouse in town or birthday or something - we'll step up".

That's pretty easy to understand. I still stay there, staff is great, and they do their best on upgrades, etc. Every few stays, they'll comp me something extra: a suite, a bottle of wine, an extra arrival gift.

Very much appreciated, definitely not expected.

YMMV.

I've stayed at 2 different properties for long periods of time (~160 nights at a Ren in '09 and ~110 so far at a FS Marriott this year) and never received anything out of the ordinary besides the desk staff being nice to me and knowing my name. If you got a suite every week, count yourself lucky and move on.

Ditto. Last year I split my time primarily between two properties - RenBOS and Ren IND - two weeks at each (with weekends home - woo hoo!). I rarely got upgraded to a suite or any food on arrival (I always choose points!), but the friendly staff still made it worthwhile.

I no longer had to dig out my Id everytime I checked in. If I needed to extend / change at last minute, they were always accommodating. At the REn IND, once I was excited to check out and leave to start a much needed vacation. When a deadline had me walking back in, head down, to check back in for just one more night to finish, they knew I was disappointed. A few minutes later, a knock on the door with milk and cookies and a half bottle of wine to help me drown my sorrows.

It's THOSE touches that made me keep going back even though they weren't in the best location for my trips. And now I'm craving milk and cookies, guys, thanks....

There was a period of time during the boom economy that I was in Phoenix 10-14 days a month for about a year and a half. I usually tried to stay in Scottsdale, but one time the only FS Marriott I could get was the one in Mesa. It's in the middle of nowhere and looks like a very plain hotel, inside and out. But the staff there are absolutely incredible.

One thing they do for elites is to provide fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies, waiting in your room the night of check-in, along with a glass of cold milk in the fridge. I ended up having a few more stays at this property and one time--no cookies. So the next morning on my way off to work I joked with one of the front desk people about the cookie chef being on strike or something. She did some clicking and clacking on her computer and then very sincerely apologized for them forgetting the cookies. By this point I knew she was taking it more seriously than I was, and I told her it was no big deal. She said that I'd be taken care of in the future and apologized again.

From then on, every time I've stayed at the Mesa Marriot, I get fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies and milk in my room every single night. I've even told them that was overkill and that my diet would probably prefer they don't do that, but then they show up again (and they're so good that I can't help but eat them).

Sometimes going above and beyond the minimums expected by the MR T&C is a good thing, as evidenced by the fact that I'm publicly recognizing and recommending this property that otherwise would be a nondescript cog in the Marriott wheel.