How did he lie to you. It wasnt availible.

Did you work at that hotel. Maybe you were staying for multiple days and tomarrow a wedding or a confrence of CEOs were coming in paying an outrageous rate and they were promised suites but when you looked you saw they were availible tonight.

HE was willing to sell one to you cause you were *****ing like a fiend.

THe only reason most of the platinums want a suite is to gloat oh Im platinum look at me, when u never needed one

So, you know why I want the upgrade huh? That's funny because I don't remember meeting you. I have no reason or want to gloat and I wasn't speaking of an individual hotel (He?), I was talking of the over 80 PEOPLE at the front desk of those 80 hotels that ALL couldn't/wouldn't find an upgrade. 90% of the time I don't even bother asking, I'm not suppose to HAVE to ask. After never receiving an upgrade to a suite after 100 opportunities, Marriott lost my business.I spend 225 nights a year in hotels and I don't want to gloat, I want to relax and sleep and guess what - I DON'T WANT TO BE LIED TO.

[This message has been edited by fireworksboy (edited 08-14-2003).]

[This message has been edited by fireworksboy (edited 08-14-2003).]

I believe if you check the web site you will find you may be mistaken.

I qoute...

When you check in, we'll upgrade you to our finest available accommodations - whenever we can - at no additional charge. Not available at Marriott Vacation Club International locations.

From the terms and conditions page...

Room Upgrade: Upgraded accommodations at no additional charge. Based on room availability and limited to a member's personal guestroom. Not available at Marriott Vacation Club International or Horizons by Marriott Vacation Club.

fireworksboy and longing4piedmont are absolutely right on in this argument. the terms of conditions do offer an upgrade for plats. of course, this is not a free, plats earn it by spending thousands of dollars at marriott hotels year after year. it's a simple business transaction, "i'll give X for y dollars". and if one party doesn't hold up to its side of the deal, then, well let's call it what it is, FRAUD. Imagine marriott's reaction if i didn't hold up my end of the deal and i refused to pay my bill after a stay. and furthermore, imagine if i repeatedly refused to pay my bill, stay after stay. i don't think that would go over well. and what if i lied about it too and said, "oh, well there's a check in the mail", or "oh, yes, i did pay with cash, perhaps it was not recorded properly"... etc, etc. Don't you think that i would lose credibly very quickly with marriott? Don't you think that they would soon refuse to do business with me? of course, they would. and what fireworksboy is suggesting is absolutely the correct solution - and it is what any rational buyer/seller would do in a free capitalist society. boycott marriott, until they can learn to honor their end of a deal.

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[This message has been edited by socrates (edited Mar 23, 2004).]

I truly believe Marriott is working on this. Over the past few months, I have noticed a marked improvement in suite upgrades (without asking).

I think it's unfortunate that not all properties are doing this, because it obviously is a make or break point with a lot of plats.

I hope the people working at the front desk, along with their management, realize the seriousness of their inaction to work with their very best customers.

Before this, I never knew "best available room" could mean suites. Over 200 nights in Marriotts in 18 months, the only upgrades I've received were in Brussels and Sauipe, and both on those X14 Free Weekend certificates, not even paid nights.

Thanks again for this information. Its good to know my rights, but I still doubt I'd go the great extent to checkup on the availability of suites 10 minute prior to checkin or after checkin. The front desk guys are only mouthpieces, they need to keep their jobs and feed the family more than I need that extra bathroom or living room.

A clean comfortable bed and bathroom is all I ask, although I must acknowledge that even this is hard to come by sometimes. When this happens, you betcha I'd complain.

socrates, i AM frustrated as this is the second time i have written in the last month with problems at marriott. you might remember that i had a very hard time collecting on the plat gift guarantee a few weeks ago (ended up with a $25 check). traveling over 200 nights a year provides its own frustrations on a daily basis but i expect it and enjoy my job to no end. but the added frustration at the end of a long day is not what i am looking for. in my opinion, marriott should just not make the upgrade promise if it knows it cannot enforce it, especially when they KNOW it is not being honored. if marriott came out and said "we can't enforce this benefit for our plats in a uniform manner so instead of that benefit we are going to give them something else we can control like extra bonus points (maybe an extra 10-20% bonus)". if that showed up on their website tomorrow, i would be back next week. but if they think they can just ignore the FACT that this is not being uniformly implemented, they are wrong. i won't be back until this issue is resolved in a better fashion than it is now. just so you know socrates, i am not furious or anything with marriott, i wish them well and still tell my co-workers about their great properties but i won't be lied to.

[This message has been edited by fireworksboy (edited 08-15-2003).]

[This message has been edited by fireworksboy (edited 08-15-2003).]

Hi Flychic. I'd note that Marriott's upgrade policy does not state best available "room", it states best available "accomodation". By the anecdotal evidence related in this and other threads, at many Marriott properties the front desk personnel, either at management's behest or because of their own unfamiliarity with the program, are denying upgrades when there is clear availability. If the front desk is simply implementing what they are told to do by local managment, then Marriott needs to do something about it. If not, Marriott needs to educate the front desk personnel. Either way, one major reason I stay almost exclusively at Marriott is because of their promise to me that I will receive an upgrade to the finest available accomodation. Why shouldn't I expect Marriott to live up to its promise, in return for which it gets my business? Like other posters, I am resentful of being told by the front desk that no upgrades are available when I see a half-empty hotel. I'm appreciative of Socrates for his responses on this and other issues, and hopeful that Marriott management understands the harm it does to their brand when many of their best customers feel that they are being lied to by the front desk or misled by Marriott's promise of an upgrade to their finest available accomodation.

Now on a more important subject, we're still waiting for power and water to come back in suburban Detroit. I guess I'd trade that for my next six upgrades.

I appreciate socrates' nice words about our (MR Platinums') inconvenience - even though it's not his own faults or anything. What I would suggest is - Marriott should officially designate someone just like Starwood Lurker here and listens to their loyal guests seriously. I hate to say this, but there are reasons why Starwood gets Freddy Awards every year.

Just like some other posters, suite upgrade itself is not a big deal to me, but if you have to play with a little game (or fight) with front desk personal about what you are promised to be given, then that's a big deal. Since Marriott has established the most challenging criteria for the highest status, they really should deliver what they have promised.

If the company does not take initiatives soon, it will start (or started already) losing their supposed-to-be loyal guests - including myself.

FWBoy,

I going to take a guess that for all the travel you do, its mostly for business.
Does your company pay for your travel? Then vote with your dollars. I am Plat. too but am not going to make it this year. I've stayed in quite a few Starwoods and although the properties tend to be a little higher in cost (at least where I stay), the beds and consistency make it worth it for me.

I also think that it is an unfortunate matter of the Marriott culture and that awareness and training of providing the upgrades that has not yet sunk in. I think you will find that you have better success at a Marriott owned or managed property vs. a franchise.

I hope that Marriott is working hard to educate its properties on this issue

Thanks for the advice chichow although I came to the same conclusion about 4 months ago. SPG PLAT now through 2/05! I'm batting about 80% upgraded room with *wood and have received suite upgrade 40% of the time. My Plat with Marriott will run out this year (I can promise you) after 3 straight years over 100 nights per with Marriott. I do think some readers are confusing my ire as being directed towards the individual hotel staff, when it is actually directed towards Marriott corporate. THEY are the ones who made the policy and have been lax in enforcing it.

Just curious...

As someone who stayed 118 nights last year and is going to (unfortunately) duplicate that number this year...

Can we all start/continue posting specific hotels that do and do not upgrade?

It might help management pinpoint the ones that need to have their "attitudes adjusted."

After talking with Marriott management this past week, I am convinced that this to all of our benefit to do exactly as you suggest.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum63/HTML/002933.html

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[This message has been edited by socrates (edited Mar 23, 2004).]