Marriott Kansas City, Country Club Plaza, MO was rather uneventful in terms of PP. I didn't even get room on the CL. Evening concierge is fabulous however! Made up for otherwise sh***y work week there. "Thanks for being PP" at check-in.

Marriott Burlington, MA. Got the CL room. No amenities on weekend (was Friday night stay). Greeted as "platinum" only.

Staying in Owatonna, MN this week and going out of network. Pricelined Country Inn and suites for $49/night vs regular $95/night price. Considering closest Marriott property is 40 miles away and it is going to be snowy I didn't mind.

i got my hanging toiletries bag a few days ago. this is my first time as a PP and i hadn't realize that i had made it until i got this in the mail.

Aren't PP supposed to have high tier internet free as part of the benefits? I just saw i got charged at Marriott Burlington, MA extra $4 plus tax for choosing higher tier internet.

Never heard of this as a global benefit but was offered this at a few hotels.

Hm.. from PP booklet.

So I take it tiered at FS doesn't count in this.

I stand corrected. Did not see it. Thanks

Please correct me if my recollection is incorrect, but AFAIR, Marriott did make it a policy a few months back that for all hotels which offered "tiered Internet service" that elites otherwise entitled to free Internet are entitled to choose the highest speed without being charged.

This new policy was created because elites entitled to free Internet service were genuinely confused about which to choose, including at hotels where Internet is free for all (such as CY, FI, RI), but which offer basic (meaning sloooooooooow, almost dial up slow) speed for free, and "premium" (meaning what most people would consider typically normal HSIA) speed for an additional fee between about $4 & $9. I know there were several elites complaining, but I was among the first to complain about this problem, back in June 2011, when I was in NYC and encountered the tiered Internet problem and did not know which to choose.

ADD EDIT: I just got off the phone with Marriott Rewards, and after being on hold for a considerable period of time, I was able to confirm that it is Marriott policy that for ANYONE entitled to free Internet, they may choose the highest level of service offered by that hotel, without charge. So, when presented with the authorization screen each day, if there are two or three levels of service, Golds, Platinums, PPs, all may choose the highest level of service, and should receive no charges from the hotel. If you have been charged for higher HSIA, then challenge the charges at check out, because they are improper.

I don't recall that, but if it's true & someone has a link that we could print out to show FDC that would be great!

But given iztok's quote from PP booklet, sounds like it might just be for PPs & not the rest of us & excludes FS??

Cheers.

There is no reason that they couldn't configure the software so that the clerk would be forced to select a arrival amenity for P and PP before they could complete the checkin process.

Nope, it is for all elite members who are entitled to free Internet, plus, for any hotel where an elite is staying where there is a choice to make when signing on to the Internet, and trying to figure out which one we are supposed to choose, there are supposed to be no charges, no matter which choice we make. That is why I just reconfirmed with Marriott Rewards (30 minute phone call before the rep and her manager could track down the proper information, however, she could not provide me with a link to the e-mail or news release that MR made several months ago when they announced it). It makes sense, because otherwise, how could Golds, Platinums, and PPs know which to choose, and if they made the wrong choice in error, how will the argument get resolved equitably?

I had an experience like this recently in Redmond, WA at the Marriott. During the check-in when I was told that I was on the 5th floor, I asked the clerk why I wasn't upgraded. (Side note: the 5th floor in that hotel has smelled like un-washed bodies and curry for some time now. Not pleasant.) She replied that all the available upgrade rooms were occupied by guests paying a slightly higher rate than mine. Well, that didn't sit too well with me, especially considering my company (and the rate I was using) are the largest employer in that area. So I told her I didn't care about the Concierge level but wanted a quality room or suite. She continued to refer to me as a Platinum while the manager stood there and watched what was going on. I tried to polite but insistent about getting an upgrade. Finally, I let it go. She called me "platinum" again and that's when I told her that I was a Platinum PREMIER with over 600 nights in the last 3 years. The look on her face was priceless. I thanked her and went to my room. A few minutes later, the phone rang and it was the clerk. She apologized for not upgrading me and offered me 20,000 MR points. I graciously thanked her for the amenity (although I found out later it was actually 2,000 points). The next day when I saw the manager he was careful to reference my Platinum PREMIER status as did every other front desk person I encountered during the remainder of my stay.

I joked with my co-workers that I preferred to be called "Premier Burdell." But seriously, I do make a big deal about my status with the full service Marriotts if they don't properly recognize me. I figure that it helps to educate the staff and pave the way for PP who follow in my footsteps.

To contrast my experience with this property, the next Marriott on my trip was the Seattle Waterfront. Upon arriving at the front desk, I was immediately recognized as a Platinum PREMIER, upgraded to a top floor water front room and everything else was handled smoothly and without prompting from me. I also received the same treatment 2 weeks later when I arrived with Mrs. Burdell except this time we were upgraded to a nice corner waterfront suite. In summary, its all about the training. Its not that hard to make an elite guest feel welcome. When they give you their name, scan the screen, properly ID their status and welcome them. Make the check-in as effortless as possible.

I also had a fun experience explaining my status to 2 young front desk clerks recently at the Denver Marriott South. They seemed in awe as I explained my PP status, my room nights and Lifetime PM stuff. Their enthusiasm for the travel business really showed.

BTW, I got my PP amenity today. It was a toiletry bag. That's what I got for spending $25K with Marriott last year. For $23K, Delta gave me (through their Choice Benefits program) Gold Medallion status for Mrs. Burdell and $400 worth of Tiffany gift cards. Hmmmm.....

Wow! In the sea of self-centered folks who tie their frequent traveller status to their sense of self, that may be the most pompous post I've ever read! ^

DYKWHI
(Do You Know Who He Is?)

Ditto that.

When I opened the package, I got excited because it appeared to be wrapped with a new luggage tag. But alas it was just paper.
Sad that the only Marriott Luggage tag I have is the one I got for free at the Courtyard booth they had at MSP airport.

So I didn't miss anything in the books.
The only difference this year between PM and PP is phone number and the bag.